 Mae'n gynnwysgwyd o'r cwestiynau genna ddwyf yn gweithio'r cwestiynau dda, ddwyf ein gwneud, i ddwyf yn ddwyf yn gweithio'r cyfrifoedd. Diolch yn fawr, ddwyf yn gweithio'r cyfrifoedd. Ac rwy'n cael ei ddweud ei gweithio'r cyfrifoedd o'r cyfrifoedd, byddwn yn gweithwyr y bordaeth o'r NHS gyda'r cyfrifoedd dda, ac mae'r cyfrifoedd yn gweithio'r cyfrifoedd o'r NHS Gwyrtiad. Now, through a freedom of information request, we've learnt that half-a-million pounds of Scottish taxpayers' money has been spent sending almost 15,000 patient scans around the world, some as far away as Australia, to be reviewed. So, First Minister, why are Scottish scans being sent to private companies on another continent for analysis? First Minister, the NHS will always take steps to ensure the speediest possible diagnosis of patients and the speediest possible treatment of patients. What Douglas Ross has narrated, I'm happy to look closely at the figures and respond to him in more detail, but that will represent a tiny fraction of the processing of scans overall in Scotland, but for whatever reason, whether that is partly to do with the nature of the condition or at times constraints in the service here, if there are steps that can be taken to speed up test results, to speed up treatment of patients, then the NHS will do that. The fact of the matter is that we are investing record sums in our national health service, and we are employing record numbers of people in our national health service, but the service is under significant pressure, and therefore we will continue to support it to ensure that patients get the services and the treatment that they deserve. Douglas Ross. Well, let me tell the First Minister why thousands of scans are being sent abroad at great cost to Scotland's NHS. The Royal College of Radiologists say that Scotland needs a hundred additional radiologists than it has right now, and these problems are not unique to radiology. Across Scotland's NHS serious issues are mounting. This week health figures showed that delayed discharge in our NHS has reached its worst ever levels. That means patients unable to get home, stuck in our hospitals, are at a cost of hundreds of millions of pounds. Four nearly eight years ago, the then SNP health secretary still sat on the front bench, promised to, and I quote, eradicate delayed discharge within the space of a year, but today it's worse than ever before. First Minister, will your government ever eradicate delayed discharge like you promised? First Minister. Firstly, I remember many, many occasions over the past years when I was health secretary and since I've been First Minister that we have Conservatives coming to this chamber and criticising this government for not using the independent sector more to try to tackle waiting times. It seems that today Douglas Ross is doing the exact opposite. I'm not sure whether that's yet another flip-flop from Douglas Ross. That's for him to determine. In terms of the pressures on our national health service, of course there has been a global pandemic since the start of 2020, which I think everybody knows is having an impact on services. But let's look at the two particular issues that Douglas Ross raised in more detail. Firstly in terms of radiology, well just in point of fact there has been an increase in clinical radiology consultants under this government of 62.5%. There's also been an increase in the workforce in the NHS overall. We've also increased radiography staff a 20.5% increase. There is, of course, I think a global shortage of radiologists and therefore we need to recruit internationally as well. And the challenge of international recruitment, of course, is not made easier by the policies of the Conservatives on Brexit and on immigration. But we will continue to invest in recruitment and we will continue to invest in the overall NHS workforce. Let me turn now to delayed discharges. We are continuing to see significant pressure across the entirety of the health and care system. That is seeing more people coming through hospitals who need high levels of care and support in order to be discharged at home. So that is a significant challenge that we are investing to address. So we are investing more than £100 million to enhance care at home. We've increased the hourly rate of pay for social care workers and we are investing £40 million to enhance multidisciplinary teams. Despite those pressures, though, the average bed days occupied by delay now is similar to levels pre-Covid. The total number of delayed discharges in the most recent year is actually down on the period immediately pre-Covid, down by 23%. Those are significant challenges, but the policies, the interventions and the investment of this Government are intended to address them and we will continue taking these steps. Douglas Ross. The question was, will the First Minister promise, like her former health secretary did, to eradicate delayed discharge? And she refused to answer because delayed discharge has got worse, but the First Minister's excuses are the same. Serious problems like this are happening throughout our NHS. Today there are reports of a pensioner in Musselbra, who has been trying to get through to their GP for treatment for a lung infection. She had to phone the practice 120 times before she got through to anyone. The lady said, this is the first time in my life that I feel like I don't have a proper medical care. First Minister, do you think it's acceptable that anyone, let alone an elderly, vulnerable person, has to call a GP over 100 times before they get through? First Minister. Firstly, on delayed discharges, I'll complete that before coming on to the issues around GP services. Of course it is our intention and our policy to eradicate delayed discharges. The key piece of information I gave to Douglas Ross... First Minister, I would be grateful if we could have silence when members are speaking on their feet. Thank you. The key piece of information I gave to Douglas Ross in my