 We turn now to First Minister's question. Question number one from Ruth Davidson. Ruth Davidson to ask the First Minister what engagement she has planned for the rest of the day. First Minister engagement. It's to take forward the Government's programme for Scotland. Ruth Davidson Ysgrifennrwar yesterday, the Education Secretary said that cuts to teacher training places five years ago probably went too far. Opposition parties could have told his predecessor that at the time. In fact, we did. Will the First Minister admit that when it comes to the basic task of putting enough teachers into our classrooms, her government got it wrong. The First Minister No. As those who were in Parliament at the time back in, I think it was 2010 and 11 will recall, at that time we had a significant issue of teacher unemployment. It was thought at that time that we had a surplus of teachers coming out of the system and many of them were struggling to get jobs. That's why we took the action we did. Of course, every single year since then, every one of the six years since then, we have seen an increase in the numbers of students going into teacher education. In fact, in this year, we are seeing an increase in teacher training numbers of 371. We are also having a campaign to recruit teachers targeting particularly the STEM subjects that is building on the work that was done last year that helped to drive a 19 per cent increase in the intake of student teachers. Of course, we saw an increase in the number of teachers working in our schools in the past years, and this Government is investing more than £80 million to maintain the teacher numbers in our schools and to maintain the pupil-teacher ratio. As I have recognised in this chamber previously, we have got work to do, but we are taking the actions that are making sure that we have the right numbers of teachers in our schools, getting on with that important job of improving standards and closing the attainment gap. Ruth Davidson once again has a First Minister asking for applause for promising to fix a mess that her Government made. It is quite simple that the SNP Government didn't listen. It didn't listen to warnings from this chamber and it didn't listen to student leaders who called for an end to booming bus method towards teacher training. First, it brought on too many trainees with the consequence that they ended up in the dole queue and not in the classrooms, and then they cut the numbers too drastically with the consequence that we no longer have enough teachers—4,000 fewer than when this Government came to office. Does it sound like the record of a competent Government to this First Minister? First Minister. I tell you who we didn't listen to back in 2010. We didn't listen to the Tories because here is what the Tories had to say about the issue, as Liz Smith described it at the time, the issue of demand and supply. What she said at the education committee at the time is that, given all the difficulties and the current economic situation, it might be necessary to re-examine teachers' conditions. That is what the Tories wanted us to do. They wanted us to slash teachers' pay and conditions. As I have said, and this is an important issue, those who were in Parliament at the time will remember previous First Minister's question sessions talking about the very important issue of teacher unemployment. We inherited a figure around teacher training that was considered at that time to be leading to an oversupply of teachers. That is why we took corrective action at that time to deal with that issue. Every single one of the six years since then, we have made sure that we have had appropriate numbers of teachers coming into teacher training. As I said this year, we are supporting an additional 371 going into teacher training. We have more teachers in our schools, as we saw in the most recent figures that were published in December last year than was the case the previous year. We are investing into local authorities more than £80 million to make sure that we maintain the number of teachers. Teachers are there to make sure that they are raising standards in closing the attainment gap. One of the most important things is to use the words of a teacher that I spoke to in East Dunbartonshire on Saturday. One of the life-changing things that he thinks we are doing is putting more money into the hands of teachers directly, more money into the hands of head teachers, so that they can take the steps to raise standards and close the attainment gap. I, again, will be absolutely frank with this chamber and with the people of Scotland. We have challenges to confront, and we are confronting them, but we are pressing on with the programme of reform in education to make sure that we address each and every one of them. Ruth Davidson Yesterday, John Swinney said that we did get it wrong. Today, the First Minister stands up and says that everybody else has fallen. The line on education from this First Minister seems to be, forget about 10 years of failure, forget about the mess that they have made, forget about the children who have been failed by her Government. She is the person to sort this out. If she is going to do that, she first has to admit the consequences of getting it wrong. She needs to admit that her Government's disastrous workforce planning—what it means right now—that we do not have enough teachers for STEM subjects, we do not have enough