 Yn ymdeithas gwybodaeth y First Minister's Questions, ymgyrch yn cwestiynau nhw'n nifer 1, dwi'n gwybod gyda'r cymddeithas. Dyma ymddangos gyda'r cymdeithas dechrau chi i'r gweithfeyddau ymddangos yw'r gweithfeyddau ymddangos gyda'r cymdeithas, tragynig yn ysgolod, mae gyda'r gweithfeyddau ymddangos gymaeith. Diolch i chi'n gwneud y gyrdd yma, ymddangos gyda'r gweithfeyddau ymddangos cymdeithas, yn y number of sexual crimes has more than doubled since 2007. We know that women suffer these horrific crimes far more than men. It is the first task of this Government, indeed any Government, to keep the public safe. Does the First Minister have confidence in her Government's ability to keep women across Scotland safe? I am not complacent about the risks and the threats of abuse, harassment and often very serious violence that women are subjected to in Scotland and around the world every single day. That is why I welcome. I do so with a sense of great regret that it is necessary this United Nations international day for the elimination of violence against women and the 16 days of action that will follow. I do not believe that any Government in the UK or any Government across the world is yet doing enough to protect women. Of course, the source of violence against women is men who commit those acts of violence, but I do believe that this Government is taking important action. For example, and this is relevant to the point that Douglas Ross rightly points to about the increase in reports of domestic abuse. That is in part because we have extended the law to cover more examples of behaviour and classify that as domestic abuse. It is to the credit of this Parliament that it did so. That is an important step forward. It means that behaviour that was previously not criminalised is now criminalised. We have also increased funding for the organisations that work on behalf of women. It is important that courts treat seriously the actions that lead to convictions. I believe that this Government, indeed this Parliament, is taking important steps forward. I also believe even more strongly that there is much more still to be done. I absolutely agree that there is much more that still needs to be done. Last week, I raised the case of Esther Brown. She was raped and murdered by a criminal with a long and appalling history of violence against women. Just this morning, we heard that there have finally been arrests in the murder of schoolgirl Caroline Glacken more than 25 years ago. She was found dead on the morning of her mother's 40th birthday. Another tragic loss of life that we have raised numerous times before in this chamber is that of Michelle Stewart. She was murdered in 2008 near her home in Ayrshire. Just a few weeks ago, her sister Lisa wrote to the First Minister's justice secretary to ask for an update on Michelle's law. This is a series of reforms to toughen up the justice system that my party supports. Specifically, Lisa asked about the tagging and GPS monitoring of those released on licence and who have committed serious and violent crimes. She said that the former justice secretary, who is speaking to the First Minister right now, committed to having a scheme up and running by November 2021. With one week to go, will that promise to our grieving family be kept? First of all, in relation to the arrests that were reported this morning, I, obviously, in common with all other members, cannot comment on the substance of that, but I think that it is an important indication that, no matter how many years pass from horrendous crimes that are committed, those responsible for those crimes wherever possible will be brought to justice. I think that that does, on this day in particular, send an important message. In terms of Michelle Stewart, I will ensure that the letter that has been written receives a full response. We have taken forward a number of reforms in response to calls made in the wake of that tragic case and indeed other tragic cases. I will ensure that I write to Douglas Ross and place the letter in Spice about the progress and the timing of the particular change in reform that he is asking for. I do not want to say definitively that this is the case here, but everybody in this chamber knows that certain commitments, certain strands of work, have unavoidably been affected because of what we have been dealing with collectively over the past two years. However, those are important measures that we need to continue to take and keep our minds open to taking in order that we do all that we can to keep women safe to ensure that those who commit acts of violence against women are brought to justice and to deal with much more effectively in the future than society has done in the past with the underlying causes of violence against women, which is the behaviour of some men in our society. I appreciate any response that I get from the First Minister in a letter or any other way, but this was a promise made to a family who have gone through the worst of circumstances that none of us can imagine, and with less than a week to go, it sounds like that promise is not going to be kept. It is not the only promise that has been broken to the Stewart family and others like them. Just a few weeks ago, Lisa Stewart also said this about her sister's murderer. We get no warning that he is out in our local area. What happens if we come across him? Is any thought given to the victims? Again, this is not an isolated example. Victims are routinely left in the dark about where the criminal who ruined their