 Does our first item today run여�s a portfolio questions Culture and finance on the constitution. And we'll start with question number one from Jamie Greene. To ask the Scottish Government what the North Sea Oil Revenues were for 2016-17 and how that compares to the projections in its 2013 document, Scotland's Future. Cabinet Secretary Derekする steel Scotland's Future made clear that tax revenues from oil and gas production will depend on a range of different factors including future production in the North Sea, wholesale oil and gas prices and profitability. The Scottish Government presented a range of forecasts for oil and gas revenues based on information that was in line with external projections at the time. No organisations forecast the subsequent sharp decline in the oil price, which led to a period of record low profitability in the North Sea and a fall in oil and gas revenues. Encouragingly, there is increasing evidence of cautious optimism returning to the oil and gas sector, and the Scottish Government will continue to do everything within its powers to support the industry and its workforce as it emerges from the downturn. Jamie Greene I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. I think that what he failed to tell Parliament was that the document predicted up to £8 billion in oil revenues in his forecast. The actual number was just 208 million, just 2.7 per cent of the forecast. I was hoping for an apology perhaps from the cabinet secretary there. Given that this is not the great panacea that he was thinking in that document, it is actually the case that Scotland is now sitting with an 8.3 per cent deficit. Given the impact that this has on inward investment into Scotland, when does the cabinet secretary project Scotland's deficit to be reduced to below 3 per cent of GDP? Jamie Greene First of all, Scotland's notional deficit is reducing, but I have to say that that criticism about the forecast and oil and gas, does that same criticism apply to the UK Government whose forecasts were higher than the Scottish Government or is Mr Greene not aware of that assessment at the time? The Tory scoff, while the industry asks for actions in oil and gas, is too little, too late and 40 years of mismanagement of Scotland's resources has ensured that we have lost out to the tune of £328 billion. The Tory Government is failing industry completely in sharp contrast to a nation like Norway, independent Norway, with reserves of hundreds of pounds of pounds that it can invest in its public services, while we wait for action from the UK Government on oil and gas. Liam McArthur To ask the Scottish Government when it will respond to the recommendations of the Barclay review of non-domestic rates. I propose to update Parliament in a statement next week and have committed to publishing an implementation plan by the end of 2017. Liam McArthur I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. He will be aware that many in the pub and hotel trade, including key businesses in my own Orkney constituency, have seen the rates bills rise exponentially in recent months. You will therefore understand their frustration that the Barclay review appears to offer little light at the end of the tunnel. Does he accept that an assessment based on turnover rather than the full accounts of such businesses is likely to penalise those who have invested and wished to grow their business? Does he recognise that such an approach will do nothing to help to generate jobs, wages and tax revenues? Will he therefore undertake in responding to the Barclay review next week to find a more appropriate way of taxing pubs and hotels that remain a linchpin of the tourism sector that is so vital to the economy of Orkney and Scotland as a whole? I am disappointed that Liam McArthur either understands and is misleading us, but I am sure that that is not the case or does not understand the position of the methodology that assessors choose to use in assessing the hospitality sector, particularly within that licence premises. That is a matter for them. Methodology is a matter for them. They are independent of Scottish Government. Of course, I have intervened to support the hospitality sector following the evaluation, having taken early actions before that in terms of the poundage, a small business bonus and a large business supplement, but that is a specific real-terms cap for hospitality. I do think that I was very well received when I proposed to make an announcement on that, as well as the other non-domestic rates matter when I hopefully, with Parliament's agreement, make that statement next week. Ben Macpherson, the Barclay review suggests introducing rates relief for nurseries. Therefore, can I ask the cabinet secretary if he will be taking forward this recommendation to help to make childcare more affordable? Yes, I will, and further detail will follow in the statement that I hope to give to Parliament. 3. Murdo Fraser I may know the answer to that already, but can I ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the Barclay review of non-domestic rates? 