 Felly, y prifedig y yr iddyn nhw yw'r cwmhiliau ddweud, ac yn cyfnodol yn ymgyrch. Felly, rwy'n gael i'n cyfrifiadau Shrewford i'r prifesgol iawn o ddafod o'r gynhyrch a'r cornton yn cyfrizzin. Michael Matheson, ydw i'n cwmhiliau ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i yn gyntafol o'r cymdeithasol LHMP ac IOI, Conton Vale. O 11 july 2017, y ddymol yng Nghymru Brwshawsc yn cymennu'r cymennu'r cymdeithasol i'r cymdeithasol Conton Vale i'r ffasiliadau gwaith yn y cyfnod a'r cyfnod. Y cwyddingoed am eluwodwch ar gyfnod cychyn ar gyfer 25 w wrthgyr Cru. That initial preparatory work was completed which is continuing to the work in 2018 and beyond. The first public consultation process was held as part of the proposal of application notice on 6 December 2017 and second was held on 16 January 2018. Following the conclusion of the planning process, it is anticipated that the procurement process to identify a contractor will conclude in August 2018, with construction commencing thereafter in winter 2018. Plans remain on track for the national facility to be operational by the end of 2020. Bruce Crawford. I thank the cabinet secretary for his reply. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that traditional prisons have not always achieved the outcomes for female prisoner offenders that we would want? Is it not now there for crucial that we continue to look at alternative custodial arrangements, such as the community-based custodial units that he mentioned? Can the cabinet secretary at this time provide any details on the likely implications for future staffing at Cormann Vale, if he cannot commit to that today? Will he provide me with that information at the earliest possible juncture? Yes, I do. That is why the proposal has been taken forward with Scotland's new female custodial estate, which includes the design of two initial two community custodial units. The first of the CCUs will be located in Maryhill and Glasgow and are a site in Dundee. The purpose behind those units is to allow women to be held closer to their families and provide them with the opportunity to engage with community-based services in those localities. The CCUs will focus on helping women to develop strategies that can support them in successfully reintegrating back into the community and from moving away from a lifestyle that involves offending. In relation to staffing, the approach that we are taking forward with the new facilities in particular, the national facility, is still in the process of development. As such, I am not able at this stage to determine the exact staffing profile, as the model is being fully defined, but I will be happy to provide the member with more detailed information when that becomes available. In the meantime, I can assure the member that the fullest consultation will take place with staff at Caunton Vale and their trade union representatives. Dean Lockhart, the Mental Welfare Commission recently visited Caunton Vale prison. The report highlighted concerns relating to the availability of mental health specialists, suitable medication and suggested an audit of prison officer training to improve mental health awareness. What assurances can the cabinet secretary give that the proposed restructuring of Caunton Vale prison will not affect the mental welfare of those prisoners with complex mental health conditions? One of the purposes behind moving to the new model is to ensure that we have better engagement with community-based services, particularly for women who may have an underlying mental health issue within the locality that they come from, so that, when they leave the community custodial unit, they go back into the community that still has the services that I have been supporting them with, while they are within the community custodial unit. That is the purpose behind it, rather than having a single national facility that then, once a woman leaves that establishment, has to be established in another part of the country if they require mental health services. The recommendations and the findings within the mental welfare commission report are issues that are being considered by the Scottish Prison Service in partnership with NHS Forfally, who is responsible for providing healthcare services within our prison estate in Caunton Vale. I can give the member assurance that issues relating to mental health and helping to support women in particular are one of the key factors behind the new model that we are moving to in dealing with women who come into custody. To ask the Scottish Government whether the Lord Advocate will provide an update regarding how the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Services Reform of its working practices in dealing with sexual offence cases will help to ensure that victims feel supported during the justice process. I would like to get to you as well. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Sexual offences now make up 75 per cent of the services high court caseload, and the number of cases of sexual crime reported to the service continues to increase. That means that victims of crime are coming forward and that the Crown can, when the evidence is available, bring perpetrators to justice. Sexual offence cases are dealt with by specialist prosecutors, and the way that the work is undertaken is being reorganised in response to the increased caseload, with a view to speeding up case preparation and to seeking to reduce the time that it takes to bring cases to trial. Since September 2017, the services victim information advice staff working on high court sexual offence cases have had specific geographic responsibility. That means that the complainers should now generally have a single individual who will be responsible for providing her with information. All complainers in high court sexual offence cases should be contacted within 24 hours of the accused first appearing in court, and the services now introduced additional commitments to make further contact within a short period thereafter. In November, the Inspectorate of Prosecutions made 12 recommendations for further improving the way in which the service handles sexual offences. I accepted all of those recommendations and work is in hand towards their implementation. Elaine Smith I thank the Lord Advocate for his response and welcome the commitment to make progress on the recommendations of the review, particularly since one area highlighted is that the most recent conviction rate for rape and attempted rape is 48 per cent compared to 72 per cent for all sexual crimes. Would the Lord Advocate agree that maintaining public confidence in the whole system for dealing with sexual offences is absolutely crucial? Could he outline the rationale for the decision not to take action against the two footballers, Goodwilly and Robertson, accused of rape by Denise Claire, and subsequently found guilty of rape in a civil action? Will the decision by the Crown Office not to prosecute being revisited in light of the successful civil action and the failure of the appeal against that in November? Lord Advocate I entirely agree that maintaining public confidence in the system of investigation and prosecution of crime is of the highest importance. It would not be appropriate for me to discuss the details of any individual prosecutorial decision. The approach that requires to be taken when considering a prosecution is different from the approach that applies in a civil case. The standard of proof is, for good reason, different. The prosecutor has to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt, and there are a series of evidential rules that apply in criminal cases but which do not apply in civil cases. I can say that the Crown, through the work of the specialist prosecutors who undertake High Court sexual offences' work, considers carefully all cases of that sort. Decisions are made based on the evidence that is available and a careful analysis and application of the law to that evidence. Willie Rennie To ask the Scottish Government when fatal accident inquiry is into the M9 crash and the death of Shekou Bayou will be held. Lord Advocate The separate investigations by the Crown into each of those two incidents are continuing under the direction of a senior advocate deput. Although considerable progress has been made, further work requires to be completed before a fully informed decision can be made about potential criminal proceedings in each of those cases. That decision has to be taken before the timing of a fatal accident inquiry can be considered. Officials continue to keep the families of the deceased advised, and indeed meetings with those affected by the M9 incident took place as recently as December 2017. Willie Rennie I thank the Lord Advocate for his answer. It has been two and a half years since the death of Shekou Bayou, John Yw and Lamarabelle. It is two and a half years that the families and the police officers have been waiting for inquiry and for answers, and I am genuinely concerned for their welfare. Has the Lord Advocate made an assessment of the impact on the families and the police officers of this weight and what can be done to speed up the process? Lord Advocate I am grateful to Willie Rennie for the question. I am acutely conscious of the impact that the passage of time has on all those who are affected by these cases and, indeed, any case. Each of these cases involves a substantial investigation that involves complex questions, including both factual questions and legal questions. Those involved would expect and are entitled to the investigation that is undertaken with the utmost thoroughness. While recognising the effect that the passage of time has for those concerned, my fundamental commitment in the public interest is to ensure that investigations of this sort are undertaken thoroughly, fully and with a view to ensuring that the answers that will be produced at the end of the day are soundly based. I can say, as I said in my previous answer, that the Crown is in contact with the families of the deceased and keeps them advised of the state of play. Indeed, as I said in the M9 case, there was a meeting with members of the family of the deceased as recently as December. Liam Kerr Nicolaus Randall was found dead in 2008, three years after he disappeared. Despite a whistleblower identifying multiple items of evidence that suggest that his death was suspicious, the police ruled otherwise. Will the Government ensure that Police Scotland properly explains this decision and, in the name of transparency, release the case review report on any related documentation? I am not sure that that particular case directly relates to the question here, which is about two specific fatal accident inquiries. If the Lord Advocate wishes to add a comment, he may do, but Daniel Johnson. The families and victims and witnesses have waited five years for the fatal accident inquiry into the Clutha helicopter tragedy, which begins this autumn. What reassurances can the Government give that we will not wait five years for the incidents that have been mentioned in this question? How frequently are the communications that he mentioned at being held with the families concerned with the M9 