lives ends up and when they are being let out. Right now, there are around 4,500 criminals serving sentences of up to 18 months for crimes including sexual assault and domestic violence who have a release date that their victim could be told about. That is 4,500 victims of crime who could be informed when their offender will be released from prison. Can the First Minister tell the chamber how many of those victims have in fact been notified? The reason that I will write in detail to Douglas Ross and make the terms of that letter available in Spice, which effectively is making that available publicly, is that I want to make sure that I give proper detailed answers to those very important points. We are taking forward work on all of those strands. It is the case. This frustrates me as much as it frustrates other politicians. Of course, it does not frustrate us nearly as much as I know it will frustrate the families of victims of crime, but those are often complex reforms that have to be done properly in order that our overall justice system is performing in the way that we want it to. For example, on notification, part of the work has been making changes to the victim notification scheme to ensure that victims have proper notice where that is appropriate. For example, where people are on parole and that there is the ability for victims to be notified. I want to make sure that we set out in detail where all the different strands of that work has got to. I do not believe that it is the case that we are not taking forward important changes and reforms here. We are. We have talked about those rightly many times before in this chamber, but it is really important that there are a few issues. I know what I will be speaking on behalf of many people, in particular many women across the country right now. There are a few issues that I care more passionately about than doing everything possible to keep women in our society safer from the violence that too often women are subjected to. There is more we need to do, there is more we are doing and it is something that I take extremely seriously. I know that that is a view shared across my Government and indeed across this Parliament. Victims have to have proper notice. The answer to my question about out of 4,500 potential victims of those cases, how many have been notified, the answer is 37. 37 of those victims right now are aware of where the offender in their case and when they are going to be released. 37. Less than 1 per cent of those victims know when that criminal who ruined their life is going to get out. How can women who suffer the most horrific crimes and their families feel safe when they are kept in the dark about the release of dangerous offenders? They have no idea if they will be walking down the street in their own community and come face to face with their attacker. The justice system is stacked against victims. We have to change this to prevent another case like what happened to Caroline Glacken, to prevent another case like what happened to Esther Brown, to prevent another case like what happened to Michelle Stewart. When will the First Minister's Government finally take the action desperately needed to keep women safe from these crimes? Those are important issues. I do not believe that it is the case that the justice system is stacked against victims. I do not think that that is a fair representation, but I do believe that it is the case that the justice system, like all parts of our society, has to change to respond better to the needs of women who are subject to violence. I readily accept that responsibility. It is the case that the Government is taking forward a range of changes and reforms because some of what Douglas Ross has cited is not good enough. Victim notification is one of those areas. It is important to say—and I do not say this in mean to suggest that it is in any way the majority—that there will be some victims of crime who do not want that information for reasons that are important to them. It is really important that, in all of those things, the needs and the wants of victims are to the fore, that the justice system is responsive, that it is not defensive, that we are always looking at how we reform and change the justice system in order to address those very legitimate concerns. However, the final point that I would make here is not in any way to downplay the issues that we are discussing here today, but the justice system responds to crimes after they have been committed rightly so and needs to do that appropriately and effectively. However, we also all have a duty to do much more—this does not just apply to Scotland, it applies globally—much more to stop the violence happening to women in the first place. That means changing profoundly the culture that exists in many countries around this. I am glad that the issue has been raised today, given what today represents. I accept my responsibility in Scotland to make sure that all those issues are addressed and that we take forward those changes and reforms because all of us have a duty to do everything that we can to keep women as safe as possible from violence. Last week, I raised the case of Andrew Sloanant, who died in the Queen Elizabeth University hospital in Glasgow, after contracting a fungal infection, aspergillus, linked to water and the environment. Since raising that in the chamber last week, I have been contacted by a senior clinician at the hospital who has revealed that there was another case of aspergillus in a child cancer patient