2. Murdo Fraser I thank the cabinet secretary for his response. There are many sensible recommendations in the Barclay review, but one issue that has raised concern is the proposal to levy business rates on charitable bodies, including local authority-provided leisure centres, swimming pools, gyms and other sports clubs. Can the cabinet secretary tell us how such a proposal would lead to bodies having to increase their user charges, square with Government policy to encourage active lifestyles and tackle obesity? 3. Murdo Fraser Not today, Mr Fraser. Not today, but in the statement that I outlined to Parliament, I hope to cover all the issues in terms of the recommendations from the Barclay report. However, what I will continue to do is engage with stakeholders and consult, as Mr Fraser would expect. I would also encourage all political parties, and not least the Conservatives, to offer me a submission before next week. I can maybe consider the constructive suggestions that may be forthcoming from other political parties, especially when I have become aware that the Tories did not submit a submission to the Barclay review. They seem to make a lot of noise. I do not need to make a submission to the Barclay review. I am the minister and responsible for finance and the Scottish Government. It seems to pass the Tories by. Therefore, I will engage constructively with all the other political parties if they want to put a submission to me to consider before I make that statement to Parliament. I am all ears, but on this and many other issues, the Tories make a hell of a lot of noise but not a lot of progress. Jackie Baillie I am very glad that the minister is all ears, because when I last engaged with the finance secretary on business rates, he told me that the cap of 12.5 per cent applies in the current financial year only, and he would consider that further after the Barclay report. He, of course, has the Barclay report. I suspect that he is not going to tell me today, but let me ask anyway. Will the cap end on 31 March? Yes or no? Cabinet Secretary. I have already said that I will give a full statement to Parliament hopefully next week, subject to the agreement of Parliament's business managers. I look forward to the comprehensive and all-encompassing submission from the Labour Party. The Labour Party also did not submit a submission to the Barclay review. That is right. That is right. The Scottish Government delivered much-needed relief to the hospitality sector, as well as a range of other interventions that are amounting to relief to over £600 million in business rates support to this country, all of which were opposed by the Conservatives and the Labour Party, while the SNP stood up for business. Question 4, Richard Lyle. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government in light of the recent commentary on GERS—Government Expansion and Revenue Scotland figures—what its position is on the recent GERS report and the robustness of the findings within it. Cabinet Secretary. GERS provides estimates of revenue raised in Scotland and spending for Scotland under the current constitutional arrangements. It is a national statistics publication that has been independently assessed and found to be produced in accordance with the code of practice for official statistics. The assessment covers a number of areas, including the quality of the statistics and its suitability to the needs of users. Richard Lyle. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The cabinet secretary will be aware of the ONS publication that shows that Scotland's notional fiscal position is broadly similar to the UK average when London and the south-east of England are excluded. Does he agree with me that this is a clear demonstration of the failure of the UK economic policy that prioritises one city at the expense of all other areas? Yes, I believe with that statement. The Westminster Government has for too long focused investment in London. Despite that, Scotland's revenue per head is the fourth highest in the UK and Scotland's notional deficit as a share of GDP is better than that of Wales, Northern Ireland and many English regions. James Kelly. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The cabinet secretary will be aware of the importance of growth in Scotland compared with growth in the UK in relation to the block grant adjustment for future Scottish budgets. Does he therefore agree with me that it is a concern associated with the latest year's figures? We saw that tax revenues were growing by 1.5 per cent in the rest of the UK, but we have only increased by 0.92 per cent in Scotland. If that trend continues, I could have a detrimental effect on the block grant adjustment. What action is he going to take to ensure that growth in tax revenues increases and therefore economic growth grows? I am sure that Mr Kelly would welcome the Government's economic strategy, as well as the measures that were outlined in the programme for government just yesterday. I am sure that Mr Kelly will also welcome record high employment, near record low unemployment, progress on GDP and outstripping the GDP of the UK—almost four times the rate of GDP growth in the last quarter—record foreign direct investment, improvement in productivity and, of course, North Sea revenues rising once again. There are a range of economic and industrial interventions that this Government is making to support our economy, improve productivity and that will, in turn, help to grow our economy so that we have the resources to deliver our very valued public services. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the impact of Brexit on Scotland's public finances. Mr Michael Russell, Brexit threatens around 80,000 Scottish jobs and could cost our economy more than £11 billion a year by 2030. That presents a significant risk to Scotland's public finances. It is therefore essential that the Scottish Government has a direct role in the negotiations to ensure that any Brexit deal is in the interests of Scotland's economy and public services. We have confirmed that we will be passing on the current UK Government guarantees on EU funding in full to Scottish stakeholders to provide stability and certainty for key sectors of the Scottish economy. We will continue to press the UK Government to confirm how those guarantees will operate in practice and on what the replacement funding arrangements will be once the UK has left the EU. Graham Dey, I thank the minister for the answer, but can I ask him what concerns he might have over the financial implication of the UK Government's attempt in the EU withdrawal bill to reverse devolution and give Westminster control over devolved policy areas such as fishing, agriculture and the environment? The proposals in the withdrawal bill, as the First Minister indicated in her statement yesterday, are unacceptable to the Scottish Government. Of course, that is the position that the Welsh Government has taken to. Clearly, if frameworks were to be established without consultation—and that is the proposal from the UK Government—then the financial implications of those frameworks would also cause considerable worry. The best way to take the issue forward is for the UK withdrawal bill to be amended so that it would be acceptable to the Scottish Government, and that is a recommendation that we could then make to this chamber. I hope that the UK Government is listening to that reasonable point of view. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the recent GERS figures. GERS provides estimates of revenue raised in Scotland and spending for Scotland under the current constitutional arrangements. The results show that the lower oil price had an impact on North Sea revenues and the wider economy last year. However, it is encouraging to see an improvement in the overall notional fiscal balance, and the onshore revenues grew at their fastest rate in cash terms in nearly 20 years. However, a long-term economic success is now threatened by Brexit, which risks reducing household incomes, employment and funding for public services. That is why we continue to press for the Scottish Government to have a direct role in the Brexit negotiations. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The GERS figures show that public spending in Scotland is some £1400 per head higher than the UK average, thanks to the funding settlement that Scotland has with the UK Government. If it is still the Scottish Government's policy to dismantle that funding settlement, what level of economic growth would be required and over what timescale? The Scottish Government has made clear through our economic strategy that we want to grow the economy. However, what Mr Mountain is trying to do is to make a jump from pretending that the figures under the current constitutional arrangements relate to independence when he should know that the Fraser of Allander Institute has pointed out that it tells us about the current constitutional arrangements and nothing else. Over the course of the summer, he might do things that he does not always have the time to do, such as check out the Scotland office Twitter feed that we look at. When it came down to who is responsible for the Scottish economy, the Scotland office pointed out that the UK Government has responsibility for the economy, jobs, opportunity and currency. However, the Scottish Government has responsibility for health, skills and enterprise. On all the actions that we are taking that are helping us to deliver, GDP growth that is outstripping the UK, higher employment levels, more form direct investment, improvement on productivity, investment on digital and North Sea revenues increasing once again. Those are because of the actions that this Government is taking. Anyone who looks at the GERS figures and concludes that everything is fine and should be left as they are should look again, we could do so much more with the powers of independence. The cabinet secretary agrees with me that the key risks to Scottish public spending come from the UK Government's austerity programme. I find myself in agreement with that comment. That is not just a philosophical argument, it is the reality that the UK Government has cut Scotland's discretionary budget by £2.8 billion in real terms since 2010-11. That is funding for the day-to-day public services of Scotland, and it will be further cut if the Tories get their way by over £600 million in real terms between 2016-17 and 2019-20. I hear Murdo Fraser saying that it is scaremongering. No, it is not. It is a reality under the Conservatives, which will be opposed by the SNP every step of the way. To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken in preparation for new schemes of shared governance in the UK that may result from Brexit. Presiding