 Good afternoon. The first item of business is portfolio questions. The first portfolio is Covid-19 recovery and parliamentary business. If a member wishes to request a supplementary question, he should press their request to speak button during the relevant question or enter the letter R in the chat function. As ever, to get in as many members as possible, I would appreciate to think to questions and answers. Question number one, Jackie Dunbar. Oh, sorry, Mr Barclay, point of order Donald Cameron. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I made this point of order further to the one made by Stephen Kerr last night and in light of the response of the Minister for Parliamentary Business, in relation to the potential appearance of the Lord Advocate to answer questions on the referral of an independence referendum bill to the Supreme Court announced yesterday by the First Minister. As you will recall, Deputy Presiding Officer, the First Minister stated that she believed that Lord Advocate would be willing to answer questions from MSPs. The Minister for Parliamentary Business stated in response to Stephen Kerr's point of order that he said that members know, and I quote, that the sub-judice rule is recognised by rule 7.5 of standing orders by reference of the Contempt of Court Act 1981. That rule properly prohibits parliamentary debate and matters that are currently before the courts, its purpose is to help maintain the boundaries of the relationship between the legislature and the judiciary, and it should be respected on that basis. The 1981 act is concerned with hearings and does not spell out when proceedings are active specifically for references like the one made today. With the greatest respect to the Minister I see on the front bench, I would take issue with that. As he said correctly, rule 7.5 of our standing orders contains the rule on sub-judice. That states that a member may not refer in proceedings of parliament in relation to which legal proceedings are active, that is correct. Secondly, that legal proceedings are active if they are active for the purposes of section 2 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981. Turning to section 2 of that act, that act in turn refers to schedule 1 to that act, and that schedule refers to a number of different types of proceedings, to criminal proceedings, to civil proceedings at birth, both first instance and appeal. While there is no reference to a referral of a devolution issue, it is caught by paragraph 12 of that schedule, which is a catch-all provision, and it catches the referral by the Lord Advocate. Paragraph 12 says that proceedings other than criminal proceedings and appellate proceedings are active from the time when arrangements for the hearing are made, or if no such arrangements are previously made from the time the hearing begins until the proceedings are disposed of or discontinued or withdrawn. In terms of the referral by the Lord Advocate announced yesterday, no such arrangements for a hearing have so far taken place. Thus, the Lord Advocate's referral cannot be said to be active proceedings for the purposes of our standing order, either in law or in terms of the standing orders. Therefore, there is nothing to prevent the Lord Advocate coming to this chamber to take questions from MSPs. That is in accordance with the wider position in Scott's law, and so, for those reasons, Deputy Presiding Officer, I reiterate the calls for the Lord Advocate to appear tomorrow in the chamber before recess. This is urgent. Of course, if we wait till after recess, the hearing may well be arranged and the sub-judice rule may well apply. This is Parliament's one and only opportunity and an interest of transparency and openness. Given the proper role of this Parliament in scrutinising Government and given the very significant national issues raised, I would ask you, on behalf of the Presiding Officer and the Bureau, to reconsider, especially in life, the fact that the First Minister herself said that she thought that the Lord Advocate was amenable. I apologise for going on at some length, but as a law of deputy, Presiding Officer, you will know how important it is to outline the provisions. I thank the member for his point of order. Standing orders provide that matters in relation to active legal proceedings can be referred to only to the extent that is permitted by the Presiding Officer. In relation to the reference to the Supreme Court, my understanding is that the case is not currently active and therefore the sub-judice rule is not currently engaged. Once a date for a hearing is set, the expectation is that the rule would be engaged. At present, there is no indication of when a hearing will be set. Of course, at that time it would be a matter for the Presiding Officer to apply the rules in the normal way. As regards any statement by the Lord Advocate, that would of course be a matter for the Bureau in the first instance. We will now move to portfolio questions. I call question number one, Jackie Dunbar. To ask the Scottish Government how its Covid-19 recovery policies across Government are helping to address any Covid-19-related staff shortages across Scottish public sector bodies including in Aberdeen-Donside. Amongst the measures taken by the Government to assist public bodies in addressing the issue of Covid-19 staff shortages in Aberdeen-Donside, Aberdeen City Council will receive £409.8 million in 2022-23 to fund vital day-to-day local services that equates to an extra £35.2 million on additional 9.4 per cent compared to £21.22. Councils and other public sector bodies have flexibility to manage their resources and budget as long as they fulfil their statutory obligations and jointly agree national and local priorities. The Scottish Government and COSLA have agreed shared priorities for recovery, targeting support for those most affected during the pandemic. I thank the Deputy First Minister for his answer and I welcome that