around the same time and in the same ward as Andrew. That child tragically died. When a hospital reports a serious infection like aspergillus, a red report should be filed and the health secretary informed. Did this happen? Were you aware of this death and what action was taken? First Minister, I will look into the specific issue that has been raised and I will come back to Anna Sarwar. Those are again important issues. I do not have the details of the case that he is raising but I will certainly, as a priority, look into this. After last week's exchanges and after the very serious concerns that were raised by Louise Lawrence and Andrew's wife, the Government has taken further action. Obviously, those concerns require to be fully and properly investigated. I have written to Louise Lawrence already today confirming initial actions that are being taken in light of those concerns. That includes an independent external review of Andrew's case notes in terms of the more general concerns of aspergillus infection at the Queen Elizabeth hospital. The health secretary has asked healthcare improvement Scotland to carry out a wider review and any necessary action as a result of those strands of work will be taken. On the additional case that Anna Sarwar has raised, I undertake to look into that as a matter of urgency and write to him once I have had the opportunity to do so. Anna Sarwar, that sounds like no. What is the point of the Scottish Government oversight board? What is the point of it? The First Minister says about a review. I am sorry that waiting for a public inquiry or talking more about process is not going to save people's lives, so that response is simply not good enough. The public inquiries and reviews did not prevent the death of Andrew Slawrants. It did not prevent the death of this child from aspergillus, but most devastating of all, there are still infections happening right now. A second clinician, in fear of speaking out because of bullying and intimidation, has told me that, in the past two months, there has been another child who acquired a waterborne infection, like Millie Main, and died. Another case, in the last two months, and another child, dead. The holding answers are no longer good enough. That is gross negligence. The First Minister needs to act now, stop infections and save lives. It is really important that—let me say this very clearly and bluntly—no clinician should fear bullying or intimidation in coming forward. Anna Sarwar says that they have been, so it is incumbent on me, as First Minister, to stand here and very clearly say that that will not be tolerated in our national health service. When concerns are raised, it is important that there is proper and full investigation to determine whether there are relationships between infections, which a lot of work—considerable amount of work—is under way on a daily basis in the national health service to reduce the incidence of, and people becoming seriously ill and dying. It is important that proper investigation is under way, which is why what I have said today is important so that we establish the facts, because that informs the actions that require to be taken. That is vital. What is also vital is to recognise that the Government is absolutely correct that processes are established to ensure proper, wider investigation and scrutiny. That is why the independent review and the case note review that was undertaken previously and now the independent statutory public inquiry is important, but it is simply not the case to say that nothing else is being done while we await the findings of those. Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board is right now at the highest level of escalation in terms of the health board performance framework at stage 4, which is often referred to as special measures. That means that there is a significant amount of work under way to address infection in hospitals and to reduce the incidence of infection. Those are important matters, but when those concerns are raised, it is really important. It is not trying to deny responsibility to say that real serious investigation to establish the facts is important. I hope that Anas Sarwar will accept that. That answer is simply unacceptable and complacent. Millie Mayne died in 2017 and there was a similar infection in a child two months ago that lost her lives. Hiding behind process is not going to bring people back to life or stop infections right now. I remind the First Minister that she has been in charge of the scandal from start to finish. That has happened and continues to happen on your watch. Right now, the health board is attempting to deflect blame on to the clinical staff. That is a failure of leadership. The health board has failed, the Scottish Government oversight board has failed and, frankly, the First Minister continues to fail. Staff are being bullied and intimidated now. I have been raising this in this chamber for years and I have heard the same answers and the same excuses. Infections are happening now. Patients are dying now. Last week, the cause of Andrew Slawren's death was revealed. This week, the death of two children. Another week of dithering and inaction simply won't cut it. Sack the leadership of the health board today. Sack the oversight board today and use your emergency powers to take control of this hospital. First Minister, how many more families will have to be devastated before you do the right thing? Sacking a health board does not change overnight the practice in a hospital. That is why