Officer, if we have made clear in Scotland's place in Europe, the Scottish Government recognises that it may be necessary to establish arrangements for co-operation across the UK in some areas that are currently covered by EU law. We are currently assessing where such needs may exist. Together with the Deputy First Minister, I am in discussions with the First Secretary of State and the Secretary of State of Scotland with a view to agreeing principles that are a necessary starting point for co-operation on those matters. That is an answer to the question that the minister could have given several months ago. The question is what specific proposals for new regimes of shared governance in the UK have the Scottish Government brought forward since June 2016? Well, Presiding Officer, I would have thought that the UK Government is embarked upon this project to leave in the EU. If it wishes to change the schemes of shared governance, it should bring those forward. What it has done is, Presiding Officer, it is quite important that there is a debate and dialogue about that, and it is possible for the Government's point of view to be heard. Then Mr Tomkins can shout what he wants from the sidelines. The reality of the situation is that the UK Government has come forward with a bill that is unacceptable, which would not work, which breaches the principles of devolution and which, unfortunately, will create circumstances in which the powers of this Parliament will be considerably diminished. I, for one, will not accept that. I do not think that the responsible parties in this part of the Parliament will accept it if the Scottish Conservatives are now so reduced to being the poodle of the UK Government that they would even accept that, then I think that the people of Scotland will draw their own conclusions. Richard Lochhead Observing the intergovernment negotiations over Brexit from a distance, it appears that, even though often the UK ministers are in the same room as the devolved administrations, they are not actually listening to devolved ministers. Therefore, when it comes to talk of shared governance and new schemes to make that happen, will the minister give us an assurance that that will be on the basis of a mutual agreement between the devolved administrations of the UK Government and not a means by which the UK Government can undermine Scottish devolution? The member is right, but the term shared governance is very interesting. It has been introduced into this debate, I think, for the first time by Mr Tomkins. The UK Government has never proposed shared governance. Indeed, my discussions of the UK Government on issues around this bill have made it clear that there can be no discussion of shared governance. I am afraid that there is some misleading going on here. The reality is that the Scottish Government is absolutely willing to sit down to discuss the principles that would govern frameworks and to move together by joint agreement on those issues. There has been no such proposal from the UK Government. I regret that, but I certainly will not be pressured either by the UK Government or Professor Tomkins who is shouting from the sidelines into betraying this Parliament or devolution. If you brief, I will squeeze in Pauline McNeill. The House of Lords put together an excellent report on the impact of Brexit on the devolved nations. I have been pursuing this question for some time about what, say Scotland might get in a future immigration policy, and what I would like to know from the minister this afternoon is what specific talks they have had with the Government and do they see any light at the end of the tunnel on this important matter, given our heavy reliance on EU immigration? That is a very good point indeed. The Scottish Government published its response to the UK Government proposals on migration a couple of months ago. I think that every one of us would be astonished and shocked and deeply worried by the leaked proposals from the Home Office today. The issue of migration was raised on a number of occasions in the joint ministerial committee. We made no progress because the UK Government did not wish to discuss the idea of migration in regard to it as reserved exclusively to itself. When there is a Prime Minister who is an extreme hardliner on issues of migration, that will probably continue to be the case. I look to work with all those parties who wish to work in the same direction in this chamber to make two things clear. First, there must be discussion of these issues with the UK Government and secondly, we must be prepared to say openly and clearly that migration is a positive benefit to Scotland. It makes our society richer, it contributes financially, it is culturally and socially important to us and those voices who are now talking about migration in the negative terms that we hear are utterly unacceptable. I am absolutely certain that I can work with a member on those because I know that she absolutely holds those views true, as do members of the Labour Party and many others in the chamber. Regrettably, I have not heard them recently from members of the Tory party. I apologise to Andy Wightman and Gail Ross for not being able to use their questions. We now move to economy, jobs and fair work. Question 1 has not been