teachers for additional support needs, that schools are being forced to limit which subjects pupils are able to take because they do not have enough teachers to do the job. If she is going to fix that, will she first admit what needs to be fixed? The First Minister Ruth Davidson talks rightly about the importance of workforce planning. The decision that she has criticised and taken in one year in 2010 was based on the unanimous advice of the teacher workforce planning group, a group that includes councils, teaching unions and universities. Ruth Davidson wants me to take responsibility. In every single year since then, what we have done as a Government is ensure an increasing number of young people going into teacher training. We acted to deal with an issue that was there at the time and was the subject of much discussion in this chamber, but then we recognised that we had to increase in the years after that. That is why, for every one of the last six years, we have increased the numbers going into teacher training. We are taking a range of other actions from the national improvement framework to the attainment challenge, to the attainment fund and the pupil equity fund getting resources into the hands of teachers, the increased number of teachers that this year are in our schools compared to the previous year. I take responsibility for everything that this Government does, but I am also absolutely determined to get on with the job of improving standards in our schools. The last point that I would make to Ruth Davidson is this one. While I take absolute responsibility for everything that this Government does, what we need to make sure over the next seven days is that we do not end up with another Westminster Government that is taking action and making cuts that are likely to push an additional 1 million children across the UK into poverty, because it is not going to help anybody raise standards in our schools if we have a Westminster Government pushing those children into conditions of poverty. Ruth Davidson. I take responsibility but it is everyone else's fault. Earlier this week, we set out our interim reports into the curriculum for excellence. One of the numerous recommendations was to ensure the proper teaching of core skills after we have seen standards of literacy, numeracy and science drop under this Government. I noticed that John Mason has an education question in a few moments' time. John Mason, who has in a litany of tweets this week said that we have moved on from spelling and timetables, that if someone has only basic literacy that they should concentrate on what they are good at, that you do not need spelling to be a surgeon, you do not need grammar to work in IT, an engineer does not need high levels of English, and that there was too much emphasis on and I will directly quote the academic in the past. Is this the view of the SNP Government? If it is, it explains why standards are so poor. The First Minister. I had a look at the publication that the Tories published earlier this week and much of it is work that this Government is already doing in our schools. They should maybe pay more attention. I begin back to the serious point of standards of literacy. It is because the highest standards of literacy are so vital for every single young person across our country that we are taking the action that we are taking. It is why we now have new curriculum for excellence benchmarks in place. It is why we have established the attainment fund directing resources to head teachers to allow them to take the action that they think is necessary to improve standards. It is why we have put in place arrangements to make sure that in future we will have comprehensive data, school by school, local authority by local authority, telling us how our schools are performing in the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. It is why we have initiatives such as the reading, challenging and encouraging young people to read for pleasure. Standards of literacy are vitally important as a foundation for everything else that our young people do. That is why we will get on with the job of building on the progress that we have made in our education system and building on the hard work that is done by teachers and pupils across this country. It is why, unlike the Conservatives in Westminster, we will increase the budgets that are going to our schools while they continue to cut them. Kezia Dugdale To ask the First Minister what engagements she has planned for the rest of the week. First Minister Engagements to take forward the Government's programme for Scotland. Kezia Dugdale The SNP's treatment time guarantee gives patients a 12-week legal guarantee for treatments such as knee replacements and eye surgery. Can the First Minister tell us how many people waited longer than 12 weeks in the last year? The First Minister We have a situation in our NHS that many health services have of increasing demand, and we are saying that more patients wait longer than we would want them to wake, including for the treatment time guarantee of 12 weeks. However, more than 1.3 million in-patients and day-case patients have benefited from that 12-week treatment target since it was first introduced, with 94.6 of all patients that were introduced being treated within 12 weeks. What we saw in the figures published this week is that, as a result of the £10 million investment that was made by