 The first item of business today is general questions and we Francine Mc playing will start with question 1 from Fulton Mc回去. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is in increasing the legal entitment to paternity leave and what discussions have it had with the UK Government regarding this? Minister Jeannie Hepburn. Whilst Employment Law remains reserved to UK Parliament as the responsibility of UK Government, we are funding the family friendly working Scotland partnershipинг, family friendly and inclusive workplaces to employers at employment policies. rôl yn cymrydd. Mae'w strategy-govern, i wneud hynny i eu cyngimythau meantimeau, yn gweithio ei olfawr amddor iawn i molygnegodol i gynnwys a'r ffordd o'i wlad i ffriddio fawr i hunanol f favorites. Felly, mae hi'n rhaid i wneud i ffwrdd mwy o'ch gwirio i gwsig oherwydd i gweld i'w ffawr i gweld i wneud yn hcourse. Oni, mae'n dod, ar ei ddweud i wneud i gweld i gwelr, ac yn ei wneud i gweld i gweld i beithio y ffordd i'r ddechrau yn cydyn nhw, oedd dysg…)r FgF? Dyna wnaeth cheyf a'r Ddysguir Cymru yn fawr o'r cydyn nhw, sydd gyda ni'n gwybod ar eich hyd Gwldor Fyryn. Fellyddian McGraw. Fyllteith y ddegwyd wedi bod yr hyn ffordd y ddechrau yn gwybod y rhai, yn cyfleoedd i fi agirion tawr maternol, mae'r prifsgail o gweithgaf i'r cyfrifniadau tygrennu. Mae'r digwydd yn gweithio i ddweithio i ddegwyd i ddegwyd â holl ffrifion i gydawn And would you join me in encouraging employers in Scotland too for enhanced pretendent leave or 4 weeks? Minister. It will let me reiterate, yes, I would absolutely encourage employers to do so. I not just for the reasons that Mr McGe quère has set out in terms of child wellbeing and parental wellbeing, but we also know that FLEX will be working as it has that clear benefit for employers, Felly, mae gweithio chi ysgrifftu gwahodol o'r byw yn ei wneud dda wedi'u brithlwst y byddai'r cymdeinig o'r byw yn dangos o'r byw cael ei wneud, a byddai o'r byw cael ei wneud i'r brithlwst o holl, hi weithio I-10, i wneud i'r brithlwst teidwydol, chi weithio adnod o'r bethau, a chael ei ysgrifftu gwahodol, hwnnw nes pasteur yn amladewch i'r dydd yn ei ysgrifftu gwahodol ond we have provided £857,000 since 2014-15 for that programme. We are also promoting our framework agenda on a wider basis. Michelle Ballantyne Has the Government done any assessment on what the impact of increased parental leave has on SMEs? Those are the areas of business that are most likely to suffer from employees being absent for periods. As I have just made the point, what a flexible approach, irrespective of the size of employer can lead to is reduced absenteeism, better retention rates and increased productivity. That is what the evidence demonstrates. Not just in relation to enhanced paternity leave but across the board in terms of the flexible work agenda. SMEs and businesses and employers across Scotland could stand to benefit by adopting that deflexible approach. Ruth Maguire To ask the Scottish Government how it is involving stakeholders with the development and implementation of its planning bill. Minister Kevin Stewart Thank you, Presiding Officer. The planning bill has been developed through a highly inclusive approach involving extensive engagement and consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. That has included two formal consultation exercises convening a series of stakeholder working groups and full publication of regularly updated information on the Scottish Government website. We have sought out opportunities to engage across our stakeholders throughout the development of the bill and will continue that very inclusive approach as the review of the planning progresses. Ruth Maguire I thank the minister for that answer. Our dear peninsula in my constituency is subject to a 1953 order, which allows almost any development to be carried out without planning permission. I understand that that could cause issue for potential sustainable development of the site. Would the minister look into this matter and help to find a solution that best meets the needs of our community, promotes inclusive growth as per the aims of the Ayrshire growth deal and respects wildlife and the environment? Minister I am aware of the unusual circumstances surrounding the special development order for our dear. My officials have been in discussion with North Ayrshire Council officials about the complex planning position. The possible options and how that might best be taken forward to a satisfactory conclusion. I will be very happy to meet Ms Maguire and stakeholders to discuss the issues and an appropriate way forward for that area. Question 3 has been withdrawn. Question 4, Stuart Stevenson. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support and encourage young people to engage in sport. Minister Aileen Campbell Thank you. The Scottish Government strongly encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to try and participate in sport. To aid with that, we have protected the Scottish Scotland budget for next year and committed to help mitigate the impact of continued reductions in their income from the national lottery, invested up to £50 million from our active schools programme between 2015-19 and committed to increase the number of community sports hubs. I would also like to use this opportunity to pay tribute to the achievements of Team Scotland during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. I am sure that everyone else will agree as well. Following the success of Team Scotland, I am confident that the performance is by all of our athletes will inspire young people to take up sport, allowing them to set and achieve their goals. Stuart Stevenson I particularly welcome the fact that a member of the team of Scotland was older than me, and that is pretty unusual. More seriously, I recently visited Cullen Bowling and Tennis club, where the members have taken in hand to offer coaching sessions to young people to encourage a new generation of club members. Does the minister agree that that is an excellent example of community-based approach to encouraging our youngsters to try new sports? I would also like to pay tribute to the athleticism of Stuart Stevenson. This is a great example of encouraging young people to join their club. I wish Cullen Bowling and Tennis club every success. Our commitment to active schools programme will not only allow children to try new sports but will also