lodged. Question 2, Alison Johnstone. To ask the Scottish Government whether the fair work framework applies to NHS Lothian. Minister, Jamie Hepburn. Yes, all employers are encouraged to adopt and promote the principles of the fair work framework that includes all NHS boards. I thank the minister for his response. The framework speaks of giving opportunities for hours of work that can align with family life and caring commitments. However, the minister may be aware that computerised rostering in certain NHS departments and wards has removed the flexibility that has enabled many long-serving NHS employees to combine work and family life. The withdrawal of the flexibility is leaving staff with no alternative in many situations but to leave the NHS. It is just very difficult for them to afford shift-friendly childcare, for example. Their leaving is the last thing that we need or want, so will the minister help me to make sure that the framework policies are being delivered on the ground in the NHS? Let me say that the issue of family flexible working is one that this Government takes very seriously. That is why we are, for example, a member of the family flexible working Scotland partnership. We are a full member and we fund that work. In relation to the concerns that have been raised by Alison Johnstone about the impact of the overall workforce, I would observe that we have more staff working in the workforce than we have in the past. Nonetheless, I take on board the point that she makes we, as an administration, promote flexible working arrangements to our own workforce. If there is a particular issue that she has identified in the NHS Lothian area, I will be very happy to hear from her. Of course, NHS Lothian is an employer in its own right, but she can write to me and I will be happy to investigate that matter. 2. Alex Cole-Hamilton To ask the Scottish Government what support it can offer to companies affected by the downturn in the North Sea oil and gas industry that are not based in the north-east. Minister Paul Wheelhouse, I attended offshore Europe 2017 and Tuesday with the cabinet secretary Keith Brown. At that event, we met individuals and companies operating across the whole of Scotland who were showcasing a range of technologies, products and services that are used in the oil and gas industry both in the North Sea and globally. Many of those companies are benefiting from support and account management services provided by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and this supplements, of course, relevant support that is received through business gateway services that is delivered through local authorities. In addition, our £12 million transition training fund has funded training opportunities for more than 2,400 individuals in the sector, faced with redundancy, with additional training programmes procured by the fund looking to create over 700 employment opportunities across Scotland. We have also provided a further £12.5 million to support innovation and business resilience. That support is available to businesses across Scotland. That included £10 million of SE funding to help firms to take forward vital research and development to support innovation and improve productivity. To date, around 111 innovation projects, with a total project value of £43 million, have benefited from increasing funding of around £16 million of Scottish Government support so far. We have also provided targeted support for business resilience reviews from industry experts with over £2.5 million invested in that commitment to date. Our competitive non-domestic rates package also targets support where it is most needed, including around £660 million of rates relief this year. Following the community empowerment act, councils are now able to apply further targeted reductions in business rates in response to the local economy's needs. I thank the minister for his answer. I am also grateful for the time given to me by his colleague Keith Brown when we met in June to discuss the difficulties faced by Edgen Murray Europe, a significant employer in my constituency who manufactures steel components exclusively for the oil industry. They have just seen a prohibitive rise in business rates during one of the worst periods in their history. They are not being based in the northeast. They do not qualify for the kind of support that firms based there currently do. They are not alone. What additional help can the Government offer to those specific companies outside of the northeast who depend on the oil and gas sector but who are struggling in the current environment? I would be happy to discuss the needs of the individual business that Alex Cole-Hamilton raises in regard to his own constituency. Certainly, I and Keith Brown are involved closely in the work of the steel task force and looking to support those businesses that are working in steel, not just in the oil and gas industry, but more widely in the economy. There may be measures that we can take to support through that route. In regard to business rates, the member will have heard the finance secretary refer to a statement that is coming up shortly in Parliament. He will say more in response to the Barclay review, and I would hope that between the work that the finance secretary can do on business