previous answer is that, yes, we've had a pandemic, and whether Douglas Ross likes to admit it or not, not just in Scotland but across the UK, Europe and the world, that has had an impact on health and social care services. But if we look at the situation now in relation to the most recent year that we have a full year's figures for, we've seen a reduction in delayed discharge compared to the period immediately preceding the Covid pandemic. That's as a result of the dedication of those working in health and social care, but also the interventions that I referenced in my first question. We will continue to invest and we will continue to support policies that are intended to eradicate delayed discharges. In terms of GP services, no, I don't think the experience that has been narrated is acceptable. Of course I would be interested to hear the reasons for that from the particular GP practice. GP's, of course, are working under considerable stress and strain and pressure, as is the entire NHS. That's why, of course, we are committed to increasing funding, further increases in funding in GP services and recruiting more GP's. So we will continue to do the hard work of Government to support our national health service. The final point that I'd make, Presiding Officer, is that if it was down to Douglas Ross, these very, very difficult circumstances in our national health service would be even worse, because tens of millions of pounds, even more money, would be having to be taken out of services to give tax cuts for the wealthiest. Because it is only six weeks that Douglas Ross demanded that we took money out of public services and gave tax cuts to the wealthy. So I think everybody across Scotland, no matter the challenges that the NHS is facing, will be breathing a sigh of relief that the Conservatives at least are not in government here in Scotland. Douglas Ross. Well, whether the First Minister wants to admit it or not, Scotland's NHS is in crisis at every level. Patient scans being sent abroad, waiting lists too long before Covid are now at record levels. The situation at accident and emergency is at the most critical level it's ever been. And delayed discharge is plaguing our patients and hospitals worse than ever before. And on top of all of that, reports this week say that we could be facing a winter of strikes from staff across our NHS that could cripple the health service here in Scotland. And Dr Ian Kennedy, the chairman of BMA Scotland, said this week, doctors are terrified about the winter and the year ahead. They're right to be terrified, aren't they First Minister? First Minister. Of course people are right to be worried about the ability of our national health service to cope with spending constraints and the impact of Tory mismanagement on our economy. We've just heard, since we've been in this chamber, we've just heard the interest rates have been increased by the Bank of England to 3%, the highest for 14 years, the biggest single increase since Black Wednesday in 1992. That's the cost to people of Tory economic mismanagement. On the national health service, of course in Scotland we have higher funding per head of population for the NHS compared to the rest of the UK. Our accident and emergency services, while under significant pressure, are the best performing anywhere else in the UK. And in terms of workforce and pay, the NHS workforce, Agenda for Change workforce, and I wish we could give them more because they deserve every penny we can give them. But they are being offered an average 7% pay increase in Scotland, more than 11% for the lowest paid. That compares to 4.5% where the Conservatives are in power in England and incidentally where Labour are in power in Wales as well. And of course we're having to fund that without any additional resources from the Westminster Government. Instead of that, we face on 17 November the prospect of spending cuts again to pay for Tory economic mismanagement. So I will take my job. I'll continue to take my job seriously to support the NHS but I will take no lessons from Conservatives who are making such a mess of the economy with such disastrous impacts for all of our public services. Question number two, Anna Sarwar. Presiding Officer, this Government has no grip of the NHS crisis. Staff are being asked to do the impossible and patients are being asked to accept the unacceptable. Here's just one example. 81-year-old Katrina MacFarlane has bone cancer, a disease that can cause significant pain and increases the risk of fractures. Last month she had a fall at home and she and her husband heard a snapping sound. She was in extreme pain. Because of her condition, she was told she would need to be transported to hospital in an ambulance. That was at 10.15 in the morning. At 11 o'clock that night, 13 hours later, Katrina was still waiting in pain. The emergency operator who was in tears said that they could not even guarantee an ambulance by the next morning. The following day Katrina's husband gave up on waiting for an ambulance and, in desperation, took her to hospital himself. She was diagnosed with a fractured pelvis. First Minister, why did Katrina MacFarlane have to wait in pain for nearly 24 hours for an ambulance that never turned up? First Minister. Obviously, I'm happy to look into Katrina's experience. Nobody should wait that length of time for an ambulance and I will not say otherwise. However, this Government continues. As we do with accident emergency and the NHS overall, we continue to focus on supporting our NHS through these difficult times so that it can recover from the impact of the pandemic and get back to delivering the level of service that all patients have a right to expect. Looking specifically at the ambulance service, which again, like A&E, is dealing with significant pressures, staffing under this Government up by 67.3 per cent, the number of paramedics up by almost 40 per cent, ambulance technicians up by more than 60 per cent. In this year we have allocated