 That concludes general questions. The next item of business is First Minister's Questions. I intend taking both constituency and general supplementaries after question 2. Members wishing to ask such questions should press their request to speak buttons during question 2 and members should press on specific questions if they wish to ask a supplementary on questions 3 to 7. I call Douglas Ross. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer, and could I start by wishing everyone across Scotland a very happy Diwali? Scotland has the highest drug death rate in Europe. Every solution should be considered to tackle this crisis, and they should be considered urgently. Why did it take 10 overdoses this weekend in a single prison for the Government to accept Scottish Conservative proposals to cut down on the supply of drugs in our prisons? First Minister, let me also take the opportunity to wish those celebrating across the country a very happy and peaceful Diwali. I have been very open about this. We have a significant challenge when it comes to drugs deaths and we are determined to make sure that we are open to ideas, to suggestions and that we are genuinely doing everything reasonable we can to turn that around. Within that overall challenge, there is a particular challenge in our prisons and I think that all of us understand the different factors that are at play there. I would hope that, across the chamber, we could come together to welcome the ways in which we are seeking to change past practice, to recognise where perhaps we should have done things differently in the past and do them differently in the future. I hope that there is an appetite to build consensus on this and, to that end, as I have said to the leader of the Conservative party before, I am open to suggestions including, of course, as I have said many times in the chamber before, considering the wider proposals that have been put forward in the proposal for draft legislation that the Conservatives have brought. I continue to be open minded and we will continue to seek to do the right things backed by investment to turn this situation around. Douglas Ross said that she has been very open about the issue and she has. She has accepted that she took her eye off the ball with Scotland's drug deaths but the eye is still off the ball because for months we have highlighted the issue of drugs reaching prisoners through mail and we offered a solution. Russell Finlay raised the issue with the Government five times over two months. When it was raised in this chamber with the Drugs Minister, Angela Constance, she said, and this is a direct quote and I am reminded that the First Minister just said that we need to work together and be consensual. Her own Drugs Minister said to Russell Finlay when he raised this issue, Mr Finlay is a big boy now. He doesn't need his mommy to hold his hand. I am sure that he will be able to address any outstanding matters that he has with the cabinet secretary. That is about drug overdoses and people dying. Was that response really worthy of a Government minister? I think that people across the chamber would accept. I hope that they would accept. I am absolutely sure that they will not agree with everything that Angela Constance says or I say on this issue but I do hope that people would agree that Angela Constance in particular has not just been open to different approaches but has taken forward already in her tenure as Drugs Minister many different approaches to try to tackle this challenge. That is a specific one about the situation in prisons and in particular the issue of photocopying of prisoner mail. It is the case that the prison service has taken time to consider and rightly taken time to consider the range of very serious operational and legal considerations. That includes taking into account prisoners' rights, which are often determined through court judgments around the handling of their correspondence. That is a fundamental consideration. They have taken that time and the justice secretary, as he outlined to Parliament on Tuesday, after detailed operational consideration, the prison service now will be implementing this change. I recognise that, particularly on issues as important as this, everybody wants to see Government operate and move with speed. I share that view but when we are dealing with serious issues like this, it is important that we take the time to consider all of the implications, particularly when those implications are of legal considerations. That is what has happened here. I hope now that people across the chamber who have been calling for this would welcome the progress that we are able to make. It is not just Angela Constance. Another Government minister, Lorna Slater, said recently that drugs are not inherently dangerous. This week, the justice secretary Keith Brown dismissed another serious concern that we have raised. Here is the standard operating procedure that prison officers have to work to. It says that prisoners have the option to have items contaminated with drugs, safely stored and returned to them on their release. Prison officers are telling us that they are having to hand drugs back to the prisoners as they leave. Her cabinet secretary refused to give a serious response to this issue. Will the First Minister commit to ending this practice immediately? In the spirit of openness, I will certainly look at that. It is the case that prisoners have rights. Often, those rights are upheld in courts of law and we have to consider those things carefully in making sure that we address those things properly. There is a deeper issue here that I would ask again in that spirit of openness and sincerity in trying to find the solutions to this, Douglas Ross, to consider. I accept his sincerity on this issue without doubt or equivocation, but it is too easy for all of us across the chamber to oversimplify some of these issues. I