and a boyhood case? Lord Advocate Mr Johnson is absolutely right to note that, in the Clutha case, we have passed an important milestone because the decision has been able to be taken that, on the evidence currently available, criminal proceedings are not anticipated and we can therefore proceed to a fatal accident inquiry. In the two cases about which Mr Rennie has asked me, the question of whether or not, and I have stressed those words, whether or not criminal proceedings should be brought is one that still requires to be made. It requires to be made on the basis of the fullest and most thorough investigation of what are, in each case, circumstances that raise complex questions, both of fact and of law. Once that decision has been made, we will be able to move to the next stage of proceedings. David Torrance To ask the Scottish Government how many calls and emergency services responded to over the festive period. Michael Matheson Strictly comparable figures for emergency call volume across police, fire and ambulance are not available. However, I can advise that between 7 am on 15 December and 7 am on 3 January, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service received a total of 6,160 emergency calls. Police Scotland received a total of 27,876 calls via 999 between 15 December and 2 January, as well as 83,146 calls to the emergency 101 non-emergency number. The Scottish Ambulance Service received a total of 73,049 calls in the same period. David Torrance I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer. Will the cabinet secretary join me in expressing sincere thanks to all emergency service staff who continue to work over a Christmas and new year to keep us safe? Michael Matheson Yes, Presiding Officer. The festive period is always a very demanding time for our emergency services. However, due to the dedication and hard work of those who work in those services, they have again risen to meet the challenges that are presented by the Christmas and new year periods. I speak for all members when I say how much we value the enormous contribution that they make to keeping our people and community safe over the festive period and throughout the course of the year. Maurice Corry I associate myself with the words of praise for those on the front line in our emergency control centres, the support staff and the volunteers who do such a great job. Can the cabinet secretary tell the chamber what he is going to do to support the staff in our emergency control centres by tackling the issue of hoax calls following the publication of figures that show that those calls have taken up 28,107 minutes, which is over 20 days of their time since 2012? Michael Matheson We have taken forward a range of actions over an extended period of time now to tackle the issue of hoax calls to all of our emergency services, whether it be Amdolans Fire or the police I visited Bilston Gleng just before Christmas to meet with the staff there. It continues to be a problem that they experience in not only hoax calls but individuals calling 101 or even using the 999 emergency number for inappropriate reasons as well. Part of the work that has been taken forward by Police Scotland and other emergency services to educate people in making sure that when they are utilising these emergency and non-emergency numbers that they are doing so appropriately, alongside that tackling issues relating to hoax calls, I do not think that there is any single solution to the issue of hoax calls other than to continue to remind people about the potential impact, adverse impact it can have on the service in that resources are diverted away to a hoax incident when they are being deprived from what is a legitimate incident that they should be responding to. Joan McAlpine To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the European arrest warrant. Gaboris Cymru European arrest warrant is a significant component of the extradition process. It is a part of the package of justice measures that work together to form the toolkit that supports collaboration on matters of internal security, law enforcement and criminal justice across the EU. Those measures have proved vital to rapid information sharing and effective co-operation between the police and prosecutors across the EU, yet we stand to lose those as a result of Brexit. Despite continued requests to date, there has been no substantive discussion with the UK Government on European arrest warrants or any of the other measures that ensure the safety and security of our citizens. Joan McAlpine I thank the minister for that answer. Just this week, prosecutors were granted a European arrest warrant to help track the suspect of an armed robbery at the Glen Eagle Hotel to spend illustrating the on-going importance of the system. Sir Julian King, the UK's European commissioner, who is responsible for security, has stated that the jurisprudence relating to the European arrest warrant is the European Court of Justice jurisprudence. Does the minister agree that it is high time that the UK Government dropped its foolish red line preventing any future role for the European Court of Justice and started to seriously negotiate with EU 27 to keep as many of the advantages of the European arrest warrant as possible? John Swinney A member has raised two important, separate but linked issues. The European arrest warrant is a vital tool to law enforcement agencies to bring perpetrators of serious crime of the very nature that the member made reference to in Glen Eagles to justice. The justice and home affairs cross-border measures, including the European arrest