additional funding, £45 million over the ambulance services baseline funding to support workforce growth and service improvement. Our ambulances are saving more critically unwell patients than ever before. They are diverting cases away from accident and emergency. While, of course, an experience like that is not acceptable, and there will be other patients having experiences like that right now, the fact is that the vast majority of people who rely on our ambulance service or any part of the NHS get an extraordinarily good service from those who work in our national health service. The duty of me and my Government is to ensure through investment and other interventions that we are supporting them every step of the way. It's not easy, it's not easy for any Government right now, particularly in light of the economic circumstances, but we will not shy away from that duty each and every single day. Anna Sarwar. Week after week, year after year, the First Minister comes and tells people it's unacceptable and then accepts people to accept the unacceptable with devastating consequences across the country. Change the script, First Minister. Because Katina's experience is not an isolated one. One of the reasons ambulances aren't available is because they are queuing outside A&E waiting to drop off patients, in some cases for hours. Last week I highlighted the hidden waits at assessment units. This week patients waiting hours in ambulances just to get through the doors of a hospital. In the past month, over 2,700 ambulances across Scotland waited at least an hour and 50 minutes to drop off their patients. At just one hospital in one month, the Queen Elizabeth in Glasgow, 218 ambulances waited over three hours. These are ambulances and paramedics that should be out on the road supporting patients but instead forced away hours outside A&E. Last year I asked this Government to support calls from paramedics and ambulance drivers for there to be a 15-minute turnaround time at A&E with a maximum wait of 30 minutes. Why isn't this Government listening to the paramedics and listening to the ambulance drivers? Why are things getting worse and even before we've reached the peak winter challenges? First Minister. I won't stop what this Government is doing to support our national health service because Government at the best of times and these are not the best of times is hard. It's more complicated than simple sound bites or setting the targets. We have to do the work in order to achieve that. That means supporting our national health service, those who work in it, with the investment and the wider support that they need. We will continue to take all of these steps. I've narrated the increase in the numbers working in our ambulance service, the additional investment that we are putting into the ambulance service to ensure that we can see that improvement. Where Anna Sauer is right is that these issues are all interconnected. We need to invest in the wider health service in order to improve performance of the ambulance service. No, I won't stop saying that we are doing these things because these are the necessary steps that any Government needs to take to support our NHS in these tough times. Of course, management of the NHS is our responsibility, nobody else's, but our NHS is not immune from wider economic and budgetary decisions that, unfortunately, are out with the hands of this Government. I wish we could invest much, much more in our national health service. I agree very much with the Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford, where he recognises that, while it's his responsibility to manage the health service in Wales, that has been impacted by the decisions of the Tories at Westminster. He can recognise that. I'm left wondering why Anna Sauer, instead of making sure that people understand the impact of Tory decisions, wants to pretend that that doesn't exist. Anna Sauer. I'll never shy away from attacking the Tories for their decisions, but this Government must need to recognise the responsibility for the decisions they make and the impact it has. Always somebody else to blame, always somebody else's fault, the same old soundbite and the same old script from this tired First Minister. But she doesn't want to listen to me, so maybe she should listen to the words waiting times at the Queen Elizabeth and everywhere else, and elsewhere, sorry, are not a post-pandemic issue. We have been raising this for as long as I've been in the service, but sadly the times are getting longer, patients are getting sicker, and it's happening in all seasons now, not only in the winter months. It's got so bad that ambulance workers have voted this week for strike action, not just because of pay, but because they feel undervalued and under-resourced for years. But this Government are in denial. Growing queues at A&E's for treatment, ambulances off the road for hours trying to drop off patients and people waiting in pain for help to come, all of this before we have even reached the worst of winter. Lives are being lost as a result, and now the health secretary says it's going to take another five years to fix the problem. A problem 15 years in the making. After 15 years of SNP Government, why should patients in Scotland have to wait a minute longer? First Minister. I will always listen to those who work in our NHS and listen very carefully because they are the experts on the situation. But I'll not insult their intelligence by pretending that these issues are easy to resolve. We will continue to support those in the front line of our national health service with record investments, supporting record recruitment into our national health service and supporting the redesign of NHS to make sure that patients get the treatment they need when and where they need it, because that's in the interests of those who work in our national health service as well. Of course, we'll continue to do everything we possibly can to reward those who work in the NHS to the fullest possible