the actual work has to be done. When concerns are raised about the cause of someone's death, that has to be properly investigated so that the action that is then taken as a result of that is the right action. It is not right to say that no action has been taken over four years. Anas Sarwar says to me, use your emergency powers to take control of the hospital. Greater Glasgow and Clyde, as I said, is at the highest level of escalation and will remain there while all of those issues are investigated and action is taken. Those are serious matters. They are serious matters. All of us should take it seriously. However, we do not do justice to the families concerned if we simply call for action that is not based on proper investigation, proper scrutiny and proper consideration. That is the duty of government and that is the duty that we will continue to take seriously. In light of the appalling loss of life off the coast of France yesterday, can I ask the First Minister if she will make the strongest possible representations to the UK Government to do whatever is required to prevent such needless tragedies happening again? I want to take the opportunity to express my deepest sympathy at the loss of 27 lives in the English Channel yesterday. That was a tragic and shocking loss that will be felt deeply not just here in the UK but across the world. Those seeking refuge are human beings. They are driven out of desperation into boats crossing the channel and by a lack of humanitarian alternative routes. I believe that it is important that those issues are addressed and they are addressed with the needs of human beings in mind. We should be working together to ensure that those seeking refuge get protection from exploitation, not punishment or criminalisation. They need to rescue not diversion back into treacherous waters. Scottish ministers have repeatedly called for a much more humane approach to asylum and we will continue to do so in the wake of this dreadful tragedy. First Minister, a constituent in my region has contacted me in distress as her 16-year-old vaccinated daughter has now contracted long Covid and is struggling to access treatment for the condition. Since September, she has been absent from school. Her GP wrote to Forth Valley and was advised that she cannot treat her as she does not support long Covid. This is a shocking situation for any constituent and for any child who feels that they are being abandoned by the health system. Therefore, what action can be put in place to ensure that the situation is rectified as a matter of urgency? First Minister, I have not seen the terms of the correspondence referred to from Forth Valley, but all health boards have a duty to support patients with long Covid. We have made significant investments to develop services for people with long Covid, including children. Obviously, their needs will often be very particular. It is, of course, for clinicians to determine the correct treatment and services available, but if the member wishes to write to the health secretary with details of the constituency case, I know that the health secretary will look into that and respond further. Willie Rennie The examination of deaths in care homes with residents admitted without being tested deserves to be illuminated with good statistics and timely statistics without manipulation from Government ministers. However, we know that two ministers interfered on the publication to delay it on another report. Does the First Minister not understand that suspicion about the interference with Public Health Scotland is swirling around, and the best way to deal with that suspicion is to publish the report into care home deaths now? I absolutely do not accept that characterisation. That does a great disservice not to Scottish ministers but to those who are working hard and have worked so incredibly hard over the past months in Public Health Scotland. Public Health Scotland has made it absolutely clear that no data was withheld. Data on deaths in care homes were incorporated into the discharges from NHS Scotland hospitals to care homes report that was published on the 21st of April. Of course, deaths in care homes, in common with all aspects of the handling of the pandemic, will be the subject of the independent inquiry and will shortly announce further details of that. As we have heard, the report on care home deaths due to Covid was not published prior to the election. The First Minister is aware that there was no barrier to them doing so as their own guidance states that they can publish information even in an election period, so it seems that the report was suppressed for political reasons. We know that secrecy and spin are at the very heart of the SNP, but it seems to have infected Public Health Scotland too. Why did they need to protect the SNP Government? Will the First Minister ensure that the report is now published? I really think that that is a slur on the good people who work in Public Health Scotland day in and day out, trying to help this country through... Jackie Baillie said the Public Health Scotland reputation as well as ministers. I accept criticism of ministers readily in this chamber that is a proper part of the democratic process, but those working in Public Health Scotland do not deserve that and let me put on the record my thanks to them. I am not sure if Jackie Baillie heard the terms of my answer to Willie Rennie, but let me repeat it. Public Health Scotland has made it clear that no data was withheld, data on deaths in care home were