am quoting ministers forgetting to understand the nuances around that. The factors behind the drugs crisis are complex. I think that we all understand that. Let us not oversimplify, let us not take quotes out of context, let us focus on the substance of solutions. As I believe, Douglas Ross has been doing on this issue and trying to find maximum consensus. The particular issue that he has raised there, I will go away and look at that in detail. If we consider that there is a change that is necessary and appropriate and possible to make there, I undertake that we will give that due and serious consideration. I am not taking quotes out of context. I have issued and reminded the First Minister of the response that we have had from three of her Government members. This Government has to finally start treating this crisis with the urgency that it deserves. The Prison Officers Association has told us that they have been overwhelmed with unprecedented levels of drug abuse in our prisons. Her Government is making it harder for them to do their job. They gave prisoners £2.7 million worth of unhackable phones that were then hacked and used to deal drugs. Scottish Prison Service documents show that there have been more than 2,200 incidents of prisoners misusing those devices. Given the obvious abuse of those phones for criminal activity, will she now commit to removing the phones that have been hacked from Scotland's prisons? We are treating this issue seriously and with urgency. Sometimes there are complex situations and issues that have to be properly considered and thought through. That is what we will do, because frankly we do not progress anything if we fail to do that. On the issue of mobile phones, it is important to remember the context for this. The provision of mobile phones in the absence during particularly the early stages of the pandemic of in-person contact with loved ones over a sustained period of time has been vital in addressing the negative impact of Covid in our prisons, not just for prisoners but also for staff and families, children in particular, impacted by the imprisonment of parents. The vast majority of the over 10,000 phones issued were used entirely as intended. The breaches of the rules are taken very seriously by the prison service. The robust monitoring, which detected a small minority around 7 per cent of handsets, has been tampered with. That is not acceptable, but it is the robust monitoring that detected that and allowed steps to be taken to prevent that in future. Those are serious issues and they are often complex issues, and I hope that all of us will treat them in that way as we face up to and address the issue of drugs deaths in society generally but in our prisons in particular. 2. Anna Sarwar I join others in wishing all those celebrating Diwali a very happy Diwali coming through these really dark times. It is quite poignant that families will be celebrating the festival of light. This week, we have seen emergency doctors tell us that there have been 231 excess deaths due to delays at A&E. That is 231 people who could have survived if our hospitals were properly resourced. The Royal College of Nursing tells us that their members are overworked. We have even heard stories of nurses going home crying and many leaving the profession early. That is because our NHS is 3,500 nurses short. On top of that, our A&E waiting times are the worst they have ever been. The First Minister's response is not to fix the problem but to tell people that they are the problem and not to go to A&E. This Government has been repeatedly warned, been in denial and lives are being lost. When will the First Minister take personal responsibility and act? I take personal responsibility for everything that this Government is responsible for every single day. There were three related issues raised in Anna Sarwar's question and I want to address them in turn. Firstly, our NHS is working under extreme pressure right now. Everybody and I certainly recognise that and I want again to pay tribute to and express my gratitude to nurses, doctors, everybody working in our national health service. Nursing and midwifery staffing in Scotland is currently at a record high. Since this Government has been in office, there has been an 11.7 per cent increase in qualified nurses and midwives. The number of qualified nursing and midwifery staff working in our NHS has increased now for nine consecutive years. We have a higher per head staffing ratio than other parts of the UK. In Scotland, 8.4 qualified nurses and midwives per 1,000 population compared to just 5.9 in England. That is the record of this Government. Of course, we need to do more because of that pressure, which is why we are investing in greater recruitment and supporting health boards across the country to recruit more nurses and other professionals into our national health service. In terms of the issues around the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, research was published by the Royal College this week, which we will be engaging with them to better understand. The analysis appears to use research findings from England four years ago to make extrapolations from Scottish-only data now. We want to understand that in more detail. That said, everybody recognises the relationships between long waits in the A&E that are not clinically justified and increased risk of harm to patients. Nobody can or should deny that, which is why we are investing in trying to cut A&E waiting times and improve the flow through our hospitals. That brings me to the issue of the new guidance that has been issued for A&E. This is where Anna Sarwar cannot quote the Royal College of Emergency Medicine when it suits him and ignore the views of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine when it does not suit him. We are not turning anyone away from accident and emergency. This is about ensuring that people