 Good morning. The first item of business is general questions. Short and succinct questions and responses will enable us to get as many members in as possible. At question one, I call Liz Smith. Women apologies. To ask, what discussions ministers have had with residential outdoor education centres regarding the provision of bed spaces for 2023? Minister Clare Hohe. The Scottish Government values the benefits of outdoor learning for children and young people. yllewid y cymryd ar gyfer y setge oedarnig y sectorsaidd. Rydym freithio ar gyfer y setge oedarnig y sectorsaidd ac mae gennym wahanol 4 million o bwysig o fundiau cyfgareddio, oedd sy'n gyffredin o'r ysgrifedd ar ar gyfer y pandemiydd, oedd sefydlu'r desgau cydwyllg i'n cyfrifesu aig o'r armydd y sushy. Ysgrifedd oesgly Louly~? Ysgrifedd oesglyg o'r ysgrifedd y setge oedarnig y setge oedarnig ysgrifedd. I thank the minister and the Scottish Government for the assistance that it did provide to the outdoor education centres during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 when many of them obviously couldn't operate. Their problems have been eased but by no means have they been eradicated and I think it's very important that we have accurate data as to exactly what facilities are available so that schools in particular can make informed decisions about where pupils can access residential facilities. I ask if the Scottish Government will undertake to do that in line with outdoor education centres. I can provide, Liz Smith, with what we have in terms of the latest data that sector representatives have shared with officials. That indicates that there is a total capacity of 4,400 operational beds in around 50 centres across Scotland but that doesn't cover the full capacity in the sector and those bed capacity figures do not take into account seasonal availability but we will continue to engage with the sector and look at how we can more accurately reflect what is on offer to local authorities in their bookings for schools and other organisations. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of Scottish domiciled students attending Scottish universities. In the academic year 2020-21, the latest figures we have are a total of 180,170 Scottish domiciled students attending Scottish universities. I thank the minister for that answer. According to UCAS figures, since 2006 there has been 56% increase in the number of people attending Scottish universities. An 83% increase in the number of Scottish domiciled students denied a place. The SNP, Green Administration, claims to be on the side of Scotland but the current model says that Scottish pupils are shortchanged. Does the minister consider this problem and what action will it take to address it? Ms Goswell says that the Scottish system leaves Scottish students shortchanged. Let me tell her about the Scottish system. The Scottish system has delivered 180,000 Scottish domiciled students in the last academic year. That is up from 167,030 the year before. It is delivering it on the basis of them not having to pay £9,000 per annum, as is the case under her party's administration south of the border. I could not help but notice former Tory MP Luke Graham's article in The Times this week on headed time to be bold in national education, when he said that there now exists a unique opportunity for the new Prime Minister to hold the devolved Governments to account. That sounds very much the unsubtle code to me inviting the UK Government to introduce tuition fees here in Scotland. I welcome the record number of Scottish domiciled students who have secured a place at university. Let's not be negative, Ms Goswell. That is a test into the hard work of students and teachers right across Scotland. Minister, can I ask how many of those new university students will come from deprived areas? What I can say to Mr Doris right now in terms of the current process, we do not have the final numbers, we are still going through the clearance process as well, but there is an indication right now that the numbers of 18-year-olds from deprived areas securing university places under the current year, as they stand, is up 29 per cent since 2019. In the last year, there were exams and we are making good progress in achieving our target of by 2030, having 20 per cent of students from SIMD 20 areas. There has been good year-in-year progress in that regard. Indeed, in Mr Doris's home city, we have seen significant growth over that same period of mention of 18-year-olds from those areas attending the three universities in his city. Up 15 per cent at Glasgow Caledonian University, up 22 per cent in the University of Strathclyde, up 76 per cent at the University of Glasgow. That is the progress that is being made under this administration. Willie Rennie The minister has got to acknowledge, however, that there are many excellent Scottish students who are being deprived of place at Scottish universities because of the cap on places. Is he saying that there is nothing he is going to do to resolve that problem? Does he not recognise that issue? Will he agree to meet with me to discuss it further? On that last point, I am always delighted to meet with Mr Rennie, so I am happy to accept his request and invite to do so. It has always been the case that, of course, there are people who want to apply to university who unfortunately do not manage to access university. That is always very disappointing for those individuals. Incidentally, it is not a unique phenomenon here in Scotland. It happens in other jurisdictions in the United Kingdom as well. Not every person who applies to university in England, Wales or Northern Ireland accesses university. I would reflect on the fact, and I have already made the point, that we have 180,000 Scottish domicile students being supported into Scottish universities under the current system. That is up when the figures before that is a good direction of travel. They are not having to pay to do so. That is a record of achievement that I am proud of. Michael Marra