incorporated in the discharges from NHS Scotland hospitals to care home report published on 21 April, which, if memory serves me correctly, was before the election. I accept applications for the child disability payment on Monday. That followed a successful pilot in Dundee City, Perth and Cynros and the Western Isles. That is another important milestone in the devolution of social security powers for disability benefits. Statistics on update will be published in the normal manner, but initial information shows that it is going well. That is important. Anybody listening who thinks that they might be eligible for that payment, I encourage them to make inquiries and apply. First Minister, NHS Tayside has raised serious concerns about missed out patient appointments, with 1,846 people failing to attend last week alone. That is almost 10 per cent of bookings. Given the implications for cost, delayed treatment and waiting times, what action is the Scottish Government taking to encourage people to attend their NHS appointments? Obviously, we encourage people to attend appointments that they are given. We know, largely because of the Covid experience, that there are significant waiting times for both outpatient and inpatient elective care. Therefore, it is really important that people get appointments and that they attend those appointments. If they cannot attend those appointments, of course, they should contact their health board to rearrange so that that slot can be allocated to someone else. We will always take steps to encourage that, but more fundamentally, we are taking steps back by significant investment to increase the overall capacity of the NHS to ensure that more appointments are available, and we start to tackle the backlog in waiting times that has developed over the past two years. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to Rape Crisis Scotland's survivor reference group police responses in Scotland report. First Minister, we welcome the publication of the report by the survivor reference group and commend the courage of those who have come forward to share their experience. We will consider the findings from this report, although some of the recommendations are an operational matter for Police Scotland. We are determined to ensure that the justice system does respond better to the needs of survivors in Scotland, and we will continue to prioritise support for victims of sexual crime, as well as work to identify ways to prevent offending in the first place. We recognise the key role that advocacy services such as Rape Crisis Scotland play in helping victims to come forward and engage with the justice process, which is why we fully fund its national advocacy project. Maggie Chapman Can I thank the First Minister for that response and acknowledge how seriously I know she takes this issue? Today is the international day for the elimination of violence against women, and we will be debating this issue later on today. Sexism and misogyny remain entrenched in our society, and the rise in reports of domestic abuse and sexual crimes should ring alarm bells for us all. The Rape Crisis Scotland survivor reference group report reveals concerns about how those reports are dealt with by police. It makes it clear how important understanding and awareness of trauma is both for justice and for recovery. It also makes clear that survivors of colour or those from different cultural backgrounds are least able to access justice. In the First Minister's view, what can we all do to ensure that our criminal justice system does not prevent minoritised and marginalised women in particular from being given fair and equal access to pursue justice? First Minister, we have to recognise what Maggie Chapman has outlined there. All women suffer in some way, shape or form at some point in their life, sexism and misogyny. Unfortunately, too many women suffer very serious violence and abuse and harassment. Within that, women of colour and other minority groups will suffer disproportionately, but in some cases find access to justice even more difficult. That is something all aspects of the justice system have to take very seriously. I know that Police Scotland does take that seriously and will take very seriously the recommendations for it in this report. That is something that, at all levels, all of us must do more to address in order that the next generations of girls growing up in Scotland and around the world do not suffer the same as those who have gone before them. I have previously raised the often torturous journey of women who are navigating the way through the judicial system and who have been brave enough to come forward in the report when they have been victims of sexual crime. I include the continual retraumatisation and secondary abuse that the continual retelling of the story to agencies involved heaps upon them. Does the First Minister agree that it is imperative that victims have full confidence in the reporting process and that the judicial system will treat them with dignity and compassion? Will she commit to reviewing those procedures to ensure that victims feel able to approach the police without delay or hesitation? That is not the experience being reported all too often. Yes, I absolutely agree with that. We must make sure that women have the confidence to come forward, that they feel that they will be appropriately treated when they come forward, that their concerns and reports will be taken seriously and that all due process will be applied, but that their needs