 Mae ydych chi fod yn newydd yn Refnaid Plygurol, a weithio rydyn ni'n gweld ffordd y dyfodol nad oedd yn gweithio'r cymdeithas o hyffORDd a'u gyfer gy700 a drwei-glynyddol ar Gwladysgwll, mewn rhaid iddo a datblygaid gyffredinol i'r rhaid i gwyfnhyl gathgrifodaethol. Mae sefydliad chieflygu Mikel Matheson? Mae gweddiad cyffredinol ar gyfymdill i gwyfnhyl했습니다 i gyfnod i'r rhaid i gyfer y maen nhw i gaelitech gan gyffeldol, a i fynd i gaelitech yn defnyddio cyfnodau dros rhywommodau sy'n cael eu prifyddu i ddweud â ynghyd bryd. Prifyddu Sgolon yn ffordd mae hynny byddur gwrs oedd mor informatwr neu yn ardalid erudiau y ddau'n ddau'n ddegwyd yma'r arfer. Ddiolch yn ddeCHA maen nhw fitnogau. Felly, os nid gaelitech yn ddull i'r rhanig sy'n ddweud yn wych, a nhw i ddweud â'r ddweud o waith sgwrdd, oedd mae eich gwethech yn cael eu syniad at risk of harm, they will pursue that as they normally would. Should the investigation lead to the identification of any child protection concerns, Police Scotland will work closely with Glasgow City Council social work and with others to ensure that children are protected from harm. Scotland's agencies work tirelessly to tackle all forms of child sexual abuse, and it's important that perpetrators know that their criminal acts or exploitation in any form will never be tolerated in Scotland. Everyone has a responsibility to protect children and young people from harm and abuse. That includes reporting signs of child exploitation and abuse so that it can be stopped. Liam McArthur I thank the cabinet secretary for that response to the claims that have been made on the back of the times investigation at the weekend, as he said, are truly sickening. No child should ever be put in such an awful position. The cabinet secretary will be aware that Oliver Aaron, chief executive of Up to Us, a charity that works with vulnerable teenagers, is reported to have said that it is very clear that what was taking place but nothing ever happened to stop it. Social workers, community representatives and residents have also expressed concerns. Therefore, can he confirm again whether Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland or any other body have ever received reports of this nature and, if so, what exactly was done as a result? The Times has reported that social workers were aware of concerns and how were those escalated? I think that the member will recognise that there is now an investigation being taken forward by Police Scotland. As they have set out, all the individuals who are named in that particular article will be invited to interview and to make statements to Police Scotland, which will then allow them to assess whether there is intelligence that substantiates the allegations that are made within the article itself. Police Scotland has also stated very clearly that it has not received any intelligence or information that substantiates the claims that are made within the article that the member referred to. In addition, Glasgow City Council has confirmed that none of the allegations that were made in the article have been brought to their attention previously. In relation to allegations that have been made in the past, when information received by Police Scotland or by Glasgow City Council social work services has dealt with through the normal child protection procedures in making sure that, if there are allegations or concerns about vulnerability regarding young people, those issues are fully investigated. Those are matters that are taken forward by the child protection committee in Glasgow City Council, which is a multi-agency body that is responsible for looking at issues relating to child protection matters and anything to do with child exploitation. Any allegations in the past would have been dealt with through that process. Although there is no evidence or intelligence to substantiate the allegations at the present time, those are being thoroughly investigated by Police Scotland and also by Glasgow City Council social work department to address any concerns that come from those allegations and that appropriate measures are then taken should to be substantiated. I again thank the cabinet secretary for that detailed response. We have obviously seen atrocious abuse in areas such as Rotherham. In that instance, there was evidence that concerns were dismissed or ignored. Will the cabinet secretary ensure that there are no barriers that might discourage people from coming forward with reports, particularly from within the community itself? Will he report back to Parliament with a full statement in due course? The issue of child sexual exploitation is a complex one in one that is very often hidden. It is an area of criminal activity and abuse of children that is very often under reported and can present challenges for law enforcement agencies such as our police and child protection agencies, which can present challenges for them to address those things in the way in which they would often wish to. That is why it is extremely important that we recognise that tackling issues around child abuse are not solely the responsibility of our police or local authority social work departments. We all have a collective responsibility in making sure that we look after the welfare and the needs of our young people who are vulnerable. If we have any concerns about the potential for young people being exploited or abused, we should have the confidence to be able to report those to the appropriate agencies. I want to assure anyone who has evidence or concerns about any children in the Government Hill area or anywhere else in Scotland for that matter, because child sexual exploitation can take place in any community across the country. Where they have concerns, the most appropriate way in which to take those forward is to report them to the authorities. Will it be Police Scotland or the local authority social work department to allow them to then assess that information and, if necessary, to make sure that any children who are being abused are getting the right protection as quickly as possible? I want to encourage people that those actions will be taken forward sensitively by the police and by local authority social work departments to make sure that children get the support and assistance that they require as and when it is necessary. Liam McArthur I thank the cabinet secretary. He is absolutely right in terms of the importance of the collective, collaborative and holistic approach that needs to be taken. He is rightly recognised following the abuse cases in Rotherham and Rochdale that Scotland was not immune from such exploitation. Can the cabinet secretary update the Parliament on what steps were taken after that to identify and address any weaknesses, enhance co-ordination and intelligence gathering and improve child protection processes? A