 Good afternoon, everyone. The first item of business today is consideration of business motion 10095, in the name of Joffitt's Patrick, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a revision to the business programme for today. I would ask any member who wishes to speak against the motion to press a request to speak button now, and I call on Joffitt's Patrick to move motion number 10095. Moved, Presiding Officer. As it appears that no member has asked to speak against the motion, I will now put the question to the chamber. The question is that motion number 10095, in the name of Joe Fitzpatrick, will be agreed to, or we all agreed, we are. We now move to the next item of business, which is portfolio questions. Portfolio questions today are on Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equality, Pensionersright, question one, To ask the Scottish Government on what basis it considers that a Scottish pensioners' Parliament could be established. Cabinet Secretary, Shona Robison. The Scottish Government does not have any current proposals to establish a pensioners' Parliament. Instead, we are supporting the Scottish Older People's Assembly with funding of over £100,000 for the period 2012-15. The Scottish Older People's Assembly enables older people to have their voices heard and influence policy and practice on the the wide range of issues that affect them? Thank you very much, cabinet secretary, for that reply. Does the cabinet secretary believe though that a pensioner's parliament, or indeed assembly, would be an excellent forum to discuss many issues of importance to older people, such as, for example, the retirement age and the level of state pension, perhaps even an independent Scotland? I can say to the member that the Scottish Older People's Assembly has discussed the retirement age of state pension and many other issues since its establishment. This year's assembly is due to be held on 31 October in this Parliament, and it is looking at a number of issues. I am sure that pensions will be one of them, in addition to, in particular, the Community Empowerment Scotland Bill. It is important to note that the Older People's Assembly has done a lot to reach out to older people across the whole of Scotland, and it is made up from older people's groups across the country. It also has representation from across various equality communities. It is a good organisation that represents older people and gives them a voice. I was very happy to meet him last month, on 24 April. We had a very constructive discussion across a number of issues. To ask the Scottish Government what further information it plans to publish on proposals for pensioners' rights in an independent Scotland before the referendum. The Scottish Government paper of pensions in an independent Scotland has already set out detailed proposals on pensions. Following a vote for independence, the best of the existing state pension system would be retained in introducing genuine improvements where necessary. Private pension saving would be supported. The legislative and regulatory framework would provide strong protection for individuals' private pension savings, and a public service pension system would be delivered that is affordable, sustainable and fair. The paper also showed how successive UK Governments had failed to protect the pension system and pensioners over recent decades. That has led to a crisis whereby 13.2 million people, according to the latest department for work and pension statistics, are under-saving for their retirement in the UK. This Government believes that an independent Scotland can do better than we will continue to make these arguments in the coming months. Margaret McAlloch The ICAS report that has our questions been answered concludes that, without changes to EU rules on the funding of defined benefit pension schemes, employers would need to make good any deficits held by new cross-border schemes. Given that we now know EU rules are not going to change, what evidence can the minister produce to demonstrate that the most basic rights of pensioners' right to their pension will be any safer with independence than with the pulling and sharing of resources across the United Kingdom? Margaret McAlloch As I said, Scotland's future sets out our proposals for an affordable, fair and efficient pension system in an independent Scotland. We considered in detail the impact of EU rules on defined benefit pension schemes that currently operate in Scotland and, of course, in the rest of the UK. If they continue to operate on independence on a cross-border basis, we clearly set out our view informed by practice in Ireland under the current regime that a scheme that should become cross-border on an independence should be allowed to implement its existing recovery plan in accordance with the period that was originally set for it, rather than having to achieve full funding over a much shorter timescale. That remains the case, regardless of the commission's decision to defer plans to encourage the growth of cross-border schemes by relaxing the funding regime. It is yet another issue, however, that we are keen to talk to the UK Government about in advance of the yes vote in September. It is just a pity that the UK Government is not willing to do so as well. Bob Dorris? Thank you, Presiding Officer. Presiding Officer, pensioners should absolutely know what their rights are. Therefore, does the cabinet secretary agree with you that Labour must now come clean, publish its cuts commission report and tell pensioners whether, under Labour, they will still have the right to free prescriptions, to concessions to travel or to free personal nursing care, because right now it looks if Labour will axe the lot? I agree with the member that we should know from Labour what is in store with their cuts commission. There are many important policies that protect pensioners and others who are vulnerable within our society, which are held dear and which this Parliament should be proud of having passed into law. I just hope that we see what the cuts commission has in store soon, so that people can consider that as they make their minds up about how to vote