will be treated sensitively and sympathetically. All of us, as politicians, when we are talking about those things, have a duty to make sure that how we talk about them do not inadvertently put women off coming forward in this way. All parts of the justice system need to make sure that they are looking at their processes and systems in place to make sure that that is not just rhetoric, that is reality. I know that that is something that the Crown Office takes seriously. I know that it is something that the police take seriously. I know absolutely that it is something that this Government takes very seriously. We are funding a number of the organisations that work directly with women to support them through the criminal justice process. Indeed, in the first 100 days after the re-election of this Government, we directed new funding to rape crisis centres and domestic abuse services to help to cut the waiting lists in specialist support services. Across all parts of our justice system, all parts of society, there are many things that all of us need to do to make sure that the experience of women is improved when they suffer violence and abuse. Of course, we have to do more to prevent that in the first place. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on whether nuclear power is an essential part of Scotland's transition to net zero. The Scottish Energy Strategy, which was published in 2017, confirmed that the Scottish Government's continued opposition to new nuclear power stations under current technologies. Significant growth in renewables, storage, hydrogen and carbon capture provides the best pathway to net zero by 2045 and will deliver the decarbonisation that we need to see across industry heat and transport. We believe that nuclear power represents poor value for consumers, which is evidenced very strongly by the contract awarded by the UK Government to Hinkley Point C nuclear station in 2016, which will result in energy consumers subsidising its operation until 2060. Today, the project costs for Hinkley have soared from £18 billion in 2016 to £23 billion today, while first generation from the site is not expected until June 2026, six months later than planned. I thank the First Minister for that response. The people of Scotland have consistently voted for a Government that does not support the creation of new nuclear power stations. In light of the comments made by the leader of Scottish Labour on nuclear energy, can I ask the FM whether the Scottish Government considers it necessary for taxpayers to fund the creation of new nuclear power given the time and significant cost associated with it when Scotland is already at renewable powerhouse? I absolutely agree with Bill Kidd. I think that we've got to invest in the energy sources that will get us to net zero but also deliver the best deal for taxpayers and for energy consumers. Renewables, storage, hydrogen, carbon capture, that's what provides us with the best pathway, not an easy pathway but the best pathway to net zero by 2045. Nuclear power is a really, really bad deal for the bill payer and that's before we take account of the fact that waste is incredibly difficult to deal with. I've already spoken about the increased cost for Hinkley point C but internal analysis shows that in 2030 alone Hinkley could add almost 40 pounds a year to a consumer bill while the equivalent offshore wind farm would reduce consumer bills by £8 a year. So let's invest in the clean sources of energy that will get us to net zero but also deliver a better deal for bill payers now and in the future. I'm very grateful, Presiding Officer, and I look forward to the publication of that internal research. Hunterston B stopped recruiting apprentices three years ago. Torn S is moving towards the end of its life under present conditions. What does the First Minister say to all those apprentices who should be learning the skills, who should be learning the technology and should lead Scotland forward in its economic recovery? I want to see massive opportunities for apprentices, for new workers, for workers already employed in oil and gas and nuclear in the low-carbon green technologies of the future, like renewable energy, where Scotland has vast potential in hydrogen, in carbon capture, which unfortunately has been dealt a blow by the UK Government in the Scottish context. Those are the sources of energy that we should be supporting and investing heavily in because they are better for our environment, but they will also offer the jobs and the opportunities for young people now and in the future. That's what this Government is behind and I hope we see the whole Parliament get behind it too. 5. Jamie Greene To ask the First Minister what discussions have taken place between the Scottish Government and the postal and banking sectors regarding the continued access to everyday services, particularly for rural, digitally excluded and vulnerable customers. Access to banking and postal services is vitally important, particularly for rural communities and vulnerable or digitally excluded consumers. Any reduction in branch numbers raises concerns regarding the ability to access those services. Of course, the regulation of financial and postal services is reserved to the UK Government. Scottish ministers are therefore restricted in the intervention that we can take. However, we do engage with the financial services sector regularly and I will re-emphasise the importance of this when I shortly convene the financial services advisory board. We have