provide them with a pathway to local sports clubs. I would actively encourage that partnership. I commend the work in Cullen, particularly during this year of young people, for their endeavour to get our young people and children active. Bruce Crawford To ask the Scottish Government how many young people in the Stirling constituency have received support from the help-to-buy scheme. Minister Kevin Stewart Help-to-buy Scotland data is published at the local authority level and is not readily available by parliamentary constituency. From October 2013 to March 2017, there have been 190 sales in the Stirling local authority area that have received support from the help-to-buy Scotland scheme. Bruce Crawford I know that I have to go to the council in the future from that reply, but I am still grateful that there have been 190 people in my constituents who have benefited. This is a much-needed way of supporting people into a new home, particularly those who are buying their first home. Can you tell me what the age of the range is for the scheme and what the percentage is of first-time home owners, please? Minister We estimate that 76 per cent of buyers who purchased a property with assistance through the scheme are aged 35 and under, and 66 per cent have been first-time buyers. That is based on an analysis of the first three years of the scheme from September 2013 to March 2016. Linda Fabiani I ask the minister to look at my particular concerns about the open market shared equity scheme, in which there is a valuation price set at a threshold. In very desirable areas such as East Kilbride, it means that sometimes it is difficult for people to find suitable accommodation to purchase and to still get assistance. That is an advantage for people who have not been looked at for many years now, I understand. Can that consideration be given? I thank Ms Fabiani for her question and I understand the desire to live in East Kilbride. The price ceiling has gradually reduced from the original figure of £400,000 to the current £200,000 to ensure that more people can benefit from the available funding and help to target funding at lower-income families and first-time buyers. We accept that in certain geographical areas not as many homes will be purchased with assistance from the scheme, but I assure Ms Fabiani that I will continue to look at all of that as we progress. Lewis Macdonald The plans for major trauma centres in Aberdeen and Dundee to commence in October have been affected by recent events in NHS Tayside. Shona Robison Progress with implementing the Scottish Trauma Network is continuing as planned, including the opening of the major trauma centres in Aberdeen and Dundee in the autumn of this year. Implementation will not be affected by the recent events at NHS Tayside. Lewis Macdonald I am pleased to hear that clear assurance from the cabinet secretary. I wonder if she can also address the issue of the appointment of Malcolm Wright, the chief executive of NHS Grampian, to head up the team rescuing NHS Tayside from its current crisis. When Shona Robison made the announcement, it was as an interim appointment, but in her statement the other day it was as the new chief executive. I wonder if she can clarify the future arrangements for leadership of both NHS Tayside and NHS Grampian. Lewis Macdonald I can do that for Lewis Macdonald. Malcolm Wright will also remain as the chief executive and accountable officer for NHS Grampian. There is no change to that. I have not described Malcolm Wright as the interim chief executive. I think that he should have the full title as the chief executive of NHS Tayside. Of course, work will be under way very quickly to find a permanent chief executive for NHS Tayside. I have also agreed with Professor Stephen Logan, the chair of NHS Grampian, that Amanda Croft, who the member will be well aware of, as deputy CEO, will oversee the day-to-day operations of NHS Grampian. I think that Amanda Croft is very capable of doing that, and hopefully that will give the member the assurance that he is seeking. Graham Dey Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I ask, in relation to the NHS Tayside situation, whether the support team, led by Professor Lewis Ritchie, will continue to provide an assurance role on the board's future plans for services? Yes. Lewis Ritchie's involvement with the assurance group will continue. He has provided a very important role there, and that continuity remains important. I can certainly make sure that Graham Dey has kept informed about that continuing role. Liz Smith To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the performance of integrated joint boards since their creation. The integration authorities went fully live in April 2016 and are already delivering achievements. Individual integration authorities published annual reports on how the new arrangements are delivering real change and improvement. The latest annual performance reports are due to be published in July of this year. Liz Smith Will the cabinet secretary confirm to Parliament that she is aware of some of the very strong criticism, including some within her own party, which is being levelled at integrated joint boards because of the current structures, are not at all clear in terms of the lines of accountability for decision making and for the accompanying accountability? Will she, with some degree of urgency, review whether the current IGB structure should be completely overhauled? Liz Smith Cabinet Secretary I think that the structures are fairly new, and they should be allowed to bed in. As everything, we would always keep those matters under review if there are particular concerns that need to be taken forward. In relation to local matters, we would expect local partnerships to take forward any changes to services in a way that has the full consultation of the local public. We would expect that to be done in a way that is open and transparent. If Liz Smith has any particular concerns in relation to that, I suggest that she writes to me with the detail. Murdo Fraser To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator regarding the use of public funds by NHS boards. At my request, the chief executive of NHS Scotland has written to all NHS board chairs seeking assurance that NHS Scotland endowment funds are being used appropriately. Responses are required by the end of April. That approach has been agreed with Oscar, and responses will be