get the right care in the right place. The vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has said that they support this guidance in order to ensure that all patients receive the right care at the right time in the right place. It will, on occasion, be appropriate to signpost some people who have presented to an emergency department but do not require, after an appropriate assessment, to be seen there to another part of the healthcare system. That is appropriate. That is a change in guidance that I think was made in England some time ago. It is about making sure that patients get the best care in the right place and I think that somebody, everybody should support. Before I call Anna Sarwar back in, I would be grateful for more succinct questions and responses. I appreciate those complex issues. I will come back to the quotes in a moment. We have heard the same excuses week after week. The situation is getting worse across our NHS. Why does Nicola Sturgeon think that she knows better than the professionals on the front line? I will quote Colin Pullman from the Royal College of Nursing. You have heard the quote today from the First Minister. Colin Pullman's words. Despite the Scottish Government's talk about record levels of staffing, those figures show that the shortfall on registered nurses needed to run NHS services has never been higher. They say that there is a shortfall of almost 3,500 nurses. She talks about selectively quoting the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. I will quote the words of Dr John Thompson directly. What we are seeing, ambulance hand-over delays, dangerous clouding, long stays, put patient safety at risk and can lead to harm or avoidable deaths. Nicola Sturgeon wants to pretend that this is a recent problem, but this is a crisis years in the making. Why does Nicola Sturgeon think that she is right but the professionals on the front line delivering our call to healthcare and the people we applauded our heroes are wrong? I do not. If Anna Sarwar had listened to what I said, he would have heard me say that we were listening to the front line professionals. The numbers that I have quoted on nurse numbers are facts. They are the facts, an 11 per cent increase in nurses in midwights since we took office. I went on to say that that is not enough, because the pressure on our health service has increased. We are listening to those on the front line and we are supporting health boards with additional investment to recruit more staff into our health service to help deal with that pressure. Similarly, Anna Sarwar stood up and said that we were somehow not listening to those on the front line by, in his words, turning people away from accident and emergency. That is not the case. We are recognising the pressure on accident and emergency, recognising the need to ensure that people get the right care in the right place and trying to find the solutions. The part of the solution that is encapsulated in the new guidance is supported by those on the front line, by the very person that Anna Sarwar has quoted, John Thompson, the VP of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, who says that this is the right thing to do to ensure that patients get the right care at the right time in the right place. We recognise the challenge, and we absolutely recognise the challenge, but we are listening to those on the front line in coming up with the best and the right solutions. Nicola Sturgeon's rhetoric cannot hide from the reality. The SNP has been in government for 14 years. Nicola Sturgeon was health secretary for four years. She has been First Minister for seven years. There must come a point when it cannot be somebody else's fault. Let's look at Nicola Sturgeon's record. Nicola Sturgeon cut nurse training places as health secretary. We now have 3,500 nurse shortages in our NHS. Nicola Sturgeon cut hospital beds by almost 1,500 in the last decade. We are now chronically short of NHS beds. Nicola Sturgeon has been warned for months about the challenges facing A&E, and we now have people dying because of record A&E waiting times. Earlier this week, the First Minister described Scotland as a nation in waiting. She is right, waiting on record-long NHS treatment lists, waiting for an ambulance, waiting at A&E and waiting for her to take responsibility. When will Nicola Sturgeon get a grip of the NHS crisis? I take responsibility every day. I have only held the positions I have held for as long as I have. In several occasions, I have put the record of me and the ministerial post that I have held and the record of the Government before the people of Scotland, and I have been re-elected with the trust of the people of Scotland to face up to those challenges. Under the years, we have spent in government the 11 per cent increase in the nurses and midwives working in our national health service. We have increased the training of nurses overall intake for pre-registration, nursing and midwifery, increased by 5.8 per cent this year. That is what we are doing. We are recognising the acute challenges in our national health service, shared by health services across the world, largely because of the Covid pandemic. We are bringing forward the solutions to support those working on the front line and to support patients across the country. That is what the people of Scotland have entrusted us to continue to do. I am sure that the First Minister will share my disappointment and deep concern at the announcement by Rochelle healthcare that their guardian facility in Garvin and my constituency will close in 2022 with the loss of 75 jobs over the next four months. As a long-established business and employer that provides the NHS with surgical drapes, gowns and tray wraps, as well as PPE during the pandemic, I would be grateful to the First Minister for her advice on what the Scottish Government can do to support the very skilled workforce