NHS Grampian has changed their approach to recruitment to strengthen participation in international recruitment initiatives, promote links with further education, apprenticeship programmes and are undertaking a review of all agency staff, as well as providing mentoring roles to older staff. Will the Deputy First Minister join me in welcoming this outward-looking approach from NHS Grampian and comment on how the Government is further enhancing efforts across the public sector? I welcome the steps taken by NHS Grampian and it is part of the work that has been undertaken within the national health service to expand the recruitment of staff and to exhaust all options to try to address the shortages issue. Obviously, there are challenges about international recruitment, exacerbated by the issues around Brexit and immigration, but the Scottish Government will certainly work with health boards and encourage them to take the steps that have been taken by NHS Grampian. The cabinet secretary will be aware that a circular was issued by the Scottish Government this week, removing the temporary Covid protections from NHS employees. In particular, NHS employees with long Covid have contacted me, worried about what that means for their jobs. They do not have access to proper diagnostics and treatment. Long Covid is incredibly debilitating and they are concerned that they will lose pay and lose their jobs. Will the cabinet secretary review the policy urgently and reassure staff with long Covid that they will still have jobs to return to? Obviously, we are in a situation where the Government is absolutely committed to the fair work agenda. The issues that Jackie Baillie raises are issues that would be addressed by the fair work agenda. Individuals who face challenges with their health are obviously entitled to employment support from their employers as part of that activity and I would want to reassure members and staff that that would be the case. If there are particular instances that Jackie Baillie is concerned about and has drawn to our attention, I would be grateful if you would share those with ministers and we will certainly explore any anxiety that is in the minds of staff as a consequence of that guidance. Following on from Jackie Dunbar's question about the NHS, I am very concerned about the current state of primary care. In GPs, poor workforce planning means that Scotland is about 225 whole-time equivalent GPs shot and, according to Audit Scotland, little progress was made on recruiting more before the pandemic even hit with only 39 recruited in three years. What can the cabinet secretary tell us now about the recruitment of GPs to make sure that we can deal with the current crisis? I acknowledge that, in some parts of the country, there are particular challenges about the recruitment of general practitioners and, without generalising too much, that would be more acute in rural areas than in urban areas, but urban areas are not without their challenges as well. The Government has invested heavily in the recruitment of general practitioners and has worked to make general practice attractive through a number of different interventions about reducing, for example, the financial burdens that some general practitioners have been expected in the past to carry and to enable them to be better supported by NHS infrastructure. We are in a situation today where we have more GPs per head of population in Scotland than in other parts of the United Kingdom, but we must continue to work to ensure that we replenish the recruitment of general practitioners and that is a priority of the health secretary, as we speak. To ask the Scottish Government whether its Covid-19 recovery planning will include measures to improve access to interpreters and translators for people using public services? The Covid recovery strategy is focused on bringing about a fairer future, particularly for those most affected during the pandemic. We will do that by transforming public services to ensure that they are person-centred in design and delivery and support communities and the most vulnerable to thrive. As part of that transformation, the Scottish Government is committed to improving and embedding inclusive communication within Government and across public bodies and is currently reviewing the effectiveness of the public sector equality duty in Scotland. Analysis of consultation responses to proposals designed to support public bodies to better meet PSEDs and Scottish-specific duties requirements is expected to be completed by August of this year. I welcome that response from the cabinet secretary. Sessional interpreters were rightly considered to be key workers during the pandemic, and they continue to play a vital role in Covid recovery and in assisting the NHS and justice services. Traiding, however, has been raising some concerns about fair work and to seek assurance that the Government will do everything that it can to ensure that special interpreters employed in the public sector are covered by the terms of fair work. A meeting was requested on 28 March between the STUC and the Minister for Fair Work. Unfortunately, the meeting has not happened yet. Can the cabinet secretary take that meeting forward or ensure that a relevant minister will meet with the STUC at the earliest opportunity? I welcome the work that has been undertaken by Sessional interpreters at all times, but particularly during Covid it would have been particularly significant for individuals. Of course, in the context of welcoming some of our guests from Ukraine, it is ever more important in our communities. Monica Lennon properly reflects the Government's support for the fair work agenda. I had a discussion just last week with the STUC on relevant issues. I will be happy to explore the issues about a meeting with ministers to address any of those concerns and I will make sure that that is taken forward as a consequence of this exchange. 