on 18 September. Many thanks. I should have reminded the chamber that short questions and answers will be appreciated. Question 3, Claudia Beamish. To ask the Scottish Government what the position is of the cabinet secretary with responsibility for equalities, on the implications, on equalities of the findings of the Education Scotland report, Making Sense, Education for Children and Young People with Dyslexia. Many thanks, cabinet secretary. The Scottish Government's equality outcomes report stated that we will identify areas for improvement where children and young people with protected characteristics are not gaining awards in school education and identify where children and young people with protected characteristics have high levels of success in gaining awards. A number of the findings of the report have implications for equality, for example the inequity and qualifications that are attained by young people with dyslexia compared to their peers. The report was carried out with the engagement of parents, children and young people with dyslexia. The Scottish Government will make a formal response to the report within four to six weeks, outlining the steps that will be taken to address its recommendations. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer and for highlighting the relationship with the protected characteristics, which is obviously of importance. Taking into account the geographical discrepancies highlighted in the new report on dyslexia, can the minister tell us if the Scottish Government will consider publishing guidelines so as to ensure more consistency across local authorities, where some do not even have a definition of dyslexia and would also encourage the support of the toolkit in schools? I am glad that the member mentioned the toolkit because I understand that that has been very well received to help teachers to address the needs of pupils with dyslexia. Of course it was the Minister for Learning Science and Scotland's Languages that launched that toolkit in September 2012. I think that the member makes a good point about guidance and about geography, and I am certainly happy to speak to the minister for learning science and Scotland's languages to suggest that he takes that forward. I am sure that he will be in touch with the member with more detail about that. Gil Paterson, to ask the Scottish Government how pensioners' rights would be protected in independent Scotland. Pensions in an independent Scotland set out that if elected as the first Government of an independent Scotland, this Government would retain the best of the existing pension system while introducing a range of key improvements to protect and enhance pensioners' interests. Those include for the state pension, uprating by the triple lock for at least a period of the first independent Parliament, providing protection for the value of pensions over time, introducing the single-tier pension in 2016 at a starting level of £160 per week. The UK parties have currently failed to say what the level will be under them, and retaining the savings credit element of pension credit there by benefiting around 9,000 pensioners on low incomes. It is worth adding that we already have a strong record in protecting older citizens through, for example, the provision of concessionary travel and freezing council tax for pensioners. With the full powers of independence, we will be able to develop the support still further. Gil Paterson, can I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer? I wonder if she agrees with me. Proposal put forward by the UK Government to raise the age of retirement are leading to real concerns that a number of people in Scotland will not live long enough to receive their pension due to their lower life expectancy. I wonder if she agrees with me further that it is only with independence that pensioners' systems suited to the interests and lives of the people of this country can be created. I thank the member for his question. We have set out an independent and expert commission to look at the appropriate age of the state pension. Age in Scotland is taking into account issues of fairness, equality and affordability. It is worth noting that the Scottish public believes very clearly that it ought to be this Parliament that makes the decisions for Scotland about the state pension. In the most recent Scottish social attitudes survey, 65 per cent said that this Scottish Parliament should make those decisions. Only 33 per cent said Westminster. I think that speaks volumes. Question 5, Liz Smith. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the number of tickets made available for Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games to people who live in Scotland. I, perhaps, with the Deputy Presiding Officer's very quick indulgement, just say that the tickets have gone back on sale this morning. I am pleased to say that the enthusiasm for the games remains as big as ever. The performance of the ticketing website and hotline has been steady and thousands of individuals and families have today secured tickets for what I believe will be the greatest games ever. In answer to the member's question, the Commonwealth Games Federation Coordination Commission's final inspection in March concluded that the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games are shaping up to be the best ever. I am delighted with the fantastic response from the public for tickets. Over 94 per cent of available tickets were sold in the initial phases. 