warrant, are EU-wide and fall under the jurisdiction of European Court of the EU, which is the ultimate interpreter of EU law. Member states are required to give its judgment primacy. The UK Government's security law enforcement and criminal justice, a future partnership paper, set out a proposal for a new security treaty to maintain continued security law enforcement and criminal justice co-operation after Brexit. However, it reiterates the UK Government's position that any new model will not involve the UK being subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice. Therefore, any new treaty will have to be underpinned by a new legal agreement on an alternative means of dispute resolution. The arrangements that we have currently in place are essential to ensuring the security and safety of our people and save vital time and need to be maintained. Although we support the aim of agreeing a deep and special relationship with the EU to ensure that co-operation can be continued, we expect and we would expect to accept the Court of Justice of a European Union jurisdiction on these matters. As a refusal to do so, it would significantly damage any chance of retaining access to important law enforcement and security measures. I thank the cabinet secretary and the law officers and members. We will move on to questions on culture, tourism and external affairs, and we will start with question number one from Ash Denham. The chamber may wish to note at this point that I am the PLO to the culture portfolio. To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to creative industries and the arts. Cabinet Secretary, Fiona Hyslop. This Government recognises the value of the creative industries and the arts and that is why the draft budget for 2018-19 includes an additional £6.6 million to allow Creative Scotland to maintain the level of its regular funding programme, as well as doubling the investment for screen. As we begin the year of young people, we are also protecting the £9 million for the youth music initiative and increasing funding for the system of Scotland. We continue to support the creative industries and the arts by providing opportunities for collaboration and partnership, including the on-going work with the Creative Industries Advisory Group, which I co-chair. Ash Denham. In light of the UK Government's failure to create a UK-wide lottery cuts handling plan, can the cabinet secretary outline what the Scottish Government's increase in funding will mean for the sector? The serious concerns for the culture sector was the projected reduction in lottery funding and clearly decisions by the UK Government in terms of deregulation and other matters relating to lottery has seen a reduced income. What we have managed to secure in the draft budget is funding to help to mitigate that. The stability and the granted aid that we are also providing for Creative Scotland will mean that the final decisions that they are making about regular funded organisations in January can be done with a much more positive outlook than initially expected. It is still a draft budget and this will only be provided if the Parliament votes for the budget. Rachael Hamilton. To ask the cabinet secretary what work is being done by the Scottish Government to ensure that the screen sector has the correct infrastructure to strengthen Scotland's film and TV sector. The screen unit blueprint was published by Creative Scotland at the end of December. It was put together with all the agencies. Clearly, additional investment is important to take forward, not just infrastructure but the ability to invest in film and the TV sector. Two aspects to that. One is additional funding of £10 million will double the available funding. That will make a big difference in relation to what is available. The opportunity to provide new relationships with the BBC might also provide opportunities for ensuring that the investments that are available more broadly for film and television can be maximised to grow the industry. Clare Baker. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The cabinet secretary may be aware of the growing culture gap that is between the poorest and richest within our society. Recent figures from the household survey show that there is now a 22-point gap when it comes to participating in cultural activity, which is a 2 per cent increase on 2015. While the investment mentioned by the cabinet secretary is welcome, how will it specifically target inclusiveness and focus on closing the gap for all generations? As the member may be aware, one of the most powerful research evidence that we have is that young people who participate in music activity or wider arts activity when they are younger are more likely to be audiences in the future, regardless of parental income. Our activity in providing funding for the youth music initiative and sustaining that in the face of a Conservative UK Government austerity is a very important part of that. The expansion for the system of Scotland, £2.5 million of investment, is benefiting particularly targeted young people in a number of our cities. Also, our free access for our collections, museums and galleries. As part of my letters of guidance to all our organisations, I make it clear that tackling some of the inclusion issues and the opportunities for young people in areas of deprivation is very important. I place a particular importance in that area and everything that we are doing allows us to contribute to that. Protecting the culture budget is going to be an important part of making sure that we can close that gap. Richard Lochhead, I