the health secretary last November, we have seen a 20 per cent reduction in out-patients waiting for treatment. Of course, the health secretary announced £50 million of additional investment on Tuesday of this week to make sure that we can see those continued improvements in in-patient waiting times as well. Kezia Dabdiel There was not an answer in any of that, so let me give the First Minister the answer. In the last year alone, more than 38,000 patients waited longer than 12 weeks. We have just heard the First Minister tell the chamber that people across Scotland have benefited from the legal guarantee, but Labour can reveal today that patients actually had a better chance of being treated within 12 weeks before the SNP introduced the legal guarantee. That should shame the First Minister, because behind those numbers are people and real lives. It is pensioners, it is children and parents waiting for months for operations, but this is not the only problem facing the NHS. This week alone, we have seen A and E targets missed again. Cancer diagnostic waiting times missed again. The BMA told us that stash mortgages are the reason for falling standards in our hospitals, and cancer research said that patients are waiting too long—all growing evidence of the SNP's 10-year mismanagement of the NHS. When will the First Minister focus on the day job and start fixing the mess that is made of our NHS? I acknowledge the challenges that are facing our NHS and the same challenges that are facing health services across the world—increasing demand because of the changing demographics. I have to say that, in so many ways, looking at so many indicators, the performance of the NHS in Scotland far outstrips the performance of the NHS in any other part of the UK. In particular, on almost every indicator that you can look at, the performance of NHS Scotland outstrips the performance of the NHS in Labour-run Wales. You take accident and emergency. For 25 consecutive months, A and E departments in Scotland have been the best performing anywhere in the UK, but no recognition from anybody in the opposition of the hard work of our A and E staff that deliver that performance. We have also seen under the SNP staffing in the NHS increasing by more than £12,000. We have seen the budget for the national health service increase by £3 billion. Our plans to increase it further over this Parliament goes way beyond what any other party in this chamber pledged to do at the election last year and goes way beyond what any other party is pledging to do at this election this year. We have more doctors, nurses and other health professionals per head of population than any other part of the UK. I will acknowledge readily the pressures that our NHS staff work under and thank them for what they do. Occasionally, just once in a while, the opposition parties should recognise the good work that has been done in our NHS and the fact that it is doing so much better than other parts of the UK. Presiding Officer, that answer was so revealing, because when the First Minister is faced with her own 10-year dismal record, all she has got in the tank is a kick at the Labour Party in an attempt to suggest that we are talking down the staff. We know that the First Minister does not like it when people speak the truth about her record on the NHS. Just ask the nurse who had the courage to expose what life is like under the SNP, because here is the reality. Standards in our hospitals are down, NHS staff are overworked and underpaid and tens of thousands of people are waiting longer for treatment. Is not that what happens when the SNP spends more time running a campaign for a referendum than it does running our NHS? Those who should have a competition in First Minister's questions about who is the first one to get the referendum word in, because most weeks it is not me that mentions it. If that is attack, how does Labour explain that, on almost every indicator that it can point to, the NHS in Scotland under an SNP Government is doing significantly better than the NHS in Wales under a Labour Government? What is Labour's excuse? Let me just point to the action that we have taken on the NHS. Staffing up by 12,000, qualified nurses and midwives up by 7 per cent, doctors up by 30 per cent, consultants up by 45 per cent, investing more money than any other party would have done and making sure that we are delivering for patients across the country. We will continue, whether it is on education or on health, we will continue to focus on delivering for people across this country and leave the opposition to their constitutional obsessions. We have a number of consistency questions. The first one from Alison Johnstone. I am sure that the First Minister and all members will wish to send our most sincere sympathy to the family and friends of the young cyclist who tragically lost her life on Princess Street yesterday. What action the Scottish Government is taking to aid the inquiry into this devastating accident and whether the First Minister and her transport minister will meet with the many groups and individuals who have been calling for safe conditions for cyclists and pedestrians in Edinburgh and across Scotland for many years to ensure that no other family has to bear such an appalling loss? I convey my heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of the cyclist who tragically lost their life in Edinburgh yesterday. It is