extent. That's why the pay offer that's been made to Agenda for Change staff is in Scotland an average 7% compared to 4.5% in England and indeed in Wales where it is in Government. We take those responsibilities extremely seriously every minute of every single day. The fact of the matter is the pressures on our national health service are not divorced from wider budgetary issues. The Welsh Labour Health Minister said recently that the NHS in Wales next year would be and I'm quoting her, hell on earth without additional funding from the UK Government. She said that the Welsh Government faces a real nightmare in running the NHS next year unless the UK Government steps up with additional funding. How come it is the case that Labour in Wales can recognise that reality but Labour in Scotland is clearly so filled to defending Tories that they are blind to that reality. So we will continue to do everything we can in terms of the management of our national health service but the fact of the matter is we do need more funding for our national health service and that can only come from decisions that are taken at Westminster. We move to general and constituency supplementary questions and I call John Mason. We are hearing reports that a large percentage of energy vouchers have not been redeemed by the end of October and I've had constituents coming in and asking whether the Scottish Government shed any light on this and put any pressure on the energy companies to make sure to sort this out because they seem to be blaming the postal service. First Minister. I am concerned to hear about experiences like the constituent that John Mason has talked about. I think these echo wider reports this week that a significant proportion of support in the form of prepayment vouchers has so far gone unclaimed. It may be the case that some are willing to hold on to these vouchers until the weather turns colder but it would be deeply worrying for people to be going without because of delays in the system or for other reasons beyond their control. I've chaired two meetings with energy suppliers and advice services over the past few weeks. These have highlighted the need to ensure that those most vulnerable are receiving the support to which they are entitled and I'll continue these discussions with energy suppliers and others to make companies to do everything they possibly can to ensure that those who are most vulnerable are getting the maximum possible support and getting as quickly as possible. Oliver Mundell. First Minister, it's no secret that NHS Dumfries and Galloway is on a crisis footing. A shortage of beds, staff and cash is seeing patients failed but just when it didn't seem that things could get any worse the health board have now confirmed complaints telling patients that they can no longer give a timescale for investigating their concerns. Does the First Minister think that this is safe or acceptable and will she investigate the case of one of my constituents who's been waiting since February to get answers as to why her surgery went wrong and who is losing sleep knowing that the same doctor could be making the same mistake when it comes to treating other patients? First Minister. As I often say in this chamber to any case that members of Parliament draw to my attention so if Oliver Mundell wants to send the details of that case I will of course ensure that it is looked into as quickly as possible. Secondly, I expect all health boards to deal with complaints appropriately and to deal with complaints as quickly as possible and to communicate with patients as they are doing so. I, as obviously we have been talking about in earlier exchanges, I absolutely understand the pressures that every part of our NHS is dealing with and, as I've said many times already today, I treat with the utmost seriousness the big responsibility on my shoulders and on the shoulders of this Government to support and to ensure the good management of our national health service. Of course, and Oliver Mundell did mention budgets, it is the case that we are dealing with significant budgetary pressures caused by inflation, caused by the fact that we are trying to pay our NHS staff more and the reality is, as I've said to Douglas Ross, had we taken the advice of the Scottish Conservatives there would be even less money to support our national health service because we'd have given tax cuts to the riches so I think it is to everybody's relief that we didn't follow that call and we didn't follow the example of the UK Government in that regard. Faisal Choudhury Thank you, Presiding Officer. Reports were published in the last week showing that peoples in Scotland most deprived areas are 74% more likely to die from cancer than those in the least deprived areas. Is the First Minister content with this level of disparity in health outcomes between Scotland's richest and poorest? And if not, what is the Scottish Government going to do about it? First Minister. I think this is an important issue. It's important to stress that mortality from cancer overall is reducing and that's due to a range of factors, better treatment, advances in drugs and technology and of course the hard work and dedication of those who work in our cancer services. It is of course the case that there has been an inequality gap there for some considerable time which we are focused on closing. Now the factors driving that are many and varied but our detect cancer early programme all of the other work we are doing to promote earlier diagnosis of cancer has a particular focus on the inequality gap so too does all of the work that we do around encouraging people to adopt behaviours that reduce the risk factors for cancer. So equality in outcomes is of course a drive of driving importance in all of this and that is reflected in our work on cancer care. This week the UK Government's own data shows that exports to the EU from Scotland have slumped by over £2.2 billion since Brexit. To put it simply, Brexit has made things