ask the Scottish Government for its plans for the historic Dallas-Dew distillery. As a property in the care of the Scottish ministers, conservation and management of the Dallas-Dew distillery is handled by Historic Environment Scotland under a scheme of delegation. I had meetings with Richard Lochhead in Historic Scotland previously about bringing the distillery back into action. The member had previously raised with me the potential to bring the distillery into activity back in 2015. The distillery is in the ownership of Diageau, but Diageau agreed a guardianship arrangement in 1998 with Historic Scotland. As there are commercial sensitivities to the issue, Richard Lochhead will be aware that there are limits to what can be discussed. As the cabinet secretary has noted for a number of years, I have been pushing for new ideas to develop the fantastic potential that this historic distillery has for the local economy and for tourism and to bring other benefits as well. In recent months, a number of individuals and organisations have brought to me a number of creative and exciting ideas that could make a real difference to the distillery and bring new investment. Will the cabinet secretary be willing to speak to Historic Environment Scotland to have shared those ideas with, to push things forward so that this year, 2018, we can open a new chapter on the fantastic story of this historic distillery to bring these massive benefits for local community, tourism and the economy? I would like to recognise the work of Richard Lochhead as the constituency MSP in driving forward the new and creative idea. There are limits to what I can say publicly, but I take an interest in the initiative. I think that there is a real initiative to bring different parties together to make this happen. It is quite complex in terms of balancing some of the issues, but I will agree to speak to Historic Environment Scotland to ascertain the latest progress and what we can do to help to facilitate what is a very innovative way to make sure that our heritage can be demonstrated, not just in some of our wider cultural areas but also in some of our industrial heritage, of which whisky is most certainly part. Mary Fee To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the publication of its new strategy for engagement with China. The refresh of Scotland's China engagement strategy is currently under development. We expect to publish the revised strategy in spring 2018. Mary Fee I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The benefits for the Scottish-China engagement strategy are clearly positive. However, that is only known to the niche groups that are involved in the specifics of the strategy, either through small business, educational institutes, local government or the close-knit Scottish-Chinese community. What work is the Scottish Government doing to encourage links between local Scottish community groups and Chinese groups to promote the strategy and the Chinese culture and to ensure that wider society can maximise the benefits of the Scottish-China engagement strategy? Finally, with the new strategy to be published in spring 2018, I extend an invitation to the cabinet secretary to come along to the cross-party group in China to discuss the strategy with its members. I have attended the cross-party group previously. The importance of the people-to-people engagement is vital. Interestingly, the China people-to-people engagement that took place recently, the cultural focus, was here in Scotland. A lot of that is institutional, so we are facilitating the institutional relationships. The member touches on some of the wider aspects of community-to-community. The Confucius institutes, which are now very extensive, have far more per head in Scotland than in the UK. That is a very good way to engage because it is about the culture, not just the language. I think that that is the benefit there. We have now got 18 or 19 of Scotland's higher education institutes that have academic and research links. You may say that that is institutional, but it is not community to community. I think that we can use those and the local authority relationships to build more of a people-to-people relationship and dialogue, so I agree to that. Diolch yn permitting, I would be happy to attend the cross-party group. Stuart McMillan I am aware of two businesses that are involved in the Scottish culture music, who are keen to export their goods and services to China. Can the cabinet secretary provide any information to assist their efforts, please? Cabinet secretary? Clearly, in relation to SMEs' exporting and helping to raise international ambitions and also supporting people who have overcome some of the barriers that might have an international exporting, it is something that we are very keen to support. SDI is working to tackle some of those issues in particular. If the member gives me the details of their particular interests, I can make sure that SDI makes some kind of contact to provide the relevant advice. Alexander Stewart As the UK Government's Department for Transport has negotiated increases in the number of passenger flights between UK airports and China, has the cabinet secretary met representatives from Scottish airports to help them to bid and prepare for the increased number of tourists from China? I have had a number of meetings discussing the opportunities for Chinese tourists, both with the industry itself. I have personally been on delegations when the issues of direct flights have been raised in visits to the Chinese Government, and our transport minister is actively involved