 Mae ganddwn i'r unig eu gwni yn gwneud o ddau'r ysgrifennydd. Rhyw pethau yng nghyd- steelau ym mwywedol. Felly, rydyn ni'n golygu i'r Gwyrdd Jeremy Balfour yn ddau y ganddwn? Fy ngwybod, perthynach yn ddiddio o brifodol gwirionedd, mae'r ddiddio o ddiddio diwrnod dyfodill. Mi rwy'n gynnig i'r beth ymredu i'r plwydfaith i ddiddio i gwael ac ymredu, for disabled people sets out a commitment to places that are accessible to everyone. We are working with disabled people's organisations to develop our new strategy, listening to what barriers disabled people face and finding solutions. We have made significant progress in advancing disability equality in many areas, including delivering 1,124 homes for disabled people. Under the Equality Act 2010, public authorities, businesses and organisations are responsible for making reasonable adjustments to meet disabled people's needs, and we expect all relevant organisations to comply with the requirements of the act. I thank the minister for his answer. Act of travel measures and new pedestrian areas can sometimes make the built environment less accessible for disabled people if it leads to the removal of blue badge parking bays, unclear demarcinating of cycle lanes and pavements and more clutter and street furniture in pedestrian areas. Does the minister agree with me that any alterations to our urban areas must ensure that it does not come at the expense of the disabled community and that true progress can only be made if we do not leave anyone behind? I agree with Mr Balfour. Our accessible travel framework is there to help to ensure that more disabled people make successful door-to-door journeys more often. We want to see disabled people more involved in the design, development and improvement of transport policies, services and infrastructure. In many places, there is good practice with disabled people being involved in the design of new places and ensuring, as Mr Balfour highlighted, that there are the right amount of disabled parking spaces and that areas are truly accessible. The Government will continue to listen to the voices of lived experience of disabled people in order to get that right as we move forward. Willie Rennie There is a lot of work to be done in this area. I recently joined disability campaigner Robert West for a tourist in Andrews and we went through thoroughfare after thoroughfare over-crossing without any drop kerbs in many locations. Even next to disability parking bays, there were no drop kerbs. That is a quarter of a century after the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act. I have heard what he has said so far, but what practical steps can we take so that we can see progress in the next few years? I applaud Mr Rennie for going out with his constituent to see exactly where the difficulties lie. I have done similar myself, particularly with a blind constituent, to see the difficulties that they face. What we require is for local authorities to ensure that they are taking due cognisance of the needs of the disabled people in their area. I hope that Fife Council will listen to the likes of Mr Rennie's constituent in order to get that right. Mr Rennie points out a very good point about the lack of accessibility around disabled parking spaces. When they are being designed and planned for, my expectation would be that local authorities' regional transport partnerships look at the whole area and not just the space themselves. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Lothian and NHS Borders. Ministers and government officials meet regularly with representatives of all health boards, including NHS Borders. Lothian, indeed, I just met with the leadership of NHS Lothian on Monday. Christine Grahame will be aware of a trial involving NHS Grampian, a local energy charity and an energy innovation hub, where the board has identified 300 people at least requiring assistance with their energy bills because of their serious ill health requirements. I am a constituent at home with life support equipment. His monthly bill will rise in 1 December from £347 to £624 and to more than £1,000 next year. Does the cabinet secretary consider that other health boards should follow NHS Grampian and consider such interventions? I do know about the important pilot project that Christine Grahame highlights in relation to NHS Grampian. I will make sure that that has been put on the radar of every single health board chair and chief executive. Having spoken to our chair and chief executives about the issue—I know that it has been raised by parliamentarians right across the chamber—we know just how important any additional support can be during this very difficult cost crisis. NHS Lothian and Borders advise me that they have arrangements in place to help with the energy cost support with some patients, but I will make sure that the pilot that is referenced by Christine Grahame is put on the radar. I am very grateful. I am glad that the cabinet secretary met NHS Lothian just on Monday, and he will have heard of the staffing challenges that are still keeping the Eddington hospital closed. What specific help has the Scottish Government offered NHS Lothian with regard to its challenges with recruitment? Significant support has been given to all of our health boards, including NHS Lothian. A lot of our concentration with NHS Lothian has gone into the social care space. We know that delayed discharges are far too high, particularly in the city of Edinburgh. Therefore, we have been working extensively hard, asking people like Elma Murray, I am sure, who has provided some additional support as well as national government support to the health board and also to the health and social care partnership, and the city of Edinburgh city council. We are working intensively. There has initially been some positive movement in regard to the delayed discharges in Edinburgh city. We know that, if we can free up that capacity, that helps to free up some of the workload. Hopefully, in time, we will help to free up staff to be able to go back into other community assets such as the Eddington hospital that he raises. 