To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had and has planned with the University of Dundee's management team regarding the reported pensions dispute between the university and trade unions representing staff. I meet regularly with university principals in the campus trade unions and industrial action is often one of the items discussed. Since the beginning of this particular dispute, I have engaged with the principle of the University of Dundee regularly as well as with the unions at the University of Dundee. I have written again to Professor Ian Gillespie this week to encourage the university and its workforce representatives to come back together to resolve the current issues. Michael Marra I welcome that intervention from the minister. He will remember that I have raised this issue on numerous occasions over the last year. On 25 August, the majority of Dundee University Court voted to impose cuts to the pensions of their lowest-paid employees. Unite members are now on all-out strike action with permanent pickets. Unison members have voted for strike action on this issue for a third time, I believe, unprecedented in Scotland. Cuts that are imposed by management seem set to try to ride this out and we are refusing to even respond to requests for dialogue. Employees are telling me that their trade unions have been effectively de-recognised at the University of Dundee. This collapse in industrial relations is unacceptable. Will the minister contact the principal again today and urge him to do his duty and get his management to engage in this dispute immediately? I have already to be the point that I am regularly engaging with the principal. I have written this week to request an update to also urge for the engagement that we would want to see. I will obviously prosecute some of the issues that Mr Marra has laid out, if they are with any form of foundation. I am not suggesting that what he has said is hearing is correct. That is a cause for concern. I believe strongly that the trade union voice, the workforce voice, must be heard across the entirety of William Market. Our universities are no different in that regard, and he can be assured that I will continue to engage with the university on this matter. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of increasing hidden hunger due to the cost of living crisis, what action it is taking to address school meals, debt and expand access to universal free school meals? We fully acknowledge that the steep cost of living rises are putting a huge strain on some families, and they are facing many unforeseen challenges. All pupils in primary 1 to 5 are publicly funded schools that currently benefit from universal free school lunches during term time, because free school meals remain for eligible pupils in other age groups after primary 5. We are continuing to work with our partners and local authorities to plan for the expansion of free school meal provision to primary 6 and 7 during this parliamentary term. That work is being supported by £30 million of capital funding in this financial year to support expansion of catering and dining facilities. We are working with our partners and local authorities to understand the impact of the school meals debt for families, and in the meantime, I would urge all local authorities to continue to do all they can to resolve any payment issues without withdrawing meals from pupils. Monica Lennon I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for that update, and I welcome the commitments that we have heard this week. We have seen an anonymous donor donate a generous five-figure sum towards offsetting the school meal debt, so we need the Government to cover the rest. Given the cost crisis, we need to go further and faster on the expansion of free school meals. Can the cabinet secretary give some dates when pupils in primary 6 and 7 can expect that to be in place, and when will we see that equality in our secondary schools? We are, as I said, my original answer, working very closely with local authorities to determine what capital work needs to be undertaken. For example, to increase the capacity within kitchen and dining facilities, and that is the work that is on-going at the moment. That has been supported, as I said, by £30 million from the Scottish Government. We are continuing that work with local authorities, but I would, of course, recognise that the cost-of-living crisis is impacting on families, but that is exactly why there is additional support. For example, through the increase in the Scottish child payment to £25 from 14 November to current recipients and the opening of applications for under-16s, which will be a welcome additional support for families right across Scotland. I welcome the Scottish Government's commitment to expanding free school meal provision, already the most generous universal offer of anywhere in the UK. Can the cabinet secretary provide an update on the number of free school meal registrations at Scotland schools? It is the most expansive provision within the UK nations that we have for universal provision of free school meals. Currently, there are over 300,000 pupils registered for free school meals at schools right across Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government when it will respond to the next zero energy and transport committee's report on energy price rises. Cabinet Secretary, Michael Matheson. I am keen to provide the committee with an up-to-date response as possible. Now that we have details of the August price cap from Ofgem and the announcement by the UK Government this morning, I intend to provide the committee with a response shortly. The cabinet secretary will be aware that the report reflects evidence taken in April and May, which stated that, even then, the limiting energy price increase crisis had to be responded to at a similar scale as the Covid pandemic crisis by both the Scottish and UK Governments. Will the cabinet secretary agree to improve awareness and access to the advice and advocacy and home insulation services? It is responsible for on