in that area. I know that everyone is very anxious and there is a great deal of anticipation to the opportunities that can be provided. I cannot at this stage give you any particular detail or announcements, but I can say that our airports and government are very actively involved in that area. Gillian Martin To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the potential withdrawal of funding by Aberdeen City Council to the Aberdeen International Youth Festival. I understand that Aberdeen City Council's urgent business committee met on 21 December and made a final decision not to provide funding for the Aberdeen International Youth Festival. This outcome is incredibly disappointing, but it hopefully provides an opportunity for the organisers to pursue other options and to find a new way forward for the festival in 2018, Scotland's Year of Young People. My officials stand ready to offer advice on alternative sources of funding and help to facilitate networking or new connections to support the festival if approached. Gillian Martin I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. He acknowledges that it is now a matter of fact that, by analogy, a majority of Aberdeen City Councilers—former Labour Councilers and Conservative Councils and the Finance Committee—have voted to withdraw funding from the festival. Can the cabinet secretary give any indication to the organisers of the festival and the disappointed young people and community organisations in the area that have benefited hugely from the festival's activities? Even if certain individuals in Aberdeen City Townhouse do not recognise the huge negative implications of their decision that the Scottish Government and other cultural agencies do, can she commit to holding conversations with the organisers of the festival to give them assistance and advice that will allow them to find a way forward for the good of the young people of the north-east and our local economy? Gillian Martin As I said, in my original answer, my officials and the Scottish Government agencies stand ready to offer advice on possible alternative sources of funding to help the Aberdeen International Youth Festival should the organisers make such an approach. The benefits of the festival are well known throughout the north-east. We should, however, acknowledge that Aberdeen City Council has established a £100,000 cultural award programme for 2018-19. We have yet to see the full details, but hopefully that will give an opportunity for youth-led cultural projects and events in Aberdeen to take place to celebrate the year of young people in 2018. It is incumbent on all of us, particularly in this year, whether it is a local level or a national level, to make sure that we can provide opportunities for young people to participate in arts in Aberdeen during the year of young people. Tom Mason As you well know, I am Aberdeen City Council and I was a party to the decision to withdraw the funding from the Aberdeen Youth Festival. The festival has experienced declining audiences and a lack of city participation over recent years, including lack of luster management and a governance structure that has left much to be desired. What is more disappointing for me, because I was very supportive of the general principles of the art festival, was that the forward strategic plan was very inadequate to address the matters that should concern them. Does the cabinet minister agree with me that it would be inappropriate to award the funding to the youth festival at this stage? We look forward to an alternative business plan being presented by the youth festival, possibly funding from the City Council on an ad hoc basis. I think that it is inappropriate for any member to attack the management of local volunteers and those involved in delivering festivals in our country. The member may or may not still be a councillor—I am not familiar with him if he is resigned or not—but this is the national parliament of Scotland. Our job is to create the conditions, provide the strategic leadership and to make sure that there is funding in our organisations to drive forward those issues. We have to respect that. Many volunteers are involved in our festivals and providing a bit of leadership and support to them is important. I do not know the details of the papers that went to the council, because this is not a council chamber, but this is a parliament. I really think that it is important that we support people who support our local festivals. I hope that, in whatever way forward the council and local volunteers can take forward this festival, they do so in a positive and constructive way and do not use this chamber to attack management and volunteers of local organisations. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote Galloway's natural features to attract tourists. In our programme for government, we committed to promoting the south of Scotland, including Galloway, as a destination for coastal and forest tourism activities. That will continue our work with partners in developing Galloway's existing tourism assets, including its heritage, creative arts, wildlife, nature and green tourism, local food and drink, and to build on the success of the Galloway, Dark Sky Park and the south-west Scotland biosphere. To enhance visits to Scotland's existing work in the area, the Scottish Government's draft budget proposes an extra £0.5 million in 2018-19 for additional marketing support specifically for the south of Scotland. That will help to highlight those natural features that make Galloway a hidden gem among Scotland's many world-class attractions. The draft budget also proposes a further £0.5 million for capital investment in forest tourism across the south of Scotland, including trail development and signage. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response, and I certainly agree that Galloway is a hidden gem. I also welcome the airing of the new BBC documentary, Forest. The forest, based in the Galloway forest, is raising awareness of all aspects of life in and around the UK's largest forest park, recognising the fantastic work of the district forest manager, Cosson Hossack, and his team. As well as producing more than 600,000 tonnes of timber, the Galloway forest contributes much to the environmental, cultural tourism and recreational offering that the kingdom of Galloway has to offer. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the programme highlights and strengthens the argument in support of a Galloway national park? I held a forest tourism summit recently precisely to look at the advantages of forest tourism in particular. I also had the opportunity to watch the forest that started this week. I was particularly impressed with the singing, but the education about the work and the importance economically and to tourists was well evident in the first episode. I looked forward to seeing others as well. I know that, in relation to the national parks, that is the responsibility of another cabinet secretary. However, I recognise the opportunities that we have with the biosphere, with all the different areas that we have in Galloway, to ensure that our natural environment can be key to what we are doing. However, I cannot give your commitment on the national parks. I understand that there are tensions and issues there, not least on costs. However, I appreciate the sentiment that he is putting forward. Emma Harper I agree that Bonnie Galloway is a hidden gem. Does the cabinet secretary agree that biospheres provide a sustainable model that encourages tourism and allows local communities' use of and access to land while preserving important natural ecosystems? I do. Scotland has two UNESCO biospheres and the other one is in Wester Ross. It is involved, particularly in programmes funded by the EU and Greenland, Canada and Europe. The initiatives that we can take forward in collaboration internationally to learn from the best is really important. The sustainable model of tourism is something that, as the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, I am delighted to take forward. To ask the Scottish Government what the reason was for the recent closures of tourist information centres across the South Scotland region and what alternative arrangements it is considering putting in place. The deployment of VisitScotland's resources is an operational issue for the organisation in its border, although we maintain regular contact and a wide range of matters. VisitScotland's new two-year strategy announced last October was developed following a 58 per cent reduction in football to information centres across Scotland in the past decade. It will provide greater choice by offering digital products and access to local knowledge through industry partners as well as 26 eye centres in its busiest locations. VisitScotland has already established 1,604 new local partnerships right across the country, with 256 local partnerships signed up across the Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway in the airships. Those partnerships will ensure that information provision is available in innovative and adaptable formats so that we know that visitors are looking for. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. I recognise the issue around the 58 per cent drop in football at the eye centres in spite of the fact that, of the positive information that I received in my reply from VisitScotland to my letter about highlighting this issue, about the fact that tourism has risen in itself. I do have a concern, which I wonder if the cabinet secretary can highlight. While I appreciate that it is an operational issue in relation to those matters, it links closely with the issue of access to IT. If we are going to move into digital age with tourism, that will complement the VIP tourist information partnership programme. The Galloway Forest, which was raised in the last question, is an example of that, because I know that there is poor access to broadband and to mobile in that area. I wonder if the cabinet secretary can comment on how that will move forward in terms of tourism if people cannot access their apps or all the websites. That is twice the reason why the Scottish Government has ensured that, despite the very limited broadband roll-out by the UK Government, digital Scotland's superfast broadband has ensured that, instead of just 26 premises in Dumfries and Galloway, 85 per cent of premises in Dumfries and Galloway have access to speeds of 24 megabytes and above per second. Yes, that is a challenge, but we also know from the investment of the south plot for R100 will mean that the investment that we have, not just premises but access to both mobile and fibre broadband, will make sure that rural Scotland, in particular, is one of the best areas to have access to. That makes the point that it has to be joined up and co-ordinated, and I am making sure that the tourism officials and that they visit Scotland are keeping co-ordinated with the broadband roll-out to ensure that availability is there for tourists when they visit. I thank the cabinet secretary and all members for participation. That is the end of topical questions. We will next hear from the cabinet secretary for justice.