a tragic incident and an incident that is sad almost beyond words. Obviously, as the member will understand, I will not go into any detail about the particular incident because there are and will continue to be investigations into that. The Scottish Government will assist with that in any way that we possibly can. As the member is aware, we have taken a number of actions, including increased investment over the years to encourage more people to cycle and to make cycling as safe as possible for people. In direct answer to the question, the relevant minister would be willing to meet with cycling groups, not just in Edinburgh but across the country, to look at what further action we can take to make sure that cycling, which is an activity, we want to encourage, is as safe as it possibly can be for everybody who partakes in it. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Kyle Gunn from Johnson applied for an HND in practical journalism at Glasgow Clyde College, whereas he has been studying for a national qualification in media and communications. Kyle has cerebral palsy, which means that he cannot write in shorthand. The SQA has told him that that means that he cannot progress to an HND as he would not be able to complete the shorthand component of the course, essentially penalising him because of his disability. Does the First Minister agree that that is unacceptable and will the First Minister look into that matter? I am very happy to look into that. Obviously, I do not know Kyle, but from the short question, he sounds like a remarkable young man who should be supported as much as possible to achieve the dreams that he has. Obviously, I do not know the full circumstances, so it would be wrong for me to try to say any more about it just now. Of course, I will have the matter looked into and return to the member in writing once I have had the opportunity to do so. Jackie Baillie The First Minister will be aware of continuing concerns about the Vale of Leven hospital. There is a maternity review, an out-of-hours service review, a review of emergency admission points such as the medical assessment unit. Can I ask the First Minister to join with me in welcoming hospital watch to the chamber today? It is here to present an unusual petition, a bed sheet, with thousands of signatures following a 24-hour vigil at the hospital. I understand that no-one from the Government is available to meet with them today, so will she agree to a future meeting with them to discuss the importance of the Vale of Leven hospital to my local community? Yes, I am very happy to welcome hospital watch to the chamber and congratulate them in their innovative way of submitting a petition that we would be delighted to receive. In terms of the Vale of Leven, I know well from my past ministerial responsibilities, we seek, and Shona Robison has recently assurances from Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board about the continued provision of comprehensive hospital community and primary care services across the whole of the Clyde area, but particularly at the Vale of Leven hospital, and that remains a priority. It is the responsibility of any health board to make sure that services that are provided are provided safely, and Greater Glasgow and Clyde is no exception to that in respect of the Vale of Leven. We should also remember, and it is something that I am proud of, that it was this Government that ended a decade of damaging uncertainty by delivering the vision for the Vale. What we saw from a previous Labour Administration was the closure of the accident and emergency department back in 2002. In the years that followed that, we saw a decline in inpatient and day-case activity at the Vale of Leven hospital. This Government took office in 2007. In 2009, we published the vision for the Vale document, and I can tell the chamber today—this is quite an important statistic—and I hope that Jackie Bailey will welcome it as a campaigner for the Vale of Leven hospital, since we published the vision for the Vale. Inpatient and day-case activity has increased by almost one-third at the Vale of Leven hospital. We ended that decade of decline at the Vale of Leven, and this Government is determined to make sure that the Vale of Leven continues to have a very positive future delivering for patients that it serves. Question 3, Willie Rennie. To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet. This week, I met hospital campaigners in Wick. They are facing the consequences of the downgrading of the Cathness maternity hospital maternity unit. Young mothers told me about harrowing 100-mile journey to Inverness to give birth. That part of the country feels let down by the loss of important lifeline services like this. The First Minister is under pressure on this issue. Will she finally intervene and reverse this decision? That is an important issue, and I genuinely hope that it is one that we could avoid party politics around, because the decisions that have been taken here—I mean this—as Willie Rennie will be aware, decisions have been taken here on the basis of advice that has been given on the basis of patient safety. It is really important that no politician should or could run in the face of advice that is based on patient safety issues. NHS Highland is currently undertaking a review of the clinical service model at Cathness hospital generally, but in terms of midwife services, I