rates and the work that the economy team can do in regard to supporting individual businesses using the enterprise agencies, we can help to support the important employer in Edinburgh West that Alex Cole-Hamilton raises. Clare Adamson Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that UK Government's lack of support for the oil and gas industry, most recently evidenced by the failure to appoint an oil and gas ambassador, is shameful and harmful to the companies and the workforce in this industry? I would certainly refer to the question that was raised by Clare Adamson. In January 2016, in a pre-election mode, the previous Prime Minister, David Cameron, gave a UK Government commitment to appoint an oil and gas ambassador to help to ensure the best possible access for Scottish and UK companies to markets overseas. That has not clearly been fulfilled, a point of embarrassment to Richard Harrington when he appeared in Aberdeen last week. However, Scottish Development International importantly continues to work with Scottish companies to offer significant financial incentives and other assistance to help businesses access international markets. However, the lack of support from the UK Government is indeed concerning in that respect, particularly when the industry has set itself an ambitious target to generate additional revenue of more than £290 billion by extending the life of the North Sea and maximising supply chain sales to international export markets. It is important that we get our act together collectively with the UK Government and the Scottish Government. I am confident that we are doing everything that we can. We need to see the UK Government follow through as well. 4. James Dornan To ask the Scottish Government how the youth employment rate in Scotland compares to the UK as a whole and the rest of the EU. Mr James Hepburn. Is Scotland performed strongly in youth employment compared with both the UK and the rest of the EU? The latest statistics, published by the Office for National Statistics on 16 August and covering April to June, show that Scotland's youth employment rate is 5.3 percentage points higher than that for the UK as a whole. The most recently available internationally comparable data shows that Scotland has the third highest youth employment rate of the EU 28 countries and Scotland's youth unemployment rate was the third lowest of the EU 28 countries in Q2 2017, compared with the 14th highest in Q2 in 2007. James Dornan I thank the minister for that very positive response. Can the minister provide detail on what support has been given to young people in Scotland to help them to find work? James Dornan I can say that each year over £8 billion is spent in Scotland between the Scottish Government and its agencies and local government in all forms and across all stages of learning and training. That ensures that our young people are best placed to take advantage of opportunities in the workforce. The latest annual participation measure report, which was published last month, shows that our policies are working with 91.1 per cent of 16 to 19-year-olds participating in learning and training our work. As I have just set out, the labour market is performing well in Scotland and our focus now is helping those who face the greatest barriers to work. We are doing this through our youth employment strategy, which is implementing the development of young workforce recommendations and another range of measures. For example, since 2011, we have provided the SCVO with more than £50 million to deliver the Community Jobs Scotland programme. That programme has supported more than 7,500 young people into job training opportunities across all 32 local authority areas. We have also, with an aim of providing long-term investment for maximum social return. Since 2008, we have invested £36.44 million in inspiring Scotland's 14 to 19 fund, working with third sector organisations. That fund has supported 27,000 young people into a positive destination. We continue support for local authorities to deliver activity agreements, which are a key component of the opportunities for all offer. Last year, we saw an increase in progressions from activity agreements to positive destinations. There is clear positive signs, but, of course, this entire chamber can be assured that this remains an important focus of my work. Jamie Halcro Johnston Thank you, Presiding Officer. Does the minister agree that youth unemployment remains a significant challenge? If so, how does he justify the cuts to skills in training in this year's budget? First of all, I welcome Mr Halcro Johnston to his place. This is the first opportunity that we have had to interact with one another in relation to his role. I have just set out a considerable range of activity that we are undertaking. I have also set out—I do, given our on-going commitment to the agenda—that there are areas that we need to focus on in relation to youth unemployment. However, we are moving in the right direction. We are continuing to invest significant resources in training objectives. That is why, for example, this year, we will increase the number of modern apprenticeship places available, for instance, with additional revenue going to that. Let me say to Mr Halcro Johnston that he can be reassured, despite