and our very fragile rural economy, which will be hugely impacted by this closure decision. I thank Elena Wittam for raising what is a very important constituency issue for her. I was certainly concerned to learn that guardian surgical had announced the closure of its factory in Garvin and Warehouse in-ear. I know that this will be a difficult time for the company's staff, their families and the local areas affected, especially at this time of uncertainty caused by the pandemic. I can advise Parliament that the business minister has spoken with the company to explore available options for the sites and its workers. Scottish Enterprise will continue to engage with the company to discuss alternatives to closure. Obviously, the individuals affected are our immediate priority and we have already provided information on support available for affected employees through the PACE initiative. I will ask the business minister to keep Elena Wittam updated and indeed to keep the chamber more widely updated on this matter. Earlier this week, I was contacted by a constituent whose adopted daughter was referred to CAMHS in early 2017. Since then, she has been passed from case worker to case worker each time with her parents feeling that they were starting from scratch. After five years of this, without receiving a confirmed diagnosis, they were told that their daughter will likely require medical intervention and so must be seen by a child psychologist. The waiting time for which is apparently at least three years, for which time this young girl will have spent almost eight years in the CAMHS system without a proper diagnosis or access to appropriate treatment. Does the First Minister believe that it is acceptable for any child to be referred to CAMHS in primary one and potentially not receive treatment until they are in S2? And what can she do to assist this family and any other who have been forced to wait such an obscenely long time for help? No, I do not think that that is remotely acceptable. Obviously, I am not able to comment on the individual case, although, if Brian Whittle wants to write to me or to the health secretary, we will look into that and leave with the health board in relation to the particular case. I absolutely understand the distress and the added anxiety that will have been caused by that length of time waiting for appropriate intervention. More generally, of course, we are investing heavily in CAMHS and also to redesign how mental health support is provided to children and adolescents, investing more in early intervention support, so counsellors and schools. For example, the wellbeing service that is being rolled out in order to make sure that young people get help earlier, but also to ensure then that specialist services are there for those who most need specialist services. That is an area of significant priority so that we can get to the position where every young person who needs the support of mental health services gets the right support and gets that to me, but I would be very happy to look into the individual case. Paul O'Kane In response to Annas Sarwar, the First Minister engaged on the RCN report that was published today, showing that this year we have seen the highest ever shortfall in nursing with over 3,400 nursing vacancies. With vague promises of only 1,000 health and care workers in the NHS winter plan, this scale begins to address the challenge. Nurses are saying that the shortfalls add to significant pressure and that is why they are currently considering industrial action. Can the First Minister tell me when she will engage with the RCN's demands to pay her nurses fairly and when will she tell her cabinet secretary to fix his inadequate recovery plan? The First Minister, the Government engages with the RCN and other unions and professional bodies regularly. The Health Secretary has told me that he met with the RCN as part of a staff side engagement just yesterday, so that engagement is on-going. I absolutely recognise the significant pressures that nurses and others in our health service are working under. There are significant recruitment challenges, not just across our NHS and social care but across our whole economy, exacerbated by other developments around Brexit, but we are focused on supporting health boards to recruit more people, not just nurses but other professionals into our health service and will continue to engage with unions and others as we do so. The First Minister will be aware of the outbreak of bird flu in Angus and the cull of a flock of birds that is taking place as we speak. Can she provide an update on the issue and let us know what guidance is being issued to local communities? That is an important issue and one that I know will be causing concern. A small premises near our broth has tested positive for avian influenza. Public health advice remains that the risk to human health is very low. Food standards bodies advise that avian influenza has posed a very low food safety risk for consumers and does not affect the consumption of poultry products, including eggs, in order to limit any further spread of disease among birds. Appropriate restrictions have been imposed on the affected premises. Public health staff are liaison with others to help protection Scotland to ensure that the correct protocols are followed. There were some surviving birds on the premises and those were euthanised on welfare grounds with on-going support being provided to the owner. The Rural Affairs Secretary will be happy to engage with any member who wishes further information on the steps that are being taken. Jackie Dunbar To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is working to ensure that, during COP26, it provides a platform for unheard voices, including citizens, young people and those from the global south. First Minister, the Scottish Government has been working... First Minister, can I just interrupt