worse rather than better and made the lives of people throughout Scotland more difficult. Does the First Minister agree with me that it is time for the Tories to call out Brexit for the act of vandalism that it is? Or acknowledge their role as willing accomplices in the havoc that is wreaked on the lives of people throughout this country here here? As Evelyn Tweed was asking that really important question a member of the Conservative benches from a sedentary position was asking what has this got to do with the Scottish Parliament? The state of the economy, the fact that Brexit has caused a slump in our exports to the European Union the fact that Brexit is making it so much harder to recruit staff into businesses or into our public services including health and social care I'd suggest, that's got an awful lot to do with the Scottish Parliament Brexit has been an unmitigated disaster a Tory imposed disaster and we're seeing the impacts of that now in every walk of life from exports through to the impact on the economy and to our ability to recruit into essential jobs I think it's time Brexit was reversed I don't expect we're going to get that from the Tories sadly we now no longer hear that commitment from the Labour Party and Scotland now back into the European Union is by becoming an independent country and the sooner that happens the better Alexander Stewart First Minister, as you are aware refugees staying at the Cullen hotel in my region were originally given four weeks notice to quit the hotel by the Scottish Government cancelling the contract effective from the 18th of November since then media interest and coverage of the plight of these refugees has resulted in what has been built as the Scottish Government U-turn saying they will work with the hotel to see if they can continue to stay while assisting them to find long-term sustainable accommodation yet despite the Scottish Government's reprieve announced last week neither the hotel, the local community council or the Ukrainians themselves have heard anything further many of the Ukrainians are unsure and anxious and already are resigning themselves to relocation First Minister, this situation is highly unacceptable and is causing real severe distress to those concerned Therefore what action can we put in place to draw a line under the saga and give everybody the resolution they deserve First Minister Firstly it is our absolute priority to make sure that people displaced from Ukraine are looked after here and are well supported in fact figures out I think these are figures just out today show that since the conflict in Ukraine began more than 21,500 people with a Scottish sponsor most of those sponsored by the Scottish Government have arrived here that represents 20.8% of all UK arrivals so I think that is testament to our desire and determination to support people from Ukraine as far as we possibly can In terms of the Cullen hotel many of those staying at the hotel wanted to move to a more central location with easier access to amenities and by offering accommodation in Stirling we are seeking to do exactly that We have of course listened to some of those from Ukraine that wanted to stay in the Cullen area such as those with employment or children in local schools and we will help them to do that we are working with Stirling council and the local community to ensure that they are supported to find suitable alternative accommodation but also aware that some may be able to remain while they continue to be supported to find matched or longer term accommodation so we will continue to support everybody who has come here from Ukraine of course part of that support is supporting them out of temporary accommodation and into more settled accommodation as quickly as possible Mercedes Villalba Thanks Unite the union members from the University of Dundee are in their third month of industrial action in defence of their pensions Today a delegation of these workers is in Parliament to provide an update on the dispute and every MSP has received an invitation committee room 2, 1 o'clock Can these workers count on the First Minister and her education ministers to attend today's update First Minister Firstly in terms of those working in our university sector I absolutely understand the frustration that they feel at the continued dispute around their pension arrangements This is a matter of course for universities who are the employer the Scottish Government is not the employer in this case however I would always encourage employers to get round the table with workers to find resolution to disputes such as this and I would call on University Scotland to do exactly that Question number 3, Stephen Kerr First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to increase and improve the provision of mental health services in Scotland's universities First Minister We are working closely with universities to ensure the mental health support that they have in place is responsive to student needs Over the last three academic years we've invested more than 11.5 million pounds for almost 90 additional councillors in colleges and universities This exceeds our programme for government commitment to 80 additional councillors and is on top of what institutions themselves already provided We're also working with health boards to improve referral pathways to the NHS and community-based services for students in need of acute support and further and lastly we're developing a student mental health plan in association with stakeholders This will provide a best practice framework for mental health services in universities and colleges and be linked to the wider mental health and wellbeing strategy Stephen Kerr I thank the First Minister for her answer She will know that the Mental Health Foundation University Scotland and the Robertson Trust surveyed over 15,000 students and found that 74% reported low wellbeing 45% experienced serious psychological issue that they felt needed professional help and 36% reported