his failure to welcome where we are right now, that, as I said to this entire chamber, that remains a considerable focus of my role. To ask the Scottish Government how the performance of the economy is affected by the property market. The property market plays an important role in the Scottish economy. The real estate sector accounted for 10.6 per cent of Scotland's economy in terms of gross value added and also grew by 1.7 per cent in real terms during 2016. That measure covers not only services provided by estate agents but also the economic value added from rental and owner-occupied housing as well as commercial property. I am happy to provide more detailed information on those sub-sectors if those are behind the question that the member has asked. Additionally, Scottish Government statistics show that over £8.3 billion was spent in 2016 on the construction of new dwellings or improvements to dwellings. A well-functioning property market also contributes indirectly to economic performance. The availability of affordable housing improves the functioning of the labour market by enabling thousands of households to take advantage of job opportunities in different parts of Scotland. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. However, this summer, the Scottish housing market was, in a serious slowdown, reportedly stagnating in July, and policies of this Government such as the land and buildings transaction tax are stifling investment at the middle and higher end of the market, resulting in lack of mobility to allow people to purchase lower-priced homes. Does the cabinet secretary agree that, to improve the economy, the Government needs to fully reform its approach to taxation and taxes such as the LBTT? I should say that questions around the LBTT are really from a colleague, Derek Mackay. However, in relation to the housing statistics that the member mentioned, he will have seen the prosperity index that was recently published. It said that more stable growth in house prices in Scotland than in the rest of the UK contributes to greater affordability of housing. It also says that, in the first several months of this year, residential transactions over 40,000 were up by an annual 5 per cent in Scotland compared to 4 per cent in Wales and 3 per cent in Northern Ireland. In England, of course, they were down 6 per cent. There is some evidence of success and, in relation to the fact that the LBTT does advantage those who are further down the housing chain, which is very good, as I mentioned, for employment. I have been overwhelmed by Conservative congratulations and good wishes about the completion of the Queensferry crossing, but they will know that, in relation to that project, the Chambers in five chambers of commerce and others developers are very keen to see how they can maximise the benefits of Scottish Government investment and infrastructure for the benefit of the housing market. I would think that that would be welcomed by the Conservative benches. James Dornan I have a question for the cabinet secretary on LBTT. Whether the on-going monitoring of LBTT by the Scottish Fiscal Commission will take into consideration the impact of the property market on the economy? Derek Mackay is responsible for that. However, in its previous devolved taxes forecasting role, and for other reasons, the Scottish Government closely monitors LBTT transactions and the revenues that we have on a monthly basis. Those are, as has been mentioned, highly dependent on conditions in both the housing market and the wider economy. The Scottish Fiscal Commission, as the member knows, is independent from Government, and it is there for a matter for the commission to determine its approach to fulfilling its remit. The commission published its first forecast evaluation report for 2016-17 and outlined its current approach to forecasting in separate publications on Tuesday. It should make the point that LBTT, as I was trying to say to the previous member, minimises the impact on the property market by ensuring that everyone is buying a property under £325,000, pays no tax or less tax than under the UK stamp duty land tax, and by taking up to 10,000 house purchases out of tax. That is us, the Scottish Government, taking 10,000 houses out of tax. That would be a tax cut in Tory language. We have a 0 per cent upper tax threshold of £145,000, so those are things to help to address the housing market in Scotland, in particular the affordable housing market, in addition to what we are doing in terms of social housing as well. I think that it is a good track record from the Scottish Government. Question 6, Jackson Carlaw. To ask the Scottish Government what the impact has been of the capital acceleration programme. Minister for Rural Affairs, Paul Wheelhouse. The Scottish Government's £100 million capital stimulus has helped to support jobs and business activity across the Scottish economy at a time when economic uncertainty was heightened as a result of the EU referendum. Such investment, which includes £10 million to support the delivery of capital projects for local economic development, provides the assets and infrastructure that will support future economic growth in Scotland. Jackson Carlaw. Thank the minister for that response. While he is still in his