there? I think that there's been a misunderstanding. I'm taking supplementary questions at the moment, Ms Dunbar, and that was your question, that we will reach in due course. Can I call Jamie Greene, please? I've been contacted this week by many worried constituents. One is Ron Cooper from Ardrossan. He works in Care Home. He had his second Covid vaccine in March, but he's been waiting over a month for his booster due to problems both online and with the telephone system. Another 89-year-old lady who should be on the homebound booster vaccination list has been struggling to get an appointment. We believe that there may be hundreds of similar people in North Ayrshire in the same boat. Many of those are elderly, vulnerable and rightly concerned people looking ahead into winter, needing much-needed jobs. In light of those examples, can I ask the First Minister what reassurance you can offer the wider public that this year's winter flu and Covid booster programme has been adequately planned and has been executed successfully? Obviously, those are important issues. I would say to any member if they are hearing reports in their constituencies or regions about people finding it difficult to access either the Covid booster, Jags or the flu vaccination terraises with the health secretary so that any issues can be looked into. Generally, both of those vaccination programmes are being delivered on an integrated basis and are going extremely well. More than 850,000 people aged over 12 have received a third dose or booster vaccination. Last week, in terms of combined flu and Covid doses, more than 500,000 doses were delivered. I think that we are ahead of some other parts of the UK in terms of delivery of this. Overall, the programme is going extremely well, thanks to the dedication of those working on it across the country. However, as I have said openly before, there will be instances where individuals experience difficulties and it is important that they are raised so that they can be addressed as quickly as possible. Question 3, Christine Grahame. To ask the First Minister what public advice the Scottish Government has issued regarding the discharge of fireworks given that new regulations came into force on 30 June 2021. First Minister. We have taken several steps to highlight the nuisances and risks associated with fireworks and the new limitations on when they can be used. Out with organised displays, that is only between 6pm and midnight on Bonfire Night itself and between 6pm and 11pm on most other nights of the year. We funded three targeted publicity campaigns, as well as promoting key messages on social media. We have also funded extra engagement by trading standards officers with retailers and others are also playing a very important role. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, obviously. Please Scotland, community safety partnerships and a range of charities from crime stoppers to the SSPCA are putting huge effort into advisory activity to minimise distress and harm for people and for animals across Scotland. Christine Grahame. I thank the First Minister for her reply and declare an interest as convener of the cross-party group on animal welfare and indeed as the owner of Mr Smokey, a rescue cat. Those regulations on the limitation of sale in the discharge of fireworks are much welcomed by animal welfare organisations pet owners and need many less experienced pet owners because of Covid. Previously, as we were aware, with the increasing days of fireworks, it was impossible to keep animals safely indoors, but it also affects livestock because all animals have more acute senses than us causing suffering, stress and anxiety. Too many come to harm and even death, so this is welcomed by the farming community too. Therefore, will the First Minister advise how the impact of those regulations will be monitored and what the maximum penalties are for breaching those regulations? First, I very much agree with Christine Grahame that the harm that misuse of fireworks can do to animals in livestock is well known and a very serious issue, but misuse of fireworks also does real harm and causes real distress and anxiety to humans in communities across the country. Part of my constituency has, in many recent years, been affected by this and I have seen the distress caused directly. I hope that those changes will help to alleviate the situation in terms of how we will assess the impact. Of the new restrictions, we are working with trading standards officers to assess the position. We will also be engaging with Police Scotland and other partners in relation to the restrictions and monitoring the impact of them. In terms of animal welfare, we will also take input from organisations such as the SSPCA and the British Veterinary Association, which played a very constructive role as members of the firework review group. In terms of penalties for breaching the new regulations, they are potentially imprisonment for up to six months and or a fine of up to £5,000 for serious misuse. Other offences with higher penalties might also be relevant. Every year in the run-up to bonfire night, the fire brigade responds to hundreds of calls due to uncontrolled bonfires, as well as the misuse of fireworks, which terrorises communities at this time of the year and we thank the fire rescue service for protecting our communities. As part of my case work in Glasgow, I have been sent videos of fireworks being launched horizontally down streets causing damage to property and even trapping residents in their home until either the police arrive or the people respond spoke move on. First Minister, I wholeheartedly welcome the new regulations and the work that the minister has done on this, but if this year we see the same patterns in our communities being terrorised by the misuse of fireworks, may I ask how tough is the First Minister prepared to be to protect our communities