either moderately severely or severely experiencing symptoms of depression There is a mental health crisis in our universities and colleges and I'm afraid the actions of the First Minister in cutting the allocated funds for mental health support has just made this problem worse But she has one chance to deal with the mess she's created She must guarantee that the £20 million four-year programme of sector support for student mental health is continued not cancelled Can I help her find that £20 million? How about the £20 million she's earmarked for an independence referendum that the majority of Scots don't want? Will she act now to avoid a further crisis? First Minister I don't want to waste too much time giving a basic lesson in financial management to the Conservatives money due to be allocated in a future financial year cannot be used to fund services in this financial year The fact of course still remains that investing a very small sum of money to give the people of Scotland an alternative to Westminster mismanagement I think is a very good idea indeed In terms of mental health Stephen Kerr is right to point to the figures he has narrated in the chamber today it is of course first and foremost for individual institutions to ensure that they have appropriate mental health support in place for their students but we are working closely with institutions to support them as they do As I said earlier on we have invested more than £11.5 million to support 90 additional councillors in colleges and universities We are in fact the only UK nation to have funded student mental health support in this way Perhaps Stephen Kerr's comments will be the same In terms of the statement made by the Deputy First Minister yesterday of course spending on mental health will continue to rise and of course the vast majority of mental health funding is directed through NHS boards and that is completely unaffected by anything the Deputy First Minister announced yesterday I come back to the central point we are in a situation right now that was already 2.9 per cent lower in cash terms because of Tory Westminster decisions than it was last year but within this financial year it has been eroded by £1.7 billion due to inflation The cost of public sector pay deals so far and I don't grudge this let me repeat is £700 million more than budgeted for again driven by inflation we have no power to borrow for day to day services we have to pay tax mid-year our reserves are fully allocated so we have to find the ways of funding those pressures from within existing budgets and of course we may face even more difficult choices when the Chancellor announces his budget statement in a couple of weeks time the fact of the matter is if Conservatives who six weeks ago were calling for us to cut public service funding to give tax cuts to the richest if they want us to invest more in any element of public services they need to persuade the Chancellor to increase the budget of this Parliament and this Government until they do so they will continue to have zero credibility on any matters relating to budgets or relating to public services in Scotland Question number 4 Stephanie Kellhan To ask the First Minister what work the Scottish Government is doing to improve living wage equality First Minister Living wage accreditation scheme supports employers in lower paid sectors to become real living wage employers Recent ons data shows the proportion of women employees aged over 18 in Scotland earning real living wage or more increased by nearly 6 percentage points in the last year to 89.7% compared to 91% of employees overall the 10.3% of women in Scotland the real living wage is lower than the equivalent UK figure of 14.3% the data confirms Scottish employers are leading the way in paying the living wage and I think we should be proud of the progress made however there is still a lot of work to be done to tackle gender and other pay gaps and we will publish the refreshed fair work action plan later this year addressing actions to further close these gaps and create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Stephanie Kellhan I thank the First Minister for her reply and I agree that we can be rightly proud of Scotland's record and wage equality a record that's seen as having the highest proportion of work has been paid above the living wage in the UK as well as the lowest gender pay gap our progress has been impeded though by a broken UK labour market Does the First Minister agree that it's only with Scottish independence that we can truly address wage inequality providing an opportunity to embed equality principles in our labour laws and to design a system that better meets Scotland's workers and employers The First Minister I know the Conservatives and Labour don't like hearing this but this is a really important point and it demonstrates this fundamental fact independence is not abstract it is about real issues the impact on the day to day lives of people across Scotland so take the issue that is being raised here right now employment law including the setting of the national minimum wage is currently reserved entirely to the UK government if we had employment powers lying in the hands of the Scottish Parliament which would come with independence that would enable us to do even more to protect and enhance workers' rights and to support working people across this country by ensuring that they are paid a living wage in turn that improves living standards increases our tax take and boosts our economy so we will continue absolutely to the UK government to do more here and we will call on them to devolve crucial powers but the only way to get these powers to have the potential to change the lives of people across Scotland into the hands of this Parliament is by Scotland becoming an independent country it's not abstract it's very real and that becomes more and more obvious with every day that passes question number five, Monica Lennon to ask the First Minister what's urgent action