number of areas of action were taken forward by the Scottish Government in relation to making sure that we had robust effective child protection measures in place. One of the areas of work that was taken forward was the child protection improvement programme, which was to ensure that effective protection is in place for all children at risk from abuse and neglect. Alongside that programme, work included aspects in relation to neglect, child sexual exploitation, internet safety, child trafficking, leadership and workforce development, joint inspections, data and evidence and the children's hearing system. That independent system review looked also at our child protection committee system in Scotland, including initial case reviews, significant case reviews and the child protection registered. The report was published on 2 March this year, which set out a range of recommendations. Those recommendations were accepted in full. The national child protection leadership group is now driving forward that improvement work, which is chaired by the Minister for Children and Early Years. I hope that that reassures the member about the range of work and assessment that has been undertaken to ensure that our child protection measures are as robust and effective as possible. Having said that, we can never, ever afford to be complacent in this area. That is why our agencies continually review the way in which they take forward actions relating to child protection matters, to ensure that they are as robust and effective as possible. The improvement works, which are now being driven forward by the Minister for Children and Early Years with the leadership group, will help to ensure that we continue to develop and make progress on the good programmes that we have in place at the moment, but to ensure that they continue to reflect on where learning can be gained, whether it be from here in Scotland or elsewhere, and how we can make sure that the protections for children are as robust as possible. Those concerns are not new, as the cabinet secretary will know. They were first raised some 12 years ago, and three years ago the local community council was miniting their concerns as well. They have risen again now. The cabinet secretary assured us that what is promised is a full investigation going beyond normal police and child protection procedures. I think that we need to put this in some context. There are allegations that should be made within the course of a newspaper article. Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council, Social Work Department, made it very clear that they are investigating those allegations right at this moment. As it stands at the present moment, they do not have any intelligence or information to substantiate those claims. Issues relating to what happened in the past are issues that were dealt with at that time by both the police and by the local authority. What I would say to members at this particular time is that now is the time to support our law enforcement bodies such as Police Scotland, our child protection social workers, who have a lead responsibility in investigating those types of issues, the other third sector organisations that are there to support children who may be vulnerable and who potentially are being exploited to support them in the work that they are undertaking in relation to those particular allegations and to identify whether they can be substantiated. If they are substantiated to ensure that robust measures are taken against those who are perpetrators and also in protecting the interests of those children who have been exploited. At this stage, I think that all members would be minded to support those organisations that are undertaking that investigation at this present moment and have assured us that that will be a very thorough and detailed investigation into the allegations that have been made. Can the cabinet secretary confirm that Police Scotland will go into the community in Govenhill to install confidence in the people of Govenhill? I know Govenhill very well and I regularly go through Govenhill. One of the things that I have been struck by over recent times is the level of police presence in the Govenhill area. One of the key areas of work that the police in Greater Glasgow command do is to work with the hub in Govenhill to work with a range of different organisations to support them. In recent times, I was in a discussion with the local commander for the Govenhill area explaining to me the range of work that they undertake with a range of partners, whether it has been health and education. For example, the schools in the area have officers based in the schools to work with children and to support them and to support teachers. All the work that is going on on a regular basis in order to support and assist the community in addressing any of the issues and concerns that they have. Are there areas where they could possibly do further work? I have no doubt in their on-going engagement with the community within Govenhill, they will explore and look at those matters. However, I have been assured by Police Scotland that, from where I witnessed myself, there is considerable engagement with the police and the local community, and I have no doubt that they will want to continue to maintain that and build on that. I think that we should all acknowledge the seriousness with which those questions have been asked and answered. Unlike the cabinet secretary, we give our support to the police and local authority agencies who are looking to investigate the situation. However, some of the situations that have been referred to South of the Borough have also been exploited by those who seek to promote racist and Islamophobic ideas on the back of that dreadful situation. Given that Govenhill is an area with rich diversity, but also one that has been subject to stereotyping in the past, does the cabinet secretary agree that the serious response to any genuine allegations must be handled in a way that avoids inculcating those kinds of stereotypes or giving any opportunity to those who seek to capitalise on it to promote racist attitudes? The member has raised a very important issue. The comments that have been made in the press over that type of issue, I think that everyone has a responsibility to make sure that it is not exploited and used by those who would wish to create disharmony within the Govenhill area. That is not to say that matters should not be thoroughly investigated. I hope that members are reassured that what Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council have said is that they are committed to doing that. Govenhill is the most ethnically diverse community in the whole of Scotland. That brings a range of opportunities and challenges that go with that. However, in relation to those particular allegations, now is the time to get behind organisations who have a lead responsibility for investigating those issues and to support them in doing so, to identify whether there is exploitation of children taking place and, if so, to make sure that robust measures are taken and actions taken against those who are the perpetrators of those crimes, but to support and assist those children who have been exploited during any period of time in the past. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the inspectorate of prosecution in Scotland's review of the investigation and prosecution of sexual crimes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The inspectorate of prosecution reports to me as head of the system of prosecution and investigation of deaths in Scotland. I am grateful to the inspectorate for its report and I accept all of the inspectorate's recommendations. The Crown Office and Procurate Fiscal Service has a strong commitment to securing justice for the victims of gender-based violence and other sexual crimes and a good track record in that regard. The service is well aware of the particular challenges identified in the inspectorate report. It has been implementing reform with a view to addressing them. It has established specialist high court sexual crime units to supplement the work of specialist Crown Council in the national sex crimes unit. Its pre-petition recovery plan has more than halved the number of cases on pre-petition investigation in the past year. Earlier this year, the service revised its victim strategy to improve the sport that it provides to victims of crime. The inspectorate's report identifies further improvements that the service can make and those will now be taken forward. I thank the Lord Advocate for the reply. The inspectorate's report makes some sensible recommendations for the Crown Office about improving communication with complainers, which is to be welcomed and must now be implemented. What that will not address, however, are the very negative experiences of rape complainers of giving evidence in court, with some victims describing it as being worse than being raped. Will the Lord Advocate commit to working with the Scottish Government to introduce early video recording of evidence in sexual offences cases to avoid complainers having to give evidence in court? We as prosecutors cannot bring the perpetrators of gender-based violence and other sexual crimes to justice unless victims have confidence to come forward and give their evidence. As Clare Baker will be aware, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has got evidence of children's vulnerable witnesses as a workstream in its evidence and procedure review, and the Scottish Government has also consulted on further measures to improve the way in which evidence is taken from children and vulnerable witnesses. I will certainly continue to work with other agencies, including the Government, as we seek to improve the system for the victims of crime whom we are seeking to protect. In another area of the report, I wish to raise our forensics, I was recently approached by a young woman who had reported a rape a few weeks ago. Her description of the care that she received, particularly of the forensic examination, will break your heart and make you angry. She described the experience to me like this. Think just think how it felt at the time of the assault, how it felt being in a barren environment where basic needs were only just being met, such as heating water or food, where the male forensic medical examiner does not have the tools to do the job. Is it possible that this afternoon, for the Lord Advocate, to provide any assurances that urgent action is being taken to address the clear deficiencies and how forensic examinations are being carried out as highlighted in the report? I thank Clare Baker for that question. The CMO review is addressing the whole issue of forensic medical examinations, and that is the appropriate forum through which those matters will and should be addressed. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it will make of the impact on Scotland of the cost of Brexit. The Scottish Government published analysis in August 2016, summarising the potential impact that leaving the EU could have on Scotland's GDP. That analysis was based on a range of recent economic studies. The analysis implies that, by 2030, output in the Scottish economy could be up to £11.2 billion lower under a hard Brexit compared to forecast GDP in the absence of Brexit. Subsequent analysis by the Fraser of Allander Institute confirms the risk that a hard Brexit poses to Scotland's economy, predicting that, after 10 years, employment in Scotland could be 80,000 lower after leaving the EU than would otherwise be the case. We have seen reports that Theresa May is set to double or more to £40 billion or more, who knows, the contribution that UK taxpayers have to pay to Brussels to secure a Brexit deal. Does the minister agree, particularly given that Scotland did not choose to leave the EU, that our budget and our public services should not face more cuts to pay this Brexit exit bill? As the member points out, Scotland did not vote to leave the European Union, so it will not come as a great surprise to hear that I am not tremendously enthusiastic about Scots having to shoulder a share of the cost associated with leaving all that we were told on the side of those buses about £350 million or whatever it was coming into the country as a result of Brexit have long since been dismissed as far from the truth. There is a cost. The UK Government's continued unwillingness to address the issue of the financial settlement within the EU negotiations risk causing severe and long-term economic damage. The Scottish Government remains deeply concerned that no meaningful discussions have yet taken place with the UK Government on the precise detail of any EU funding guarantees. Aeol Shroud, the exit bill and other matters associated with Brexit shows that the Tories are clearly bungling those negotiations. The case for Scotland's voice to be heard has never been stronger. Will the Scottish Government continue to demand a place at the table to protect our place in the single market? The Scottish Government uses the opportunities that are available for us to engage with the UK Government on the very issues that the member raises. For instance, there are joint ministerial committees that exist, although one of those was not convened by the UK Government during the crucial period of some eight months. Putting that to one side, we seek to engage very positively where we can, but we feel that it is our duty to point out, as the member has pointed out, that we are nowhere near any meaningful agreement between the EU-27 and the UK, and the UK Government has this far no clear plan in mind.