from the misuse of fireworks? I have developed, largely because of the experience in my constituency, a bit of a zero tolerance to this over the years. I have seen instances like those that Pauling McNeill has outlined in particularly the Pollock Shields area of my constituency. I have worked on a local basis with the fire and rescue service, with the police and others to try to alleviate some of that impact. I think that the new restrictions that are in place will make a difference. If they do not make a sufficient difference, we will be willing to look at going further and being tougher. I say this simply as a statement of fact. There is a devolved reserved split of responsibilities, which means that the Scottish Government cannot necessarily go as far as we might like to go. My constituency MP colleague Alison Thewlis has raised this in the House of Commons to try to get more collaboration between the Scottish and the UK Government in tackling this. We will be willing to look at this if this year's changes do not have the desired impact. People want to, of course, responsibly enjoy bonfire nights, which is tomorrow, but to say to people across the country to do so responsibly and remember the impact that the misuse of fireworks can have. At best, that is inconvenience, anxiety and distress. At worst, that can be serious injury and even death, and therefore responsibility is absolutely paramount on the part of everyone. Siobhan Brown A few weeks ago, there was a tragic explosion in my constituency in Concassan in Aire, where a family of four still remain in hospital. Within days, some members of the public let off fireworks, which have caused a lot of fear and concern to this community. Can I ask what discussions the Scottish Government has had with Police Scotland in relation to enforcing new firework regulation? As I have already outlined, the Scottish Government has had extensive engagement consultation with the police and other partners and stakeholders over a long period of time now in coming to the new and tighter restrictions that are in place. We will also continue that in terms of the enforcement and assessment of those restrictions. I certainly appreciate the particular local issue that has been raised. I think that any of us seeing the pictures of the explosion in the member's constituency that evening, just seeing the pictures on social media, understand the shock and therefore there will be particular sensitivity in that area around fireworks this bonfire night. I will ask the relevant minister to particularly engage with the police locally and nationally on that particular issue and engage with the member as well. Jackie Baillie. To ask the First Minister what immediate steps the Scottish Government is taking to address the reported continuing inequalities in cancer. Yes, I am still taking supplementary questions at the moment, but we will get to you in due course. I will therefore move on to question number four, Stephen Kerr. To ask the First Minister whether Scotland is on track to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2045. Yes, I think that we are, but I do not think that it will be easy and I do not think that we can take success for granted. We will have to work hard to achieve it. The scale of the challenge to bridge the global emissions gap is immense. In Scotland right now, we are over halfway to net zero and we have decarbonised faster than any G20 country, but we have much more to do. Through our updated climate change plan and associated commitments, we have set out a comprehensive credible package of policies for reducing emissions over the next decade, putting us on track. I believe that for a just transition to net zero by 2045 and our priority obviously is to deliver on those policies. Of course, the recent UK Government decision not to support the Scottish carbon capture and storage cluster does not make that easier and is a serious mistake. I am therefore today writing to the Prime Minister calling upon him to reverse this decision and accelerate the Scottish cluster to full track one status without delay. The First Minister's climate change strategy stated that local authorities were on the front line of Scotland's response to the climate emergency, but an extensive piece of published research by my own office reveals that the Scottish Government has given little or no support to councils in preparing their plans, agreed no targets and has not even bothered to read them. Why does the First Minister have any confidence that local authority plans will deliver cuts to emissions when she and her Government have shown so little interest in them? I do not think that that is true. Obviously, I would be fascinated to read the research prepared by Saving Care's office. I mean that genuinely, I am sure that he will send me a copy and I will give a commitment today to read it in full and then come back to him with any comments that I feel are appropriate. Local government does have a big part to put in place, so I am sure that he will send me a copy and I will give a commitment today to read it in full and then come back to him with any comments that I feel are appropriate. Local government does have a big part to play in this and I have confidence in the priority that local councils across the country are giving to this. I have had discussions with local council members in the context of COP this week and more generally. I have also had the privilege of meeting local government representatives from other parts of the UK, the mayor of London yesterday, the mayor of Parish yesterday and all local government are grappling with these challenges. There is a real intent on sharing good practice and sharing best practice but our responsibility is to make sure that we meet our targets. We are halfway there but the next half of the journey will be more difficult. That is why we cannot afford to be undermined on any