the Scottish government is taking to prevent poverty-related malnutrition and food insecurity in light of reported growing concerns from healthcare workers, school staff and charities about the impact of hunger on people across Scotland First Minister I think this may be another illustration of the point I made in my last answer I am deeply concerned as I know Monica Lennon and others will be about the hardship people are facing as a result of this cost of living crisis the Government has allocated almost £3 billion in this financial year to help households face this that includes £1 billion that is not available anywhere else in the UK that includes the Scottish child payment which will shortly increase to £25 per week and yesterday the Deputy First Minister also confirmed that we will double the December bridging payment for families to £260 and increase the fuel insecurity fund to £20 million but we must see the UK Government use all of the levers at its disposal to tackle this emergency rather than to make it worse and that must include increasing benefits in line with inflation and increasing universal credit by £25 and that should also be extended to means-tested legacy benefits I hope we do see the UK Government take these steps but of course if these powers lied in the hands of this Parliament we wouldn't have to look to a UK Government to do these things we could do these things at our own hand Monica Lennon I thank the First Minister she has set out some important context but hopefully she agrees there's more that we can do in this place so can I ask why the working group on malnutrition announced by this Government over a year ago hasn't met if it has met this week it would be good to know I know there's been some bad publicity free school meals are not yet universally available to all young people in Scotland despite commitments to do so for P67 in August of this year we missed that deadline we've heard about a pilot scheme in secondary school so can I get from the First Minister a clear timetable for delivering the roll-out of universal free school meals will the pilot scheme be published and because campaigners in front line working with both young people and older people are raising concerns in fact they're raising the alarm every single day can I ask if the four calls to action by the Eatwell A12 project will be taken on board by the Government there is some really good work in Scotland on universal free school meals credit to the Government for doing that but we all know we have to do more and I hope the First Minister will set out those details very very soon First Minister Monica Lennon says we all know we can do more here and we will always seek to do more we will always seek to do as much as we can but there is a limit within a fixed budget to what we can do I don't know if Monica Lennon was listening to John Swinney's statement yesterday but we are at the limit probably beyond the limit financially of what we can do without additional resources from Westminster I wish it wasn't like that because I wish we were in control of our own finances but we are not now let me turn to the issues in terms of the malnutrition working group the initial date set for a meeting wasn't suitable for some of the key participants but we intend that that will meet by the end of this month and on free school meals we have a very ambitious plan for the roll out of free school meals but right now we are already way ahead of any other part of the UK in Scotland right now we are already available during term time for all more than 280,000 children in primaries one to five and in special schools as well of course as eligible pupils in primary six through to S6 in England universal provision is available just in the first three years and in Wales where Monica Lennon's colleagues are in government free school meal provision is entirely based on eligibility they've just started work for universal provision for the first year I think so we have a way to go and we are absolutely serious about getting to the end of this journey but we have already come much further than anyone else and we are doing all of this within a budget that is being eroded by inflation and is essentially fixed so if Monica Lennon wants us to do much more and to do it faster not enough to will the ends Presiding Officer Labour also have to will the means and that involves giving this Parliament and this government full control over our own finances and let's instead of leaving us at the mercy of Tory Governments in Westminster question number six Mark Ruskell thank you Presiding Officer to ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will be building on the legacy from the Glasgow climate pact or 26 in Egypt First Minister Scotland is determined to continue to play our part in responding to the global climate emergency if the world is to deliver on the Glasgow climate pact all nations need to continue to increase their ambition and take credible action to reach net zero emissions over the next few days I will attend COP 27 to do what I can to further collaboration between Scotland and other countries to build upon the agreements that were made in Glasgow and to continue Scotland's leadership not least on the issue of loss and damage although we are not yet a member state of the UN or party to the Paris agreement Scotland will do its part by sharing our own experiences of delivering net zero targets at home as part of our just transition and also by helping to amplify the voices of those most impacted by climate change often excluded from the debate that includes countries from the global south women and young people Mark Ruskell Can I thank the First Minister for that response and I'm also very pleased that she didn't have to be shamed into attending COP 27 unlike the Prime Minister but COP 26 in Glasgow showed us that when small nations work together they can lead the world on climate justice Alongside Scotland's leadership on loss and damage funding that the First