top of the immediate and welcome targeted financial support with devolved powers announced by the First Minister. Does he agree that any UK Government decision, even at this late stage to freeze energy prices, should be welcomed a decision that would have happened more swiftly from an independent Scottish Government with similar such powers? The committee's report makes a number of important recommendations, both to the Scottish Government and to the UK Government in the action that is necessary, to avert the increase in cost crisis that households are facing due to increasing energy prices. We have already announced £1.2 million of additional funding to support advice services, to support customers who are experiencing difficulty, alongside a doubling of our fuel and security fund to help to support those who are at risk of self rationing or self-disconnection from the energy network. We will continue to look at what further measures we can take forward and reflect on the announcement that was made by the UK Government this morning. There is absolutely no doubt that we have had a vacuum of any political leadership from the UK Government on this issue for the last two months. In an independent Scotland, we have been able to move swiftly and quickly to reassure households on how we would have tackled the cost crisis. Liam Kerr, the report notes that homes that are not connected to the gas grid are often more expensive to heat. Given the Scottish Government's drive to get such homes to adopt electric heat pump technology and noting Fiona Hyslop's correct request for clear advice to people, can the cabinet secretary help me to understand the running costs of such technology when compared to fossil fuels in the current market? One of the key things that could be done to help to reduce the costs of electricity is to uncouple it from the wholesale gas price, which is in the powers of the UK Government to do, which would have an immediate impact in bringing down electricity costs for those who are using electric-based heat pumps. One of the other measures that the UK Government could take to help to offset the very high costs of energy in rural areas—those who are off-grid—is to regulate the oil market, which would help to reduce the costs of heating oil for many households who are dependent on it. Despite a request for them to do so, they have continued to refuse to make that part a regulated sector. To ask the Scottish Government how the national planning framework 4 will help to address vacant, derelict and abandoned buildings on land, including across Aberdeen city. Minister Tom Arthur We know that vacant and derelict land and buildings are a blight on communities and are challenging to deal with, and often result in local authorities and other agencies bearing the costs to keep them safe. National planning framework 4 will change the way we plan our places and support Scotland's journey to becoming a net zero nation. The draft NPR4 published in November 2021 proposed strengthening national planning policy to prioritise the reuse of vacant and derelict land and buildings to reduce impacts on communities and contribute to climate change targets. We are giving careful consideration to the wealth of views on the draft NPR4 from both the public and this Parliament to inform the final version. The finalised draft framework will be laid in Parliament once this process is complete. Jackie Dunbar Scotland has almost 11,000 hectares of vacant and derelict urban land. That means that almost a third of the Scottish population lives within 500 metres of a derelict site. Those sites blight communities, harm wellbeing and limit opportunities, but they could be so much more. Can the minister outline what action is available to local authorities like Aberdeen City to deal with those sites? Can he commit the Scottish Government to continuing to address those sites as a priority? I fully understand that local authorities can direct development to vacant and derelict land through their local development plan. In our draft national planning framework 4, we proposed strengthened national planning policy to prioritise development of vacant and derelict land. If approved by Parliament and adopted, our updated policies in the finalised NPR4 will directly influence planning decisions. Our £50 million vacant and derelict land investment programme was launched in 2021 to complement our existing investment support for place-based regeneration across Scotland. We are keen for all authorities, including Aberdeen City Council, to work with their communities and other partners to develop suitable project proposals and apply to the programme. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports property purchases, direct payment to property owners and the use of non-disclosure agreements as a means of removing objections to large-scale windfarm applications. The Scottish Government does not support such measures. Our planning and consenting systems ensure that all relevant parties, including individuals and local communities, can have their say on development proposals, including for large-scale windfarms. It is beneficial for all those with an interest in the proposal to provide their comments where they wish to do so. I cannot recommend that individuals give up their right to comment, but if they choose to do so, then that is a matter for them. Oliver Mundell, I thank the minister for that very clear answer. Make no mistake, such agreements are destroying rural communities, turbocharging rural depopulation and changing the character of our uplands forever. Will the minister urgently seek a review as to how such impacts are monitored and assessed during the application process? Sadly, those are becoming the new norm and they are corrupting our planning process. I thank the member for his supplementary, and I am happy to consider what he has asked me to do. I would also welcome the opportunity to meet with the member to discuss in more detail, in particular if he can provide evidence of the matters that he has raised.