shared with them. Oscar has agreed to review the evidence provided, and once it has considered all of the relevant evidence and completed its risk assessment, it will come to a decision on whether to undertake inquiries into other NHS endowment fund charities. Oscar has indicated to my officials that they plan to be able to give a response on that by the end of May. Murdo Fraser I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. This morning, the Parliament's Public Audit Committee heard from the Auditor General for Scotland, Caroline Gardner, in relation to the issue. That raised a number of quite serious questions that are required to be addressed, including the question of a conflict of interest that might arise for NHS board members who are being asked to deal with public funds and deal with funds from charitable endowments. Given that, will the Scottish Government look at creating a structure whereby board members are no longer required to make decisions, both on endowment funding and on general funding, for NHS boards? Murdo Fraser may be aware that the guidance around that was reviewed back in 2013. Oscar has already signalled, and we have agreed that that guidance should now be reviewed. Murdo Fraser points out that there is a potential conflict of interest of board members being the trustees on an endowment fund. Oscar will come forward with sensible recommendations about what structural changes should be made to strengthen the governance, whether that is external people sitting on the endowment fund board as trustees or other suggestions that will strengthen that governance. However, please be assured, and the member should be assured, that Oscar has already indicated his desire to do that, and we have agreed that that needs to be done. I am happy to keep Murdo Fraser and indeed the chamber updated as that work progresses. Monica Lennon, in question 9, to ask the Scottish Government how it will protect respite services to allow carers to access a short break as set out by the Carers Scotland Act 2016. Under the Carers Act, local authorities now have a duty to provide support to make carers identified needs, which meet local eligibility criteria and to decide whether that support should include a break from caring. The 2018-19 budget includes an additional £66 million to support additional expenditure by local government on social care, including for implementation of the Carers Act. In addition, the Scottish Government is providing £3 million in 2018-19 for the voluntary sector short breaks fund, administered by Sharecare Scotland and the Family Fund. Monica Lennon, I thank the minister for her response. I am pleased that short break support is giving prominence in the new carers legislation, which came into effect on 1 April. However, Lanarkshire Carers Centre has raised with me its concerns that respite services are facing a very uncertain future, with many short break providers believing that they are at moderate or high risk of local authority funding cuts. At a time when local authorities have seen a real-term budget cut of nearly 10 per cent over the past eight years, can the minister reassure carers and short break providers that sufficient funding will be available for as much needed respites? I have outlined the additional money that we put in to support additional expenditure by a local government on social care, which includes the implementation of the Carers Act. I would also point to the fact that a service planning level local authorities also have duties now to publish a short break service statement providing information about short break services available in Scotland so that people can understand what short break options are available. That is in addition to the money that we also provide to the voluntary sector short breaks fund, which I said in my previous answer, is administered by Sharecare Scotland and the Family Fund. That is because we know how important these short breaks are. We know how important it is to enable carers to have a life alongside their caring role and to enable them to ensure that their wellbeing is maintained. Again, I am happy to engage with Monica Lennon on the particular issues that she has raised around Lannyshire Carers Centre, but, certainly from our perspective, we have put additional resources in to protect and support this important part of this act. 10. Ash Denham To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent publication of large companies' gender pay gaps, which show that there remains a significant pay gap among many companies, both in Edinburgh and across the United Kingdom. Mr Jimmie Hepburn Although the full-time medium gender pay gap in Scotland is lower than the UK figure at 6.6 per cent compared to 9.1 per cent, some of the figures that we have seen employers report highlight the very real challenge that it remains to be taken to further reduce the gender pay gap. We need to see employers take forward actions that improve the position of women in the workplace and wider society. The action that we are taking is the establishment of a gender pay gap working group, funding returners programmes that support women following a career break, establishment of working groups to challenge pregnancy and maternity discrimination and to support the delivery of the women in enterprise action framework, promoting payment to the living wage and tackling occupational segregation and gender stereotyping through the modern apprenticeship equality action plan and the Scottish Funding Council's gender action plan. Ash Denham I thank the minister for that answer, but it was particularly disappointing to see that the pay gap in Edinburgh was marginally higher than the national average at 12.9 per cent compared to 12 per cent. Are there currently any talks between the UK and the Scottish Government regarding further improving the gender pay gap legislation? Michael Matheson Having mentioned the working group on the gender pay gap, one of the early areas of work will be to work with closed the gap in gender and the STUC and other relevant bodies to develop a key current action plan to reduce gender pay gaps across Scotland, where that may require us making recommendations about legislative change. We will, of course, seek to recognise that that requires all to make, if we are engaged with the UK Government to explore options for legislative change and for joint working on that issue. Y Llywodraeth Cymru