57 per cent of those were bought in Scotland, ensuring that there will be a fantastic home support as Team Scotland goes for goal this summer. It is certainly good news that today went without any hitches. What stage will the Scottish Government be able to provide a full breakdown of ticket sales and how many have been purchased by people living in Scotland, by those in the rest of the UK and by those from abroad? At the moment, 57 per cent of those tickets sold so far were bought in Scotland. Obviously, as we get to the final tickets being sold, we will be able to look at whether that percentage has changed in any way. I think that the short answer to the member is that once all the tickets have been sold and we are in a position to reflect on the analysis of who bought tickets from where and I can make sure that Parliament is furnished with that information at the appropriate stage. To ask the Scottish Government what further research it plans to carry out on the relationship between the state pension and life expectancy. Pensions on an independent Scotland sets out that following a vote for independence, the Government would reserve judgment on the rapid increase in the state pension age to 67. The analysis that was published last week provided new evidence as to why our position makes sense. Scots, on average, received £10,000 for men and £11,000 for women less in state pension over a lifetime than the UK average. For men and for women in Glasgow, compared to the best life expectancies in the areas in the UK, the pension gap is 50,000 and 46,000 respectively. Increasing the state age pension to 67 so quickly, based on UK rather than Scottish levels of life expectancy, compounds that unfairness. As the pensions paper set out, detailed considerations of whether the state pension age should increase to 67 for Scotland would fall to an independent commission. It is this body that would be responsible for conducting further research on life expectancy and pensions, taking affordability and fairness into account and drafting its recommendations. The commission would report to an independent Scottish Parliament within its first two years, enabling Parliament to make a fully informed decision on what is fair and affordable for Scotland. Given what the minister said about the current gap, why does Shona Robison support the increase to 66 by 2020? We have looked at the affordability of the current position. Obviously, we have to make sure that our pension's position in an independent Scotland is affordable, and that is why we have accepted the increase of the state pension age to 66. However, we believe that there is an opportunity, given the lead-in time, to look very closely at whether the state pension age should rise to 67, because that will compound what is an already unfair position here in Scotland. We have to take very seriously the position, not least that of women, who will be particularly affected, and those living in our poorest communities whose life expectancy is lower or although life expectancy is improving in Scotland, it is improving less quickly than the rest of the UK. We are very cautious about compounding that position by raising the state pension age to 67, and that is why the expert commission will look at fairness and affordability in coming to its conclusions. I would hope that that is something that members across the chamber could support. To ask the Scottish Government what impact the opening of Pride House in Glasgow will have on LGBT people. The Scottish Government hopes that Pride House will have a significant impact on LGBT people, both in Scotland and beyond, by recognising and celebrating the advances made towards equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and the contribution that this diverse community makes to society. Pride House will promote the visibility, inclusion and participation of LGBT people, both in sport and in society more generally. As one of the recently announced patrons of Pride House—can I commend the cabinet secretary?—one of the other recently announced patrons for that answer. In my constituency, we have a great number of LGBT-oriented sports clubs, the Thebans, the wonderfully named Hot Scots and the Edinburgh Frontrunners. Broadly, homophobia in sport is still a major obstacle that has been identified. There are concerns that obviously it would be very easy to say job done now that equal marriage has been legislated for. I would ask the cabinet secretary what action does she see being taken to tackle homophobia in sport in the coming months and years, and what will the Scottish Government be doing more broadly in this area? I am pleased to be a patron. I think that Pride House will be a fantastic element of the games, providing a great atmosphere, but also some important messages about equality during games time. I refer the member to the recommendations from Out for Sport. We very much welcome the equality network report, which we are using as a basis to explore the effectiveness of our current approach in sport. I am aware of the work that has taken place in developing a Scottish LGBT sports charter and believe that that will positively contribute to increased inclusion, participation and involvement of LGBT people in sport. I know that Sport Scotland has been working closely with governing bodies and clubs to ensure that barriers are removed for everyone who wants to take part in sport, and hopefully that will be yet another legacy of the Commonwealth Games this summer. To ask the Scottish Government in light of recent comments by the cabinet secretary on responsibility for pensioners' rights, what the retirement age for pension eligibility would be if Scotland separates from the rest of the UK? As I have already stated, this Government reserves judgment on the rapid increase in state pension age to 67, as planned by the UK Government. That is why we will establish an independent commission to consider this matter and, in particular, what is affordable and fair for Scotland. We believe that Scotland should have the full powers to develop a system that is in line with Scottish needs and circumstances. As the recent analysis on life expectancy has shown, those circumstances are different from those in the UK as a whole and which current UK pension age plans are based. We are not alone in our belief that varying levels of life expectancy demand a rethink in those plans. For example, a TUC report published in August last year stated that increasing state pension age is unjust because of the persistence of inequalities in life expectancy between different groups. In the length of that response, and the one given earlier to Gil Paterson, can I ask the minister or the cabinet secretary if she will guarantee that there will be no increase in pension age beyond 66 if Scotland separates from the UK? If she cannot