4. Neil Bibby To ask the Scottish Government when it last met COSLA and what issues were discussed. The Scottish Government engages regularly with COSLA at both official and ministerial levels to discuss a wide range of issues as part of our shared commitment to working in partnership with local government to improve outcomes for the people and communities of Scotland. Other ministers have met with COSLA in recent days and weeks. I last met with COSLA on 11 October to discuss the child disability and adult disability payments, along with data sharing between Social Security Scotland and local government. I am also scheduled to meet with the presidential team in the coming weeks to discuss a wide range of issues, including the new deal for local government. Neil Bibby I thank the minister for that answer. The failure to properly resource local councils has created protracted pay disputes all over the country, meaning refuge piling up on our streets. Today, school children are being locked out of their classrooms. Our town halls are now facing even more tough decisions against the backdrop of rising costs, meaning cuts to public services in our communities. Does the minister recognise that the Government's failure to provide any funding for pay settlements in the 2021-22 local government settlement was the principal reason for the disputes this year? Will the Government commit to properly funding councils in West Scotland in 2022-23 so that they can make a fair pay offer for their hardworking employees, struggling with a cost of living crisis and ensuring that people have the services that they deserve? The Scottish Government, as I mentioned in my first answer, works in partnership with local government as two spheres of government equally committed to collaboration and serving the people of Scotland. The outcome of the resource spending review earlier this year means that, despite the very challenging circumstances, we have provided local government revenue budget in cash terms with an extra £100 million being added. The £120 million added at stage 2 of the 2022-23 Scottish budget bill has also been baselined in the local government settlement for future years. Within the limited resources of the Scottish Government's budget and the nature of the powers and flexibilities that the Scottish Government has, it has consistently been committed to providing local government with a fair settlement as is practical and reasonable, as well as meeting all the other obligations that we have. I encourage Mr Bibby to engage with finance ministers and a spirit of collaboration because the issues that are faced across the country require it. A number of people who have died while homeless here in the capital has increased by nearly 150 per cent over the past four years. Shelter Scotland has said the situation points towards public services, failing people and a broken housing system. It is simply not acceptable, and Edinburgh City Council does not have the resources to deliver a solution. As a fellow Edinburgh MSP, can I ask the minister a very simple question? Will he today now act and declare a homeless emergency here in the capital? I appreciate the wide-ranging nature of the question. Mr Briggs is active in the space as a Lothian MSP. I am aware as a constituency MSP of the pressures on the housing market and the housing capacity here in the capital city, as is my colleague the cabinet secretary, Shona Robison. There is strong commitment in the Scottish Government towards building more affordable housing. Over 112,000 affordable homes have been built since 2007 across the country. Action has been taken on short-term lets to increase the capacity in the city. Of course, the Conservatives did not support such action on rents that were taken recently. There is a multitude of action, including in trying to improve provision for homeless people in Scotland and a commitment to reduce homelessness. We will continue with that work. If Mr Briggs has any constructive suggestions, he should send them to the cabinet secretary. To ask the Scottish Government what urgent action it is taking to stabilise NHS Entry services in Dumfries and Galloway. We understand that in certain remote and rural areas, such as Dumfries and Galloway, NHS dental access remains challenging. The service concerns experienced by the board are driven by workforce and capacity issues with enhanced immigration controls in EU labour following Brexit, as well as care backlogs from the pandemic exacerbating historical difficulties. We have already put in place additional recruitment and retention incentives to maximise the opportunities for newly qualified dentists to work in areas such as Dumfries and Galloway, and we continue to work with all health boards to deliver responsibility for NHS dental services in that area. It has to be said that a record number of people are currently registered within NHS dentists, covering more than 95 per cent of the population. Across key treatments, NHS dental services are at comparable levels of activity to levels that were last seen before the pandemic restrictions were introduced. Challenging, minister. They are non-existent. Thornhill closed. Gretna closed. Castle Douglas closed. NHS industry is collapsing in the region. The minister was warned that this was the case on 23 February during a Conservative-led debate in this Parliament. No meaningful additional action has taken place since. Does the minister not feel even a tad of shame that, in 2022, in SNP Scotland, your ability to see a dentist is based on your ability to pay? What will it take for this rotten Government to end the decade? Let me be absolutely clear. Not one dental practice that was providing NHS dental services prior to the pandemic has closed due to financial failure. That is because of the level of support provided through the pandemic and in this post-pandemic recovery period, which totals over £150 million, which we have put in to maintain the capacity and capability of NHS dentistry. Officials are meeting with the board on a very regular basis and are in advance discussion on how to maintain NHS capacity. For example, officials are exploring with the board the prospect of a comprehensive suite of Scottish Dental Access's initiative grants across those areas where NHS dental provision has recently been lost. Those grants offer £100,000 to establishing a new surgery with £25,000 per additional surgery. This is an area where it has proven challenging for the board to attract suitable qualified dental professionals. Existential forces such as the significant loss of EU workforce as a consequence of Brexit are invariably having a disproportionate impact in areas such as Dumfries and Galloway. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Like Oliver Mundell, I have been contacted by many people across Dumfries and Galloway and other parts of South Scotland. I know that it is really challenging and that there has been an impact exacerbated by Brexit. Will the minister provide an update on the rural visa pilot scheme in relation to dentists? Will she agree to meet with me to discuss access to NHS dentistry in Dumfries and Galloway? I thank the member for this consideration. I will be happy to meet to discuss this issue. We have been particularly successful in growing the dental workforce in Scotland. It has increased by 32 per cent from 2007 to 2022, despite the challenging pandemic period. However, with disruptions to the education and training of dentists and the real challenges of Brexit, we face real difficulties. This situation is accentuated when you are dealing with regulated professions such as dentistry. For example, overseas dentists are required to sit examinations with the general dental council before they are able to work as a dentist. We are pressing the GDC and the UK Government to expand that capacity for examinations. To ask the Scottish Government how measures set out in the NHS recovery plan will support innovation and capacity in diagnostics for thrombosis. Our NHS recovery plan is clear that innovation, the redesign of services and continually identifying new ways to increase our capacity are all integral to the recovery of NHS services. That includes increasing diagnostic capacity, including diagnostics of thrombosis and similar artery and vein clotting conditions. Our specialist diagnostic services are split between imaging services such as MRI and CT scans and to support delivery towards increasing capacity by £78,000 this year. We have secured seven mobile MRI and five mobile CT scanners across Scotland, which are helping us to reduce weights. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Symptoms of deep vein thrombosis include swelling, a throbbing pain in normally one leg and red or darkened skin around the painful area, and I know from one of my constituents experience that it can be extremely debilitating. Would the cabinet secretary therefore join me in emphasising the importance of raising the awareness of the symptoms of deep vein thrombosis? I would be happy to do that. I think that there may be more in this space that we can do around the communication of the symptoms and what people should be aware of when it comes to DVT and other artery and clotting conditions. She will know, particularly during the course of the pandemic, that a lot of our public health messaging was focused towards Covid, understandably so, but I think that it is important that that has reduced, as we have moved into a different phase of this pandemic, than we should look at what more we can do, particularly in the DVT space. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address high private sector rents. The Cost of Living Tenant Protection Scotland Act, which came into force on 28 October, included a rent cap to protect tenants from high rent increases. At the same time, we are committed to introducing an effective national system of private sector rent controls by the end of 2025 and to do so in a way that is robust and provides lasting benefit to tenants. We are also providing up to £86 million in housing support this year, building on the £39 million of additional funding already provided to protect tenants as a result of the pandemic. I thank the minister for his support for Labour's rent freeze policy, and it is vital that this stays in place until we have a national system of rent controls to bring rents down, because long-term underinvestment in council housing and historic poor regulation of the private rental sector has allowed private landlords to cash in on the housing crisis while claiming that they provide a public service. But let's be clear, this isn't philanthropy, it's exploitation. So will the minister commit to finally ending the two-tier system of rented housing in Scotland by capping private rents in line with social rental levels? Well, I'm glad that the Labour Party supports the measures that the Scottish Government brought to Parliament, measures that haven't been replicated by any other government in any other part of the UK. The member is well aware that emergency legislation must by definition be temporary. It's ongoing necessity reviewed to ensure that the provisions remain proportionate to the situation, and for that reason the measures will initially apply for a six-month period, but the act also includes powers to extend the measures for two further six-month periods subject to parliamentary approval if circumstances show this to be necessary, and the act also includes provisions to temporarily change the rent adjudication process if this is necessary to support the transition away from the emergency measures. Alongside the direct support that I've mentioned in my first answer, and the Scottish Government's strong track record on providing social housing, this Government has the best track record of any part of the UK in supporting tenants in these difficult times.