3. Sarah Boyack To ask the Scottish Government how its cross-Government Covid recovery policies will take account of the recommendations of its Covid-19 ventilation short-life working group. Our ventilation short-life working group made 10 recommendations aimed at improving awareness of the contribution that ventilation has in reducing the risk of transmission, regulations, guidance, technical skills and air quality in buildings. Work is in hand to take forward the recommendations. We are prioritising actions that can be taken quickly to improve ventilation ahead of this winter to improve our resilience against Covid-19 and other infections. I will be writing to all members of Parliament this afternoon to provide more detail than I can put on the record just now on the Scottish Government's progress in relation to those recommendations. I welcome the Deputy First Minister's answer because I have had constituents getting in touch and organisations getting in touch because the working group was due to publish its recommendations by March. Those have not gone on the Scottish Government's website. As the Deputy First Minister said, with Covid still being with us, one in 20 in Scotland have been Covid. It is more important than ever to improve indoor ventilation. Could the Deputy First Minister say, given that the recent report by the Royal Academy of Engineering showed that improved ventilation would add billions to the economy? Could the Deputy First Minister at least say what higher standards or investment in ventilation he will be delivering to keep people safe? Let me acknowledge the importance of the point that Sarah Boyack raises, and the working group gave us very clear recommendations. I will set out in a letter to members of Parliament this afternoon the steps that we are taking. Fundamentally and in principle, we accept the recommendations of the group about the importance of taking forward the ventilation strategy, of improving ventilation in our buildings, of recognising the benefit that that has for the wellbeing of individuals and for the wellbeing of the economy in the market. There are many businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, that are needed for financial support in order to improve their ventilation. The Scottish Government set up a £25 million Covid ventilation fund for business, but it paid out less than £1 million before closing. The Federation of Small Business said that it was guilty of clunky administration systems and serious delays in getting cash out to firms. Why does the cabinet secretary think that this fund was such a failure? We have to be careful about the distribution of public money. On any other day, Mr Fraser could be putting to me the Audit Scotland report that was demanding more information about the distribution of public funding. On this occasion, Mr Fraser is coming here essentially asking me to gather less information than on another day he would be demanding more information. We have committed to evaluating the 2021 business ventilation fund and will consider the recommendations of the ventilation subgroup in the light of that evaluation, recognising that the Government has every interest in making sure that funding schemes that we make available are impactful within the business community. That was the case with the Covid recovery funding. If there are lessons to learn about the administration of individual funds, we will learn them to make sure that the process of Government is as efficient and smooth in all circumstances. Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on ensuring that all voters in Scotland can exercise their right to a secret vote. Minister George Adam, I hope that you have enough of that. It is on the business bulletin anyway, so on you go. The secrecy of the ballot is of course fundamental to our democracy. That is why we continue to work with partners to explore a number of practical solutions for voters who face barriers. The upcoming consultation on electoral reform is a further opportunity for those with an interest to contribute ideas to this important agenda. Ruth Maguire I thank the minister for that answer. As he says, voting independently and confidentially is one of the basic rights of our democracy. It is unacceptable that so many blind and partially sighted people still experience problems doing so. Will the minister commit to acting as promptly as possible to ensure that this right is realised for all voters in Scotland at the next school? Those who are blind and partially sighted have been one of the key groups that we have been working with to make sure that we get solutions to some of the problems. However, our programme for government explicitly includes a commitment to improving accessibility of elections. Understandably, progress has not been as quick as we would like to over the past few years. However, as I have made clear on a number of occasions now, I am committed to this agenda and want to see improvements brought forward from the work that I just mentioned, as soon as it is practical. To ask the Scottish Government whether its Covid recovery strategy includes the provision of funding for charities working to strengthen community resilience and support mental health. The Covid recovery strategy highlights the importance of charities and community resilience. Our social enterprise and volunteering action plans will strengthen that role. We have committed £120 million of recurring funding to support mental health and wellbeing, including £36 million over two years through the community's mental health and wellbeing fund for adults. The fund recognises the role of community groups supporting nearly 1,800 projects. We are providing local authorities with £50 million per annum to fund over 230 community mental health supports for children and young people, where the third sector is a delivery partner. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. During the pandemic, Yoker, within my constituency in Glasgow Annesland, was surveyed for community resilience as part of SamH, Inspire, Mind and the co-op's efforts to understand what makes communities resilient and how that strengthens an individual's mental health. The Covid recovery strategy also highlights how important communities are to tackling poor mental health and delivering support to those who are most marginalised in society, who are often the worst affected by the pandemic. Will the Scottish Government give consideration to funding aimed at charities working in children and young people's mental health and crisis prevention in marginalised communities through the introduction of the whole-family wellbeing fund? I would certainly be very keen that the type of projects that Mr Kidd has raised would be reflected in the whole-family wellbeing fund. It is an opportunity for us to recognise that some of the mental health challenges that individuals face are a consequence of a multiplicity of different factors, and by taking a holistic, in some circumstances, whole-family approach, we will address those issues. I had the pleasure during the pandemic of visiting an excellent project to Mr Kidd's constituency in the Dram Chapel area, which I remember was an art-based project, and it was immensely successful in stimulating community engagement and assisting in addressing the wellbeing of individuals. There is some very good learning from Mr Kidd's constituency that we can build upon. Time and time again at the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, we heard of the essential role that third-party organisations played in supporting people young and old with mental health issues and those with mental illness when statutory services were letting them down. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the mental health of people across Scotland, and for that reason funding for charities and community initiatives will be more important than ever before in the coming years. Access to services is critical in supporting mental health. Can the Deputy First Minister outline why more than 10,000 of our children and young people were refused access to mental health treatment during the course of 2021? What assurances can he give me that urgent work is being undertaken to make services much more accessible this year and beyond? The issue that Siewwebber raises is a very important issue, but the judgments that will have been arrived at will have been clinical judgments that will have been made by the services involved. I would consider some of the issues that Siewwebber has fairly raised with me within the context of some of the whole family wellbeing analysis that we are undertaking, where if we provide more effective support to individuals in some circumstances through community organisations, we can avoid the crystallisation of mental health and wellbeing challenges because people are better supported, more included and more assisted in their endeavour. That thinking has been brought to bear. I am delighted that our local authority partners are working closely with us on the Covid recovery strategy in trying to make that a practical reality, but we need the engagement of the third sector, which I warmly welcome, because the third sector has a track record of being able to reach individuals who it may be more challenging for the statutory services to reach. Question 6, Natalie Dawn, who is joining us remotely. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the possible impact on its legislative programme of the UK Government's proposed Brexit freedoms bill. Natalie Dawn brings up an important point. It is simply impossible at this stage to access the full impact of Brexit freedoms bill on the legislative programme, given how little information has been shared with us by the UK Government. We only saw the full list of laws that the UK Government plans to change when it was published last week. Mr Rees Mogg has asked the public to identify which retained EU laws it wants to do away with, but he has not asked anyone, including the Scottish Government, which laws should be kept. The lack of respect shown towards the devolved nations by the bill is staggering, and the uncertainty that it causes for the work of this Parliament is deeply concerning. The Scottish Government offers assurance that it will provide what certainty it can by staying committed to the plans that are laid out in the programme for government and the principles of the EU continuity act. As Ms Dawn says, the Scottish people did not vote for Brexit. We have been clear that this Government believes that a future independent Scotland should seek to rejoin the EU as soon as possible and that maintaining alignment with current EU laws will help us to achieve that aim. It is impossible to know what full consequences of the Brexit freedom bill will be, given how little information has been shared with us, but one final point is that the main purpose of the bill appears to give the UK Government the freedom to abandon legislation that has protected Scottish interests for almost 50 years. Farmers and fishers in the north-east already know that they were sold a bad deal by the Tories with Brexit. They know that the Brexit freedoms bill will not provide what they need in order to continue in their chosen profession. Can the minister indicate what plans and mitigations he thinks the Scottish Parliament should be considering to ensure that the proposed bill does not unduly affect people, particularly those in more marginal communities? As I said previously, for 50 years, EU law has helped to set and maintain high standards, created clarity for Scottish business and provided confidence for consumers. The stark choice facing the Scottish Government is either we do away with these things, which would be complete and utter folly, or do we spend parliamentary government time which could be otherwise spent on costs of living crisis to keep them? To support economically marginalised communities, the Scottish Government is tackling child poverty, reducing inequalities and supporting financial wellbeing alongside social security payments that are not available anywhere else in the United Kingdom. To ask the Scottish Government what recent cross-government discussions regarding NHS recovery from the pandemic have taken place as part of its Covid recovery strategy. In 2021, we published the NHS recovery plan that set out commitments that will support recovery over the five years to 2026, supported by the implementation of improvements in new models of care. We have on-going discussions with key stakeholders, including the national health service, across Government and other UK Governments around the NHS recovery. A full update on progress in the first year since publication will be published in September after the parliamentary recess. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The recent statistics highlight the huge backlogs that have built up in our NHS. This year, the Scottish Government has been provided with the largest ever core block grant that should be used to its fullest to ensure that NHS and public services are provided. I therefore ask the cabinet secretary to indicate what lessons have been learned from discussions with other Governments across the United Kingdom to ensure that resources are targeted to recover our public services. That type of activity is right at the heart of the decisions that the Government takes on our priorities, whether in particular in relation to the NHS, which is the subject of Mr Stewart's question about increasing NHS capacity to meet on-going healthcare needs around the enhancing of primary care services, the enhancing of cancer services, or the transformation of mental health services. All of those points are right at the heart of the agenda that the Government has taken forward to improve public services to tackle the very clear impact that the pandemic has had on the waiting times of individuals for services. As a consequence, we will endeavour to make as much progress as we possibly can do in improving public services. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the role that the Covid-19 booster vaccination programme will play in its Covid recovery strategy. Presiding Officer, since its inception, the Scottish Government's Covid-19 vaccination programme has been guided by expert advice provided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. The JCVI is reviewing the emerging clinical evidence, including about vaccine waning, infection rates and hospitalisation. The JCVI's interim advice in May recommends an autumn winter 22 booster programme for those at higher risk of severe Covid-19. Once the JCVI has reached a final position, we will confirm booster arrangements as quickly as possible to make sure those who are most vulnerable have the protection that they need by this winter. We will continue to be guided by their advice and by that evidence as we have done for this pandemic. Given the recent increase in cases, I will not be the only MSP that I am sure is receiving inquiries from constituents asking for information about when the fourth Covid vaccine booster will be available to those not in the three categories currently who are able to get it. I raised this matter following information provided to me that it is in John's facility in Perth, which the Deputy First Minister will be very familiar with. Staff were very free to offer vaccinations because of the few number of patients who were attending, so could I ask the cabinet secretary to tell me when the information about further groups will be available? We are in the hands of the JCVI on this question. Liz Smith will understand that we rely on the JCVI for its advice. All Governments have followed their advice and I think that that has served us well. We expect the advice to be with us so that we are in a position to roll out the programme probably around the end of September, early October, but that is a stress that is conditional on us receiving the advice from the joint committee, which we do not yet have. We have strong facilities in place around the country to enable us to deliver the vaccination programme. It has been an extraordinary success and we are keen to make sure that the population protection is boosted as a consequence of the decisions that we take and the consequence of JCVI advice. That concludes portfolio questions on Covid-19 recovery and parliamentary business. There will be a very short pause before we move on to the next portfolio questions on net zero energy and transport. The next portfolio is net zero energy and transport. Again, if a member wishes to ask a supplementary question, could I request that they press the request to speak buttons during the relevant question, or place an R in the chat function, and I call question number one, Pauline McNeill. To ask the Scottish Government what range of heating systems it anticipates will replace gas boilers in the near future. The heat in building strategy identifies priority technologies available for deployment in the near term. Those relevant to homes currently using gas boilers are, of course, energy efficiency improvements and individual heat pumps in certain buildings using mains gas, where assessment indicates short-term cost effectiveness and areas that are least likely to convert to hydrogen in the future. Finally, heat networks in areas that are deemed suitable. Those are regarded as no and low-regrets options across all plausible pathways to net zero. They are the ones that are likely to be the most cost effective zero emissions options in the buildings that are identified. Pauline McNeill. Thank you minister for that answer. Some already available low-carbon cost systems, including electric boilers and heat pumps, have limitations. Heat pumps are disruptive to install, simply not practical or even possible for many households where they are viable, they are often prohibitively