give that guarantee, will she then tell us, in fact, that it means that the pension age might well rise beyond the age of 66? It is a very curious question from the member, given that in Labour's 2010 election manifesto they proposed an increase to 67 in 2036. I am surprised that Hugh Henry is now towing the Tory line by accelerating that change to 2026. I have made it very clear in my original answer that what we will do is to set up an independent commission to look at what is affordable and fair for Scotland. That commission will then report to this Parliament where all members across all the chamber can make a decision on what is best and what is affordable and fair for Scotland. I cannot see any reasonable person to keep that. To ask the Scottish Government how many women with children under the age of five are seeking employment. The monthly unemployment figures do not break down to that level of detail, but we do know from a range of international evidence, including the OECD's 2011 report Doing Better for Families, that childcare is the key factor in helping women into work. We also know that the number of women in work has risen by 38,000 over the last year, a 1.7 per cent increase. That is real progress, Presiding Officer. With the massive expansion of childcare commencing this August, we hope that we will see even more progress as a result of this Government's commitment to getting more women the jobs that they need. The SNP's white paper childcare policies have been completely discredited by the spice analysis, showing that there would be tens of thousands of missing mums with young children for the policies to be self-funding. If the Cabinet Secretary disputes this, will the cabinet secretary confirm that economic modelling has been done specifically on the childcare policies? Will she confirm that the Government has refused to publish this under FOI? Will she, in the interests of an informed debate, publish that economic modelling? The real issue here is that Mr Bibi either does not understand or deliberately misunderstands the transformational nature of the childcare policies proposed by the Government. As even acknowledged by the spice paper, we are not just talking about those parents who currently have children under the age of five. We all know—again, published a fact agreed by Spice—that there are 55,000 births a year in Scotland, so our policies will not just impact on those who currently have very small children but will have a year-on-year impact. It is also very important to acknowledge that the gender gap in employment continues even as children go to school. Even with children between the ages of 12 to 18, there is an 8 per cent employment gap. That is something that we want to address. Women are lost to the labour market, and it is those women that we want to be given real opportunity and real choice. As the members are well aware, the Government is quite well within its right to commission all sorts of advice when we are pursuing and developing policies. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I welcome the fact that 38,000 women are in employment in the wearer a year ago. Despite what Neil Bibby says, would the cabinet secretary agree with me that childcare proposals outlined in Scotland's future will help many more women back into work? Yes, indeed. The labour market statistics are very encouraging for women. In terms of labour market statistics, women in Scotland are outperforming the statistics elsewhere in the UK. We have lower female unemployment, higher female employment and lower female inactivity. Of course, the Government acknowledges that there is much more to do. We have always got to really search beneath those headline statistics to get the real story, because while the headline employment indicators for women are improvement, there are many issues that are very real to women in the length and breadth of this country in terms of the type of work that they are obtaining, which is reflected in pay levels. The cabinet secretary is so committed to this very important issue. Will she publish the economic analysis that Mr Bibby has asked for and that your policy is predicated on? With respect, Presiding Officer, I answered Mr Bibby's question very straightly and very fairly and said that all Governments—this one and previous administrations—are well within their rights to gather information in the course of developing policies and future plans, and I believe that there is a freedom of information request submitted. That will be considered in the appropriate manner by the appropriate people. To ask the Scottish Government what role early intervention has in tackling the long-term unemployment of women? Scottish ministers believe that early intervention is key to preventing long-term unemployment. That is why we have detailed in Scotland's future our plan for employment services in an independent Scotland to be built on the principle of early intervention and to seek to prevent individuals from becoming long-term unemployed. An early assessment of need can provide support when required, rather than after nine or 10 months, as happens under the current system. I thank the minister for that response. Bearing in mind that we all know that there is a skills gap in science and engineering, and particularly for women, would she agree that the initiative that was taken yesterday by East Kilbride Group Training Association to have girls into engineering open day provides a way of having early intervention in terms of school girls choosing the subjects that will enable them to move into modern apprenticeships and further careers in engineering? Is that something that she would consider as an initiative moving forward for government? Yes, indeed. I am certainly open to hearing about a range of initiatives and proposals, particularly with a view to increasing the proportion of girls who will pursue either training or careers in STEM-related subjects. It is very good to hear of that specific initiative, having a very targeted open day towards encouraging young girls to pursue engineering careers. It reminds me of the point that we should never fail to make that addressing