absolutely understand the feelings of mothers or expectant mothers faced with long journeys, but what is absolutely the case is that we cannot have a service provided at any hospital if the advice is that that may not be safe. It was following the death of an infant at the maternity unit in September 2015 that the board took the decision to change the operating status of the maternity unit. It is a midwife-led service, so I understand those feelings. We will continue to work closely with the health board to make sure that they have the right services in place and to support women in the interim who may be affected by the different model that is there. At all times, in all steps we take, patient safety will be absolutely the paramount consideration. Willie Rennie I take exception to what the First Minister has just said. I am raising this issue because it is an important issue, and she should accept that I have a right to ask that question. The First Minister talks about safety, but what about the risk to the mothers in labour on that narrow A9 road for two and a half hours? A population of almost 30,000 deserves better than a 100-mile trip to get to hospital. People across the country are being let down, too. When Nicola Sturgeon announced a legally binding treatment time guarantee, she said that there will be a straightforward system of redress on the rare occasions when things go wrong. It was rare at first—that is true—only five patients waited longer than 12 weeks. It is not rare any more. 13,005 patients are waiting now. Why is it that the First Minister can come up with a triple lock for independence, but not a triple lock for patients? That waiting time guarantee is not worth the paper that it has written on, and 13,000 people know it. The First Minister Can I return first to the issue of Caithness maternity services? For the record, to be absolutely clear, I did not suggest that Willie Rennie did not have the right to raise this issue. I simply expressed the hope that we would be able to discuss this issue without party politics intervening, because the decision to change the status of Caithness maternity unit was made by NHS Highland on the grounds of safety. It was informed by a review that it commissioned after the tragic death of a child in September 2015. The chief medical officer supports the findings of that review. The decision was never referred to ministers because it was made on the grounds of safety. Scottish ministers have never intervened in this case. I understand the concerns that mothers and families have here, but I think that more mothers and families would undoubtedly be concerned if we were standing by in allowing a service to be delivered that was putting the lives of children at risk. We will continue to work with NHS Highland to make sure that we can deliver safe services for them and support them whatever that model of care has to be at any given time. The health secretary would be happy to meet anybody with concerns about this in Caithness at this time in order to discuss it further. On the issue of treatment time guarantee, as I have said, we have more patients coming forward for treatment as a result of the rising demand on health services across the world, but we are also investing record sums of money to deal with that. The health secretary just this week announced additional targeted investment to make sure that, as we have already seen without patients a reduction in the number waiting, we can see those same improvements around in-patient and day-case treatment. We will go on with the work of making sure that that happens. Lastly, I would not, unless Willie Rennie had raised it, choose to go on to the issue of the constitution from issues as important as this. Willie Rennie's position in this election just beggars belief. On the one hand, he has—before I get criticised— Willie Rennie raised it. On the one hand, as he is entitled to do, he is going around criticising the SNP for wanting to give people in Scotland a choice over their own future at the end of the Brexit process. On the other hand, he is going around the length and breadth of the country, arguing for a second referendum on EU membership. At least Willie Rennie could be consistent for once. I know that it does not happen often, but in future, perhaps he could try a bit of consistency in this chamber. To ask the First Minister what progress has been made in introducing Scottish social security benefits. The First Minister made a statement earlier this week on the next steps that we will take to deliver Scotland's new social security system, outlining that the first benefits to be delivered through that new system will be the increase in the carers allowance, the new best start grant and funeral expense assistance. Over the next couple of years, those benefits will start to be delivered through that new system. Of course, we are seven days away from an election where the future of social security is a key issue. I am proud to be standing on a platform of ending cuts to support for disabled and low-income people. It is not surprising that the Tory party wants to press ahead with billions of pounds of more cuts that are driving people into poverty and widening the inequality gap. It is more surprising that Labour is only pledged to reverse a quarter of the further cuts to come to social security, so we will continue to get on and deliver the new system, but we will