of the key strands of our work. I would say to Stephen Kerr, in return for my commitment to read the research prepared by his office, I wonder if he would join me today in writing to the Prime Minister, asking for the short-sighted decision on the ACORN project and the Scottish cluster to be overturned so that we can get back on track with carbon capture and not allow his Tory colleagues to take the feat from us on that. Perhaps that is something that he will give consideration to. The meeting our net zero target with 2045 requires us to hit the interim target in 2030. It was designed to be ambitious but achievable but it depends on government action. Given the chief executive of the climate change committee believes that the target now looks quote overcooked and the Scottish Government has already missed the last three emissions target, what does the First Minister plan to do differently to get us back on track? First Minister, I think that it is right that we are ambitious and I would rather this Parliament, because remember the 75% reduction target of 2030 was a decision of Parliament and I would rather this Parliament was being said to be over ambitious rather than under ambitious because actually that is the charge that can be levelled at too many Governments that run the negotiating table at COP. The committee in climate change, I think, if memory serves me correctly, expressed its reservations about the 75% target when Parliament was considering this and Parliament took a decision to be that ambitious and I think Parliament was right to do so. It is now incumbent on the Government to lead by example and all of us to make sure that we do everything necessary to meet that target. On the missed targets, again to be open, we've got stretching targets and we've fallen short in the last three years of quite meeting those. We should have cut emissions by 55% if we'd hit our targets. We haven't done that but we have cut emissions by 51.5%. That is the halfway to net zero and we have decarbonised faster than any G20 country. I think that Scotland is leading by example but we must do more. What are we doing differently? We've set out the details of that in our climate change update plan, the catch up plan that was published last week. The most recent target, of course, was 2019 so much of what we are doing to catch up in that which we're legally bound to do has already been set out in this Parliament. The plans are ambitious, the targets are ambitious but frankly all of us are responsible to step up and make sure that we are meeting this challenge head on. To ask the First Minister what immediate steps the Scottish Government is taking to address the reported continuing inequalities in cancer mortality rates across Scotland. First Minister. We continue to focus on ensuring equitable access to cancer services throughout the pandemic. For example, we've seen mutual aid across health boards so that every patient is seen according to their priority. We continue to provide support through the screening inequalities fund to increase screening rates across all groups in our society and we've also recently completed a second funding round of our more than £100 million national cancer plan where the impact on equalities was a key criteria in the funding awarded. Finally, to reduce mortality from cancer we know that the most effective means is by early detection which is why we continue to invest in our detect cancer early programme. Jackie Baillie. I thank the First Minister for that response. Public Health Scotland published cancer figures for 2019 which showed that 28 per cent of people living in deprived areas are more likely to get cancer and a staggering 66 per cent are more likely to die from cancer and that's before the pandemic. There is a substantial backlog in screening, early detection rates are falling, health boards are cancelling operations due to the pressure and more people are likely to die because they are simply being diagnosed too late. Will the First Minister ensure that at the very least cancer surgery and treatment is not cancelled or delayed this winter? Will she take urgent action to improve cancer outcomes for everyone including those who are the most disadvantaged in our society? Because these figures frankly are a national scandal. First Minister. To be very clear cancer treatment and surgery is always prioritised by health boards and I would hope that Jackie Baillie would recognise that and indeed any operation for cancer that is cancelled would only be done in the most extreme circumstances and that is a priority that health boards give and have given right throughout the pandemic. Jackie Baillie is right to point out the Public Health Scotland cancer mortality statistics that were published this week. I won't repeat the statistics that she has quoted because they are absolutely correct but it is important to give the context that they also show that the overall risk of dying from cancer in 2019 fell by nearly 10 per cent. That is positive but there are significant inequalities in terms of the outcomes from cancer. That is why there is a range of work under way that we need to make sure gets the priority at merits, raising awareness, providing equitable access to screening, yes, catching up on the backlogs that have been caused by Covid, early detection, making sure that early detection is being focused on not just in where there are the more common symptoms of cancer but some of the less common symptoms as well. That is why the early diagnostic cancer centres are being set up to make sure that that happens. Jackie Baillie is right to raise the importance of that and the Government is right to have the focus that we do on making sure that we are putting forward the solutions and ensuring the priority for cancer care. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is working to ensure that during COP26 it provides a platform for unheard voices, including citizens, young people and those from the global south. The Scottish Government is committed to amplifying the voices of young people and those experienced in the worst impacts of climate change in the global south. We have provided almost £950,000 of funding to support young people of all backgrounds to participate meaningfully at COP26 and beyond, including £300,000 for the conference of youth, which will present its global statement to COP26 tomorrow. We are also ensuring that representatives from the global south are heard through the global climate assembly, the Glasgow climate dialogues and events, including a youth-focused event with Malawi climate leaders, that will take place on Monday. I thank the First Minister for that answer. Women and girls are likely to suffer disproportionately as a result of the climate crisis, which is why the Scottish Glasgow women's leadership statement jointly sponsored by the Scottish Government and UN Women is so important. It recognises that women must be part of the response. Does the First Minister hope that, where small nations lead, that will galvanise other organisations and world leaders to follow and make similar ambitious statements and commitments during COP26? I absolutely agree with Jackie Dunbar about the importance of this issue. We know that women and girls across the world are disproportionately impacted by climate change, but we also know that they must be more involved in the solutions to climate change. I have been really delighted to work over recent times with UN Women to put forward the Glasgow women's leadership statement that we launched at COP26 earlier this week. I did that alongside women leaders from both large and small nations, and I have been very encouraged by the response since with more and more signatories from governments and civil society coming forward to join this initiative. I am also looking forward to taking part in Gender Day at COP, which is next Tuesday, when I hope that we will see many more countries coming forward with very strong commitments on gender responsive climate action. Question 7, Paul Sweeney. To ask the First Minister what the Government's response is to Glasgow City Council cleansing workers taking strike action from 1 November and throughout the COP26 conference due to low pay. First Minister, I recognise and appreciate the extraordinary efforts of council workers at all times, but particularly over the past 18 months. That is why, although the Scottish Government has no formal role in the local government pay negotiations, we supported efforts to find a solution with a one-off offer of additional funding of £30 million. I was pleased to see that the intervention, along with a contribution from councils, enabled COSLA to submit a significantly improved pay offer to trade unions last Friday. The unions subsequently confirmed that they would suspend strike action while members voted on the revised offer, and I welcome that. It is therefore disappointing that the GMB in Glasgow has chosen to pursue strike action at this stage, although I respect the right to do so, but I urge all parties in Glasgow to quickly find a resolution. As a member of the GMB trade union, I think that Glasgow City Council is threatening to union bust by using anti-trade union laws, and busing in black-leg private contractors to try to break the strike is disgraceful and a paltry short-term fix to this long-running dispute. If the First Minister agrees with this position, will she please intervene and provide the leadership that has been sorely lacking so far, and if necessary, commit additional financial resources so that COSLA and Glasgow City Council can settle this dispute and pay the key workers fairly and treat them with respect? Of course, the things that Paul Sweeney talked about would be disgraceful if they were happening, but they are not, and let's be very clear about that. As I understand it, although I am not party to this, it was made clear by the council last Friday that they were not going to take legal action. On the suggestion of breaking the strike, I know that a statement was issued last night. The council has a concern about bonfire night, posing an additional fire risk if rubbish is not collected, so what they are considering is cover to mitigate those risks. What they are not considering is using contractors to fulfil the regular duties of striking staff. Labour should know all about that, because they did do that during the cleansing strike under the previous Labour administration in 2009, so perhaps a bit of reflection on the Labour benches would be welcome. The situation in Glasgow has arisen out of a national pay dispute. The Government did last week make additional resources available to allow COSLA to make a renewed offer. COSLA has made a renewed offer. The unions rightly suspended strike action to allow members to vote on that renewed offer, and I think that that is a process that should be allowed to take its course. I have the utmost respect for cleansing workers in Glasgow, those who do that job in my constituency and across the city. That is why I hope that the Glasgow City Council and the union can get round the table and find a resolution that puts an end to this and allows industrial relations to move forward positively. That concludes First Minister's question time, so we will now move on to the member's business. It was mentioned by the First Minister that strike-breaking activity took place in 2009. As a matter of record, no such strike-breaking action took place, and the statement issued by Glasgow City Council to this effect today is in fact inaccurate. I would be happy if the chair would confirm if that is the case. The member will be aware that the content of members' contributions is not a matter for the chair. However, there exists a mechanism by which members can correct any inaccurate information.