inequality in the labour market is not just the right thing to do, but it is the smart thing to do in terms of tapping all the talents of the entire population and to help business address issues such as the skills gap. It is very important to acknowledge that this week is Scottish apprenticeship week. Thank you. Since 2011, the number of males not in education, employment and training has fallen by 4,000, which is very welcome, but the number of females in the same category between the ages of 16 and 19 has risen by 1,000. Can the cabinet secretary explain why? The not in education, employment and training figures are always very interesting and it is important to recognise that, over the past year, we have seen an overall decrease in those figures of 4,000 or 5,000. I think that that is very important to acknowledge that. For the first time in quite a few years, the not in education and employment training figure is below 30,000. It is not unusual to see a fluctuation of around 1,000 in either gender, but what is interesting is that, for the first time, we have actually seen a leveling between the sexes in terms of that particular statistic. The norm is usually that boys outnumber women. We have to go and have a proper look at that. We may, of course, be having some success with boys between those ages, but we most certainly would not want that to be at the expense of girls creeping up an exclusion. Thank you. Reminding the chamber again, the brief questions and answers would be welcome. Question 3, Czech Brody. To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has set the target of 40 per cent of women on the board of companies in the event of independence. Women's representation in all areas of Scottish life is a priority for this Government and, as a Government, we are leading by example with 40 per cent of cabinet now women. Currently, a consultation on 40 per cent minimum targets for gender quotas on public boards is under way. The Government also believes increased diversity is good for business and will give due consideration to the position on company boards working with businesses once we have control of all the required powers post-independence. I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer. Will she agree that the target of 40 per cent should not be adopted or accepted as a norm? Will she accept that by providing appropriate support facilities to women and by creating a level playing field for women and, indeed, minorities, that all appointments to boards should be based then only on ability and merit? I do not see increasing the proportion of women on boards and appointing on merit as mutually exclusive. Our position of this Government is that at least 40 per cent of representation should be by women. We think that that is very important. There are very good business reasons as to why we want to see more women on boards. We are of course very concerned that at UK level we may not meet the 2015 targets of 25 per cent of women on boards. Progress seems to have stalled. However, there is very important research that boards with women outperform boards that do not have gender balance. Again, it shows that addressing issues of inequality and promoting equality is not just the right thing to do, but it is a good thing to do for business. I ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the role of massive open online courses in improving the employment prospects of women and young people. The Scottish Government recognises the contribution that massive open online courses or MOOCs can make to the development of knowledge and skills and to improving the employability of a wide range of people. MOOCs may be of particular benefit to women and young people, for example, where working patterns, caring responsibilities or financial constraints make travel to a college or university campus a barrier to learning. I agree that the ability to access free or nearly free educational content at a time of the individual's choosing can be a real benefit, but there is a clear evidence growing that MOOCs have the greatest benefit in terms of throughput to formal education or greater employment prospects when there is actual course credit available and where there is some degree of real world connection between students. That could be provided at a community level that does not have to come through educational institutions. I wonder whether the Government could look further at that and talk to the various agencies that could provide that support to women, young people and others who could gain greater benefit from the ability to access online education. I agree with Mr Harvey's comments. MOOCs are important in terms of the overall journey. It is important that, where opportunities can be to a credit learning, that is important, and they do not necessarily replace more formalised learning, but they can also enhance it. Mr Harvey might be interested to note that the Scottish funding council will be investing £1.3 million over three years to look at best practice in this area and, in particular, to develop better peer support awareness raisin. I am sure that we could feed in his comments a bit of accreditation to that. To ask the Scottish Government what importance it places on modern apprenticeships in engineering. Engineering is an important sector for Scotland with the potential to make a significant contribution to economic growth, with the latest Office of National Statistics survey showing that over 56,000 people are working directly in Scotland's engineering and allied industry sector. As such, it is critical that we develop the necessary skills for our future engineering workforce. One way that we can achieve that is through the modern apprenticeship programme, and between April and December 2013, there have been 1,665 MA starts with 5,522 MAs currently in training on engineering-related frameworks. The Angus training group in my constituency has just confirmed that it will have a full complement of 75 engineering apprentices for the year, commencing August 2014. Indeed, space at the Arboroth premises allowed it to take on another 15 young people. Would the Cabinet Secretary agree that that demonstrates not only that youngsters are keen to get into this field, but that 54 of those trainees are involved with oil and gas companies that doom and gloom spread by better together about the future of Scotland's offshore energy industry could not be wider of the mark? Yes, of course, there are jobs in oil and gas, and that is a very important message for young people. By that, I mean young women and young men, the length and breadth of Scotland, and not just in the Angus area. Of course, there are 24 billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas in our sea. I am particularly glad to hear of the success of the Angus training council, given that it is Scottish apprenticeship week. I hope that it can resolve the accommodation issues and get up to 90 apprenticeship starts. That would be particularly welcome. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the level of gender segregation in certain industries. The Scottish Government is working to address gender segregation through its strategic approach and allocation of funding to equate Scotland, close the gap and career-wise of £1.5 million for 2012-15. The occupational segregation cross-director working group is driving this work forward, reporting to the strategic group on women and work, which I chair. Reducing gender segregation requires a life-stage approach, which breaks down barriers throughout education and training. For example, the group recently discussed work being undertaken to improve the gender balance on modern apprenticeships and other programmes that feed into the most segregated industries. I ask her if she shares my concern with some of the figures that have been received from a freedom of information request by my colleague Jackie Baillie. That shows that of 1,209 hairdressing students in training places in 2013, only 7 per cent of those were men, despite some of the most famous hairdressers in the world being men. Is she also alarmed as I am that the engineering industry training programme is dominated by one gender with only 3 per cent of 3,671 training places taken up by females and, furthermore, in plumbing, which is one of the worst industries for female participation with a rate in 2013 of less than 2 per cent? Yes, I share Mr Simpson's concerns. I will give one small caveat. It is also very important that, as well as encouraging more women into STEM, we are also careful to ensure that we continue to value the work that women are traditionally attracted to. I am certainly and this Government is on record wanting to do more to get women into STEM, but also to get more men into childcare. I think that that is very important in terms of developing our children and their needs. There is no easier, quick answer to that. Occupational segregation is something that is reflected in the wider labour market. Nonetheless, we do wish to challenge it and we do wish to change it. That needs to start from the work that we do with children in the early years and in our schools, all the way throughout our education and training system, and, crucially, also with the work that we do with employers. The forthcoming would commission the final report in a few weeks. I anticipate that we will have some important recommendations. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will develop appropriate outcome-based measures to assess the long-term benefits of modern apprenticeships, as recommended by Audit Scotland. Yes. A key achievement of our modern apprenticeship programme in Scotland is that 100 per cent of apprentices are and always have been employed. While undertaking an apprenticeship, the individual will obtain training and qualifications, which will not only support them in their current role, but will also benefit for them in their future career. As we know, research from Skills Development Scotland shows that those who complete an apprenticeship, 92 per cent are in work six months later and 79 per cent are in full-time employment. However, we appreciate that we can improve how we monitor the long-term outcomes of the programme. We will consider how best to do that as we implement the recommendations from the recent Audit Scotland report, along with the forthcoming would commission report, and through Skills Development Scotland's on-going evaluation activity. I thank the cabinet secretary for her response on this, as she said earlier, at Scottish Apprenticeship week. I know that she has welcomed the Audit Scotland report. According to that report, the last time the Scottish Government published an explicit statement of its overall aim for modern apprenticeships was back in 2007. Since then, obviously, the economy has been through recession and rebalance structurally. In order to reflect this, and to better understand the long-term benefits of modern apprenticeships as she was discussing there, does the cabinet secretary believe that the time is right to go beyond the annual ministerial guidance letter to Skills Development Scotland and develop a revised strategy that puts the qualitative before the quantitative? I think that the objectives of the 2007 skills strategy still stand in relation to the apprenticeship programme because it is about developing skills and work, particularly for young people. However, it is important to recognise that we are about continuous improvement in this Government, and the Audit Scotland report acknowledged the tremendous successes of the apprenticeship programme during a difficult time. However, it is important, as we have learnt from other European countries, who have developed long-term research and outcomes-based in terms of getting a better grasp of the improved career opportunities for young people who do apprenticeships and the improved impact on businesses, as well as the impact on individual earnings for young people. There is certainly a lot that we can learn from our nearest friends and neighbours in Europe in terms of getting a more holistic understanding of the long-term impacts of our very successful Scottish apprenticeship programme. My final point is that recent statistics show that people with a modern apprenticeship qualification have an employment rate of 91.4 per cent.