Minister mentioned Denmark helped to launch the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance and was joined by a flotiller of countries planning for a fair and fast phase out of fossil fuels Now the Scottish Government has a clearer position on ending new coal extraction is it ready to join that alliance and show the global leadership that is desperately needed on a just oil and gas transition Good engagement at COP 26 in Glasgow last year with those involved in the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance including of course its founder country Denmark and we will continue to do that we set out last year the programme of work that we are undertaking which will influence and ultimately decide our involvement in the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance so we are undertaking in-depth analysis work to better understand our energy requirements as we transition to net zero ensuring an approach that supports and protects our energy security and our workforce while meeting our climate obligations we will publish an energy strategy and our first just transition plan providing a road map for the energy sector's role in achieving our emissions reduction targets and securing a net zero energy system for Scotland so taking all of that into account we will continue to engage constructively as part of that wider programme of analysis and engagement with a range of organisations and stakeholders Fiona Hyslop With the publication of three new UN reports the weekend stating that there is no clear pathway to the 1.5 degree limit in place with the devastation of floods caused by climate change in Pakistan can the First Minister set out what more can and should be done at COP 27 particularly around loss and damage funding and does she agree with me that the people and countries in the global south must be given due attention and action from the global north and in welcoming the planned attendance now by the UK's Prime Minister does she urge all global north leaders to act on the issues already being faced by the global south First Minister Yes I absolutely agree with that countries countries in the global north have a moral obligation to those in the global south and that absolutely includes on the issue of loss and damage good progress was made in Glasgow last year to put the loss and damage issue firmly on the agenda I think we all wish we could have gone further but it's vital that this year's COP delivers on implementation of the Glasgow pact and that includes delivering the finance needed particularly for global south nations to adapt to the impacts of climate change is not enough we need to see further action on loss and damage I think we can be very proud of the commitment and the leadership that Scotland showed on this last year that was followed by Denmark, Wallonia and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation but this year we hope that other governments follow suit and help us mobilise funding to address the losses and damages that people in communities in the global south are suffering right now climate change largely caused by the global north so that's one of the big tests in my view of COP 27 and I hope it meets it in full Maurice Golden Thank you, Presiding Officer I'm sure the First Minister will agree if we can't do the basics on tackling climate change Scotland will have no chance of meeting net zero so when will the 2013 target of 50% household recycling be met Scotland is doing more than the basics on tackling climate change I'll write to the member with an update on his specific question but you know Scotland is seen as rightly so by countries elsewhere across the world as a leader on these issues so we should continue to challenge ourselves at home we should continue to make sure we are delivering on the targets we set and we will always do that but we should also take some pride in the fact that other countries look for the leadership I'm sure we would like to hear a response to the member's question the Tories are always very keen to talk Scotland's contribution down I think we'll see at COP 27 countries around the world who talk Scotland up because they see the leadership that this country offers Thank you that concludes First Minister's questions point of order Rachel Hamilton on Tuesday's meeting of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee Members were informed that the deadline for amendments stage 2 of the Gender Recognition Bill would be just two weeks after the stage 1 vote we were told that there would just be two sittings to consider the amendments that's unacceptable it is far too little time and I'm concerned by the quality of information that I was given by the convener when I questioned the decision on Tuesday this looks like an attempt to limit or even shut down debate on a very complex and contentious Bill Rushing this legislation is wrong when fundamental issues of women's rights and trans rights are at stake Can I ask you what steps are available to members who wish to prevent this Bill being rushed through with very little debate Secondly, what action can you personally take to ensure that the timetable for the rest of the Bill is not limited and thirdly, do you agree that a topic as sensitive as this the Scottish Parliament should seek to protect and enhance its reputation by scrutinising legislation properly for as long as is necessary I thank the member for her point of order it is a matter for the Parliamentary Bureau to consider and recommend to the Parliament deadlines for the different stages of bills The Parliamentary Bureau will consider timetabling off stage 2 of the Gender Recognition Reform Scotland Bill at its meeting which will take place next Tuesday and the member may wish to ask her business manager to raise the matters she has highlighted at that point in the discussions at Bureau next week Thank you The next item of business is members business there will be a short suspension to allow members to leave the chamber