also continue to stand up across the UK for a social security system that has fairness and dignity at its heart. Mark Ruskell First Minister, yesterday's shocking report into the deaths of tagged golden eagles showed just how high the wall of silence is that surrounds some of our sporting estates in Scotland. What assurances can the First Minister give that there will be a licensing regime for driven grouse shoots? And why, given decades of support that the SSPCA has given the police in tackling animal welfare crimes, cannot their role be extended to wildlife crimes? First Minister. I share the concerns about the report on the fate of satellite tied raptors, which does paint a disturbing picture of the illegal killing of our iconic golden eagles. That shows that, between 2004 and 2016, around one-third of tagged golden eagles have disappeared in suspicious circumstances. The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Welfare has announced a comprehensive and robust set of measures that seek to build on the action that has taken over recent years. The proposals that were announced yesterday send out a very strong message that we are absolutely determined that Scotland's wildlife must be for everyone to enjoy not for criminals to destroy for their own narrow and very selfish ends. I hope that the measures that were announced by the cabinet secretary yesterday will be welcomed by the member, and I know that she will be happy to meet him to discuss that further. To ask the First Minister what recent discussions the Scottish Government has had with local authority directors of education concerning the quality of newly qualified teachers. We are determined to ensure that all newly qualified teachers enter the profession feeling confident in their skills and knowledge. The Scottish Government meets with directors of education on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues relating to education, and further to the publication of the content analysis of initial teacher education last week. We will be discussing next steps with universities, the general teaching council for Scotland and local authorities. As we approach the end of the 2017 exam day, I also want to take this opportunity to thank all teachers who have been involved in preparing our young people to sit their exams. I think that it is important for our teachers to know that their commitment is valued and that their contribution is vital to our young people's success at school and in the future. Thank the First Minister for that reply. I wonder if she agrees with the comments by Maureen MacKenna, who is Executive Director of Education in Glasgow and also President of the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, when she said that, I have been very impressed by the quality of newly qualified teachers coming to teach in Glasgow and that our head teachers also report very positively about the quality of newly qualified teachers. She also made the point that teacher training at college or university is just the first step in a career and that training on the job is hugely important. First Minister. I think that Maureen MacKenna's comments are very important and legitimate comments. I think that it is testament to our teachers and of course it is testament to pupils that right now we have got record higher and advanced higher passes, we have got more young people achieving national five qualifications and we have record numbers of young people going into work, education and training. Perhaps most significantly we are starting to see the attainment gap, the kind of attainment gap that is seen in many countries begin to close. Of course, that does not mean that we have not got much more to do including on teacher education. Our own report, which I refer to in my first answer, found inconsistencies between courses and that is a cause for concern. None of that changes the fact that Scotland has excellent teachers who deserve our full support. Liz Smith. First Minister, can I ask you directly whether you believe in the context of teacher training that there should be much greater emphasis on literacy and numeracy, or whether you agree with Mr Mason when he says, and I quote, that learning timetables and spelling were much stronger in my day, but we have moved on. The guidance that was issued last August puts primacy on literacy and numeracy. As I said in earlier answers, high standards of literacy and numeracy are essential to provide the foundation for the learning of children in other subjects. The report that I have referred to that was published last week into initial teacher education did show a variation in terms of what student teachers say about learning about literacy. That is something that we want to address. However, standards of literacy are vitally important. That is why, as I said earlier on, we have new benchmarks in place. We are putting a focus on literacy through everything that the attainment challenge is doing and why we have initiatives such as the reading challenge, which is trying to use the pleasure of reading to help to improve literacy among young people as well. We will continue to get on with all of those things. As we do so, I hope that we have the support of people across the chamber. Thank you. A Glasgow University report this week notes that Tory benefit sanctions have caused more harm to the poor than any policy since the workhouse. Many hundreds of thousands sanctioned include single parents who are unable to attend interviews because of childcare, family illness or simply not having money for the bus fare. Last night, the Prime Minister failed to attend a very important interview. She has no excuses. Why does the First Minister think that her sanctions should be? Sorry, First Minister. The question has to be a supplementary to the question on the Audra paper. We will move on to question number five, Peter Chapman. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to provide support for people with dementia. Of course, this is dementia awareness week, and I am pleased to say that this Government has maintained a priority focus on dementia since 2007. We have prioritised national support for staff education, training and development across all care settings, improved dementia care standards for everyone with a diagnosis of dementia, regardless of where they live, their age or the severity of their illness, and we have ensured the provision of high-quality person-centred post-diagnostic support. We will publish our new dementia strategy in the coming weeks, which will set out in further detail the work that we and our partners will undertake to improve support care and treatment for people with dementia, their families and their carers in the years ahead. Peter Chapman. I thank the First Minister for her answer, but it is usual to hear that answer. You would think that everything was fine, totally out of touch as usual. Let me tell her what the real world looks like in the north-east. I will tell you what the real world looks like in the north-east. The number of people diagnosed with dementia has increased by more than 44 per cent in the last decade. However, in 2014-15, in NHS Grampian, only 23 per cent of people diagnosed were referred for post-diagnostic support. What will the Scottish Government do to ensure people in remote and rural areas are able to access the support that they require? Here, as in so many other areas, Scotland, like other countries, has got more work to do. We are seeing more and more people diagnosed with dementia as the population lives longer. One of the things that Scotland is recognised for internationally is our high rates of diagnosis of dementia. Any expert you speak to—this is true of any condition, of course, but it is particularly true of dementia because of the nature of support that is required. Early diagnosis is essential, so we are leading the world in terms of getting people diagnosed early. We have got more work to do in terms of the provision of post-diagnostic support, but, again, we are way ahead of most other countries when it comes to putting in place post-diagnostic services. In the next few weeks, I think that later this month, in fact, we will publish our new dementia strategy, which will build on those commitments and set out what we aim to achieve in the years ahead. However, let me tell you something that we will not be doing here in Scotland. That is imposing a dementia tax on old people. I am proud that, in Scotland, for over 65 years, we have free personal and nursing care. For older people that are eligible for nursing and personal care, that means a contribution of nearly £13,000 a year if you have to fund your own care from the state. That does not take away the burden on personal resources, but it significantly reduces it. We will also not be ensuring that somebody's own house is part of their financial assessment if they are receiving care in their own home, something that the Tories are planning to do in England. On that, as in so many other areas, we have got work to do, but I am proud that, when it comes to a progressive approach to dementia, when it comes to a progressive approach to paying for social care, Scotland is so much further ahead than anywhere else in the UK. Next week, we have got to make sure that we do not allow Tories to drag us backwards. I think that I know the answer, but does the First Minister agree with me that the dementia tax, which is essentially a plot to allow the financial services industry to asset-stripped dementia sufferers, has to be one of the most inhumane manifesto pledges ever devised? From a sedentary position, Ruth Davidson is trying to defend it just as Ruth Davidson defends the rape clause, another inhumane Tory policy. But not only is the dementia tax in principle wrong. What is completely beyond belief is that we have a Prime Minister who has put forward that policy, who now cannot answer even the most basic questions about it. There was firstly to be no cap on the cost of care, then there is to be a cap, but nobody in the Tories can tell anybody where the level of that is going to be set. Just as they cannot tell anybody what the means test for the winter fuel allowance is going to be, who is going to lose it, who is going to retain it. Ruth Davidson says that she does not have to worry about that in Scotland, but she will not tell us how much money she will devolve to go with the power. Are they going to devolve the budget for the winter fuel allowance now? Are they going to do, as they did with employment support, lock money off it before they do so? The Tory manifesto published a couple of weeks ago was nothing short of an assault on pensioners' benefits. The triple lock for pensions to go, the winter fuel allowance, to go and a dementia tax. I think that it is very clear for pensioners across Scotland. If you want to make sure that Theresa May does not have the power to take away your benefits and your protections, make sure that you have strong MPs standing up for you. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to help people with arthritis who are struggling to work. In December last year, we launched a Fair Scotland for disabled people plan, which included £3 million of funding for the active and independent living improvement programme. That programme helps to ensure that those who develop health conditions like arthritis, while in employment, can find the support that they need to stay in work. From April this year, we are using devolved employability powers to provide Scottish employment services specifically for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions to help them to find work and stay in work. We have also committed to exploring new ways of integrating health, disability and employment support in Scotland to ensure that people can find their way quickly to the tailored and person-centred support that they need. Would the First Minister agree that there is a need to recognise the scale and the impact of musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis in Scotland? It is the biggest cause of disability and pain across the country. According to Atheritis Research UK, it accounts for half of all work-related illness, and in Scotland 800,000 people live with osteoarthritis, which is the most common form of it. Anyone who has it will tell you that it is a very painful condition. There is some evidence to suggest that the use of cannabis for many sufferers can alleviate that pain, and some have called for the use of it under strict medical conditions. For example, countries such as Germany, Canada and 24 states in the US do that already. Earlier this year, the Medicines and Healthcare Products and Regulatory Agency said that cannabinoid is safe and companies can now apply for a licence. I was genuinely pleased to note that the SNP conference overwhelmingly backed it last year. Would the First Minister consider taking steps to licence cannabis for medical purposes? Or would the First Minister at least commit to looking at the basis for it? The First Minister. Thank you to the Parliament for raising the issue. More generally, I agree with it in terms of arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions, that for many people it will be conditions like that that make it very difficult for them to sustain employment, which is why all the work that I spoke about in my first answer is so important to help people to get or to stay in employment. It is also one of the reasons why the assault on benefits for disabled people and other people are so wrong, because often they penalise people who want to work but find it difficult to do so. One of the other benefit changes that I hope we see reversed in the next couple of years is the cut to employment and support allowance for disabled people. On the issue of cannabis, I have long been of the view that there is a case for medicinal use of cannabis. I am not in favour of the decriminalisation or legalisation of cannabis generally, but it is carefully used for certain conditions. I think that there is a case to be made. There are two issues, albeit related issues. There is the use of cannabis itself, and obviously the licensing and classification of drugs is a matter reserved to the UK Government. There is then also the separate issue, albeit related to which I think is the one Pauline McNeill is raising, of drugs that are derived from cannabis. As with all drugs in terms of their approval or not for use in Scotland, that is a decision for the independent Scottish Medicines consortium. I am more than happy to ask the health secretary to write to the member in more detail about whether there are any drugs currently under consideration that would be in that category or not. I am sympathetic. I do not hold all of the levers around the classification of drugs, but in terms of medicines we have a recognised process in place in Scotland. Of course, it is open to any manufacturer of drugs to ask for approval through that process. Thank you very much. That concludes First Minister's questions. Point of order, Anas Sarwar. I was questioned by both Kezia Dugdale and Willie Rennie on the legal guarantee for treatment waiting times. I believe that, on three occasions in response, the First Minister said that patient numbers seen had actually gone up. In actual fact, her own Government statistics and the statistics of ISD show that patient scene has actually declined, while those waiting for treatment has actually gone up. In 2013, 335,000 patients were seen and 5,000 waited over 12 weeks. In 2016, less than 310,000 patients were seen and over 30,000 patients waited longer than the 12-week treatment guarantee. Will the First Minister take this opportunity to correct the record? Thank you, Mr Sarwar, for raising it. The member is able to raise questions about all members who have a duty to be accurate and truthful when talking to the chamber. The member can pursue those issues by putting down written questions or in debates on further questions himself, and I am sure that that is not a point of order otherwise. That concludes First Minister's questions. We will now move on to members' business in the name of Maurice Corry. We will just take a few moments for members to change seats.