also repeatedly made clear to the UK Government and Post Office Ltd that they have a responsibility to ensure that existing postal services are maintained rather than reduced. Jamie Greene The First Minister will be aware, as many of us in the Chamber will know, that more than half of local bank branches have been lost in Scotland since 2010. Customers were sent instead to post offices for their everyday banking, but we are now losing many of those too. In my region alone, we have lost post offices in Greenock, Irvine, Port Glasgow and Williams Bay. I appreciate that temporary measures have been introduced in some areas and that is most welcome, but it is unclear what the long-term plans are, particularly for rural and elderly customers, as the First Minister rightly pointed out. I do appreciate that those are commercially driven decisions in many cases, but can I ask what constructive and positive conversations the Scottish Government with the UK Government could have with those sectors and local communities to ensure that no one is left behind? The Scottish Government will continue to engage with financial services companies, with the post office, as I have said. I have reiterated today that we will raise this at the next meeting of the financial services advisory board. I have discussions personally. My ministers have had discussions about how those services can best be delivered, particularly in rural areas, to ensure that people have equitable access. Those decisions are often commercially driven, but it is really important that businesses remember the wider needs of their customers and consumers. In terms of discussions with the UK Government, I would be delighted to be joined by Jamie Greene in asking the UK Government to do more to better regulate financial services and postal services in this area, so perhaps he can make those representations alongside the Scottish Government. If the UK Government is not willing to do that and has not been willing to do that so far, perhaps this is an area where they would like to devolve these powers to this Parliament so that we can build on the consensus that clearly exists here and do something about it ourselves. Paul O'Kane Thank you, Presiding Officer. More must be done to support post office provision not only in rural communities but also in town centres. In the town of Port Glasgow in my region, there is no post office, which is remarkable in a town of almost 15,000 people. Often when post offices close, community groups and local development trusts wish to take the services on but can get off the ground due to funding issues or resourcing issues, so will the First Minister look at how we might better fund community capacity to be able to offer those services and retain them in communities? The First Minister Yes, we will always look at that. We already look at how we can support communities to take assets into community ownership, not just in this area but more generally. That is a constructive way that this Government can help to use its powers and resources. However, as is so often the case, what we end up being called upon to do as Government is to put a sticking plaster on the actions or inactions of the UK Government. Again, perhaps the member from the other side of the chamber will join those of us on the Government side of the chamber here to say, why would it not be better to take those powers and responsibilities into the hands of this Parliament so that we can tackle some of the root causes of that and not just constantly have to be a sticking plaster for the actions or inactions of a Tory Government at Westminster? The First Minister Question 6, Monica Lennon. Monica Lennon Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to a SIPA investigation in covering the single largest illegal export of household waste from Scotland, resulting in psycana tour UK limited being fined £20,000. The First Minister Well, that kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable. The company's actions were illegal and they were also environmentally damaging. They also undermine Scotland's wider recycling effort. The prosecution sends a very clear signal to everyone that waste must be managed responsibly and sustainably. As in this case, SIPA routinely carry out proactive inspections at Scottish ports and loading sites to ensure compliance with the very strict waste shipment regulations. SIPA will continue to prioritise the regulation of waste exports from Scotland to ensure that the environment is protected. It is of course for the courts to decide what level of fine is appropriate in any case. Monica Lennon I thank the First Minister for her response and I pay tribute to the SIPA officers involved in detecting the serious and, frankly, disgusting environmental crime. What was supposed to be bails of waste paper included used nappies and period products, dog excrement and plastic packaging. Dozens of those containers were intercepted in antwerp and in transit to China. I appreciate the fine as a matter for the courts, but does the First Minister agree that £20,000 is a paltry fine for this filthy crime and that we do need more robust punishment in order to deter those kinds of crimes? What action will the Scottish Government take to ensure that our regulatory and legal framework are fit for purpose and that we can show leadership in terms of environmental justice and fulfil our moral and legal obligations, not to export our pollution to other countries? I think that it is important to say, and I think that Monica