expensive, and electric boilers are very costly to run. Lord Willie Hockie, who is the biggest provider of heat pumps in the country, does not believe that there is a suitable replacement for domestic boilers. Can the minister tell me which low-carbon heat source the Government currently recommends for houses and flats that cannot afford heat pumps or where they are unable to install those pumps, that would be comparable to the cost of a gas boiler? I have had the opportunity to meet and discuss those issues with Lord Hockie, who I know has strong views on it. However, the experience that we have and the comparable data that we have from other countries that have already had a long history of using both heat pumps and heat networks is that they will be effective in Scotland. There are, as Pauline McNeill points out, additional challenges in relation to flats and tenements, which make up for around 40 per cent of Scotland's homes. It is clearly important that we make progress in this part of the domestic sector to meet our statutory climate change targets. That is a complex area, and that is why we have established a tenement short-life working group to provide recommendations to the Scottish Government on regulating those homes. That group will provide its recommendations by the end of the year and will respond by setting out our proposed approach as part of the forthcoming consultations. It may well be that heat networks play a very significant role in those type of buildings compared with heat pumps at an individual level. As set out in the heat and building strategy, when a heat pump replaces a modern-efficient gas boiler, the greater efficiency of the heat pump may be insufficient to offset the higher price of electricity, and that could increase the cost on household. Will the Scottish Government therefore urge the UK Government to rebalance energy prices to reduce the difference in unit costs between gas and electricity? Yes, indeed. Of course, many areas where heat pumps are already being deployed and where, combined with good levels of energy efficiency, the overall cost is coming down and can continue However, we have consistently called on the UK Government to take urgent action using its reserved powers to rebalance energy prices so that the running costs of zero-emission heating systems are comparable to or more favourable compared with fossil fuel incumbents. We are again calling on the UK Government to take full account of the needs of Scottish consumers, in particular those suffering the most from the impact of soaring energy bills when they proceed with rebalancing costs on energy bills. The number of boilers that need to be replaced in the coming years to achieve the Scottish Government's target is significant, to say the least. What measures are the Scottish Government taking to ensure that a sufficient number of professionals are qualified to install and maintain heat pumps and other renewable heat technologies, both to deliver the transition and schedule and to prevent a lack of available contractors pushing up installation and servicing costs? Yes, Mr Whittle is quite right to point out that not only the scale of installations that we need to see in the coming years but the acceleration towards that much more rapid installation is going to be a significant challenge and the work that we are doing on supply chains is critical both in terms of the supply of the kit to install but also the skills that are required to do that. We see that very much as an opportunity, not just a challenge. We estimate that there is an additional 16,400 jobs that can be supported across the economy by the end of this decade as a result of the investment in the deployment of zero emissions heat. It is by giving that strong signal of an intention to regulate that we will give confidence to those who are investing both in the manufacture and in the skills and capacity to do the installation work. Thank you. I'm conscious that there is a lot of interest in this portfolio so I'm going to need to have a brief of questions and brief of answers from the ministerial team as well. Question number two, Gillian Mackay. To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to support the establishment of more publicly owned bus services. Mr Jenny Gilruth. Section 34 of the provision of bus services, et cetera, by local transport authorities of the Transport Scotland Act 2019, came into force on the 24th of June, which was last Friday. It provides local transport authorities with the power to run their own services in any way they see fit within the wider context of their obligations. We have allocated £1 million in the Scottish budget for the development of the community bus fund in 2022-23 that will support local transport authorities to improve local bus services and to explore the full range of options set out in the 2019 act, including local authority run bus services. The fund complements our broader package of long-term investment in bus, including through support for our bus services, concessionary schemes for bus users and over £500 million through the bus partnership fund. We've seen a raft of service cuts across central Scotland with driver shortages or efficiency cuts being blamed. When we should be increasing service provision, services are being cut. Stagecoach reported a profit of over £32 million for the first half of last financial year, and yet the X28 service, which serves Cumbernauld in my region, is up for cancellation. Does the minister agree that more needs to be done to hold the private sector to account and that more support for public loan bus services could ensure the transport needs of our communities are truly supported? I absolutely agree with the sentiment of the member's question. It's worth pointing out that a considerable amount of public subsidy flowed to operators throughout the pandemic. I think that it was over £210 million in total from June 2020. Ms Mackay will also be aware