seat, can I also congratulate the finance secretary and his recent 40th birthday? It does not look a day over 50. When the capital acceleration fund was launched, he indicated that there was an additional £100 million of funding in that particular financial year. Can he confirm how much of that £100 million was accessed and whether that continues to be available in the forthcoming year and in future years, and if not, why not? I am sure that the congratulations were well received by the finance secretary for his double 20, as he put it. We certainly went and announced the spending that our intention was to accelerate spending and ensure that there was a quick stimulus to local economies across Scotland. As at 31 March this year, £86 million had been spent with the balance of £14 million expected to be spent in the current financial year. In some projects, there was a commitment given to ensure that there was legal closure on the deal to ensure that funding was committed for the current financial year, so that is why spending did not happen before March 2017. We are looking to see those impacts come forward. In terms of the economic impact of the projects that have arisen, including in some cases when the spend has yet to occur, but it will happen in this financial year. It is not yet possible to monitor the impact, but there is a detailed list that may help the member who has been supplied in response by the finance secretary, Derek Mackay, to Jackie Baillie on 7 July, which sets out quite a lot of detail about each of the individual projects that have been commissioned and sets out where we can do at this stage the anticipated employment impact and the composition of each of the projects that have been commissioned. I hope that that will help the member to understand both the nature of the projects and the anticipated economic impact in the longer term. To ask the Scottish Government how the economy and jobs are being supported through initiatives such as the Scottish growth scheme. As the First Minister set out in the programme for government yesterday, the Scottish Government has continued to take action across a range of areas to support the Scottish economy and jobs. The Scottish growth scheme will support the economy and jobs by providing access to finance for companies that want to fund growth and export expansion. We launched the first product under the scheme, the Scottish European Growth Co-Investment programme, on 16 June. A £200 million initiative will bring together investment from the Scottish Government to Scottish Enterprise, the EIF and private sector fund managers, and expect to make announcements about further projects shortly. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. He knows that, obviously, a year ago, the Government launched the Scottish growth scheme and trumpeted it as a half a billion pound vote of confidence in Scottish business. However, the Sunday Times reported just a couple of weeks ago that, in that year, the scheme has yet to pay out cash to any business. Can the cabinet secretary confirm when cash from the scheme will be made available to Scottish business? Of course, the finance that has been mentioned has been made available from now, but there are two parties to allocating that cash. The other parties, some of whom we are in discussion with already, are part of that process. It will depend on the nature of the application and what further work is to be done for the application. However, I think that it is a very positive thing that we are making this finance available. Part of the reason why it adds to conference in the Scottish economy is why we see, for example, four times the growth in GDP in Scotland and the rest of the UK. I would like to see what the Scottish Tories have got to say to the UK Government about how they have to up their game to try and match what we are doing in Scotland, either in terms of GDP or in terms of growth. However, it is important that we continue to provide those measures. I think that this is a very important one. I say to Liz Smith that applicants are currently engaging with the Scottish Government to try and access this funding. We have to go through the diligence process, and, of course, as soon as we have done that, we will make the information available to the Parliament. Finally, Willie Rennie. Willie Rennie was announced with great urgency last year. Is the minister actually saying that money has been given out from the Scottish growth fund, because that is not what I understand as the case? Can he clarify the situation? Has money been spent, or has it not? Cabinet Secretary. Willie Rennie has listened to my answer. I have just said to him that we are engaging with applicants to this fund, and that takes time to do. It will depend on the applicants themselves. Again, what is unfortunate is that Willie Rennie takes his cue these days from the Conservatives and refuses to acknowledge the benefits to the Scottish economy. For example, in things such as the new bridge to Fife, which I thought he might have been interested in, has been a contributing factor to growth in Scotland. It would be good if he would acknowledge that from time to time, instead of, as usual, tagging on the coattails of the Tories, which seems to be his preferred method of operation.