Lennon did recognise this, that this case is a sign that our regulatory framework is working. It is a credit to the SIPA that this illegal export of waste was intercepted, identified and a prosecution and a punishment fine happened. In terms of the fine, it is for a court, for the sheriff in this case, to decide the appropriate level of fine. I know that the sheriff in this case highlighted some of the reasons why the fine was set at that level. There is a possible sentencing range, so the fines could have been much higher than that, but it is for the sheriff to take account of the circumstances and decide what is appropriate. While we all want to see cases like this appropriately dealt with, it would be really wrong for me to second guess the sentings and decisions of any sheriff or judge in the country. Given that 98 per cent of plastic waste is not recycled here, will the First Minister back Scottish Conservative calls to reduce waste exports and create jobs by building a new recycling plant for plastics here in Scotland? We want to take a range of actions to make sure that we reduce waste and increase recycling. Just last week, the Minister for the Circular Economy announced the first of the investments from the £70 million recycling improvement fund to increase the quantity and quality of recycling, and that marks the beginning of one of the biggest investments in recycling in Scotland. We will continue to consider suggestions from wherever they come so that we are fully playing our part to reducing and appropriately dealing with waste here in Scotland, which is an important part of fulfilling our environmental imperative. Gillian Mackay The First Minister will be aware that 11 residents at Millbrake air home in my constituency were mistakenly given a saline solution instead of the Covid-19 vaccine in December last year. I understand that the situation was quickly rectified by NHS Lanarkshire, and no harm was caused to residents, however. Can the First Minister offer reassurance that this incident was an isolated case and that all affected residents and their families were offered the appropriate support at the time? Yes, I am able to offer that assurance. I know that the health board has apologised for any distress that was caused by the incident at Millbrake air home. I can confirm that the health board at the time gave an assurance to us that no harm was caused. All residents affected were notified along with their families and received the appropriate vaccine the same day, with no adverse effects. Vaccinators in the health board area were made aware of the error with incident reporting being strengthened in the Lanarkshire system, and measures were put in place immediately by health boards to prevent any similar incidents in the future. First Minister, several of my Lothian constituents have written to me to complain about the Covid-19 booster and the flu vaccine roll-out. One constituent wrote to me saying, I have been on the NHS website to try to book a flu and the Covid booster jack, but there are no appointments in either Armadale, Bathgate or Livingstone. For the foreseeable future, can you help? First Minister, will you help my constituent? What measures will be put in place to ensure that the flu vaccination and Covid-19 booster roll-out is faster to outpace the delta variant and ensure that we will not head into winter with vulnerable people left unprotected? My thanks to Fuzzle Childry for that question. It is really important that, as I said in my statement earlier this week, we continue to accelerate the pace of the vaccination programme. We have had concerns raised about the roll-out in Lothian and officials have been engaging with NHS Lothian who are making improvements to that. Appointments are becoming not simply in Lothian but countrywide, more appointments are being made available through the online booking system every day now, and I encourage people to go on if they are about to pass the 24-week point since their second dose to book their booster and their flu vaccine. I did it myself yesterday, and I saw then in doing that the number of appointments that were coming and flowing through that system. It is the case that the vaccination programme is going well. We are the most vaccinated part of the UK. I think that we are running as fast as delta in that respect right now, but we cannot be complacent. We need to get as many people vaccinated with first, second, third and booster doses and flu vaccine as fast as possible, and that is what we are giving absolute focus to every day. That concludes First Minister's point of order, Jackie Baillie. The First Minister said that Greater Glasgow and Clyde was at the highest level of escalation. That is simply incorrect. I am genuinely surprised that she got it wrong, given that she is a former health secretary. Greater Glasgow and Clyde is at stage 4 of the escalation framework. The highest level is stage 5 and involves the Cabinet Secretary for Health, using ministerial powers of intervention under the National Health Service Scotland Act 1978. The last time that was used was in 2018 to remove the chief executive of NHS Tayside. So the First Minister is wrong. Will she correct the record and will she now act before families are devastated by the loss of loved ones? I thank Ms Baillie for her point of order. The member will be aware that the content of members' contributions is not normally a matter for the chair. However, a mechanism does exist for members to correct any inaccuracies that have been made.