of the additional funding that I announced to the sector only last week. That supports the sector with the continued recovery from the pandemic, and it also allows them to respond to some of the changed travel patterns in relation to people working from home. However, I am clear that any subsidy from Government to private operators is not sustainable, nor is it desirable, in terms of the longer-term ambitions here. Ms Mackay makes an important point, too, in relation to the profit margins of some of those operators, which is particularly pertinent, given that bus is one of the most affordable forms of public transport there is. I will be writing to stagecoach in relation to their proposed cancellations. I know that she highlighted one with me today. I have had a number of members that she might know right to me about their own constituencies and cancellations in other parts of the country. As I did outline, I announced additional funding of last week, and bus operators who are in receipt of the NSG Plus grant are required to accept the conditions that set controls on fare rises and profits, and those requirements have to have regard, for example, to fair work. I will expect operators who benefit from this public funding not to reduce services and, instead, to look after the communities that they serve. Okay. We have a number of supplementaries. Those will have to be brief and so will the responses. First, Graham Simpson. Thank you very much. There are too many bus deserts in this country, so those new powers are an opportunity to do things better. I would like to be positive and help the minister. Here is an idea. Will she convene a summit of councils and operators to examine the way forward? I know that Mr Simpson likes to be helpful to me in this role. However, I have to tell him that I am already ahead of him. I have already convened working groups with operators on the back of a call ahead with first and below the embuses last week. There are a number of different challenges in this space at the moment. The first is in relation to service provision and long-term funding, but the second is in relation to driver shortages. There is a real challenge here, and I want to work with operators to see what more we might be able to do to support as a Government recognising that there is a split here in terms of devolved and reserved competencies. These are enabling powers for councils to establish public loan bus services. For clarity, does the minister actually want councils to use these powers? Does the minister agree that the bus market is broken beyond repair and that councils must take back control of those services? If they do, does the minister believe that the community bus fund is sufficient? Yes, I want local councils to run their own services. Why on earth would I be standing here and talking about the powers in an act that gives local authorities the power to do so? In terms of whether or not the community bus fund is enough, we are working on the design and the scope of the fund. That involves, of course, discussions with COSLA and also with ACTO. I recognise that £1 million is not perhaps as much as other members might think it should be, but it gives us a good impetus to try what an approach might look like in certain parts of the country. That has to be done in partnership with local authorities. I also reflect on the resource spending review, which allocated £46 million to the community bus fund for the remainder of this Parliament. Although that initial £1 million might seem small to the member, that further funding that will flow will contribute to the further £30 million that has been allocated in the capital spending review. However, we have to allow local authorities to get that funding right for their local area. That is what the powers in the act allow them to do, and I am keen to work with our local authority partners to deliver that. The Scottish Government has already responded to requests by local authorities to be empowered to run their own bus services. The Government is committed to investing over half a billion pounds in long-term funding for bus priority infrastructure and has expanded free bus travel to under-22s. Does the minister therefore look forward, as I do, to seeing how local authorities catalyze on those new powers and take advantage of the Scottish Government placing busies at the forefront of our just transition to next zero? I agree with the sentiment of the member's question. As I have outlined to Mr Bibby, I am really pleased that the Government is empowering our local authorities with those flexible options to revitalise their local bus networks, including running their own bus services. I look forward to working with them on the delivery of those models. To ask the Scottish Government whether the £33 billion estimate in its heat and building strategy to decarbonise Scotland's buildings remains an accurate forecast amount. As we did set out in the heat and buildings strategy, £33 billion is the estimated total gross capital cost of converting our building stock to zero emissions heat. That estimate is purely indicative and it is based on a single technology pathway with cost assumptions derived from the best available evidence, including research published by the Climate Change Committee. The Scottish Government continues to keep cost estimates under review, incorporating new evidence as it becomes available. In relation to decarbonising the £600,000 homes for social rent in Scotland, the Zest report says that the fund will make £200 million available over the course of this Parliament. That equates to £333 per property. What percentage of the properties already have EPCC ratings or above, and whether its projections show £333 per property will be sufficient? I do not have the particular statistic in front of me, but I will be happy to have colleagues right to the member to set that out. I am aware that social housing tends to have a higher energy efficiency performance than the private rented sector, so we should congratulate them for that. I also thank the social housing sector for the contribution that they have made to the Government's work on the Zest report, the response to which was published recently, which seems to have been very warmly received by the sector. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I ask the minister to outline how the action set out in the heat and building strategy will help to deliver the ambitious climate change goals? As briefly as possible, minister. Yes. The heat and building strategy is a very broad, co-ordinated package of policies and support programmes. £1.8 billion in investment, widening the scope of our capital and advice programmes, and collaborating with a wide range of partners through the green heat finance task force. I am aware of the pressure of time. There is a great deal more detail in the strategy, and I encourage Bill Kidd to work closely, as I do all members with us in the implementation of that strategy. I was alarmed to hear that a new social housing development in the east end of Glasgow and Darmour is not being connected to the adjacent Athletes Village district heat network. It does not share my concern that there are huge opportunities for municipal development of the district heat networks that could refinance local government. Will he commit to developing a municipal strategy for ownership and development of district heat across Scotland? The member is quite right to point out the huge potential, not only for connecting social housing developments to existing heat networks, but for investing further, including in publicly owned heat networks. When I launched the heat and building strategy, I visited one in West Dunbartonshire, for example, where the local authority is taking the lead in developing that capacity. The new national energy agency, one of its roles, will be to work with local government to build that capacity, and I think that there is huge potential for that in the years going forward. I remind members of my register of interests that, to ask the Scottish Government what level of grant per property will be made available to assist homeowners to achieve the EPC rating or better by 2025. First of all, to clarify, our heat and building strategy proposes that homes purchased from 2025 will need to reach a minimum energy efficiency standard of equivalent to EPC and all homes to achieve that standard by the backstop date of 2033. Cashback grant of up to £13,500 is available to households for energy efficiency measures and zero emissions heating systems through our Home Energy Scotland loan and cashback scheme. We have committed to replacing the cashback element with a standalone grant during 2022-23, and we have doubled the budget to £42 million. In case of old stone properties, getting to EPC is not going to be easy. For example, it has been suggested that getting bute house to EPC will cost in excess of £0.5 million. The level of grants that are being mentioned are not going to be sufficient for most houses to reach the required standard. What does the Minister consider to be a reasonable investment in a property to reach EPC level C? Will you cap expenditure at that level? Well, I'm pleased to see that there is ambition for the level of support that needs to be available. That, I'm sure, is intended as an endorsement of the fact that the Scottish Government is providing more support on this agenda than the UK Government is on its equivalence. However, we have a huge challenge, particularly in remote and rural areas, in, as I mentioned, polymethneal tenement stock and in older and historic buildings. All of that will be considered in detail as we consult on the detail of the regulations, which will include measures related to how we define the cost-effectiveness of the measures that are going to be required. To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the future development of renewable energy involves communities meaningfully. Community and locally-owned energy has an important role to play in a just transition to net zero and will form a key part of the forthcoming energy strategy and just transition plan. The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the growth of community and local energy in Scotland through mechanisms such as CARES, our flagship community and renewable energy scheme. We have long-standing good practice principles for community benefits from and shared ownership of on-shore renewable energy developments. Those set the national standards that we encourage renewable developers and communities to utilise. Communities in Caithness and Sutherland live in an area rich in natural resources and renewable energy potential. However, many feel that the communities that they live in are being left behind with little to no consideration for their views or benefit. How will the cabinet secretary ensure that at least 20 per cent of new on-shore wind is community and publicly owned? We have a range of measures, as I mentioned, through the CARES scheme, which helps to support community and locally-owned energy projects. We have today almost 900 megawatts of capacity through community and locally-owned renewable energy programmes projects, which we want to get up to 2 gigawatts by 2030. We encourage those developers to make sure that they are engaging in a meaningful way with the local community to also look at community-shared ownership models. What I should say to the member is that we cannot compel developers to do this. The area of legislation in relation to this is a matter that is reserved to the UK Government. I would like us to go further in those matters, but, despite the fact that we have limited powers in those areas, we do certainly provide good practice guidance that we encourage developers to utilise when they are taking for local projects. I apologise, I am not going to be able to again supplementary on this question. Question 6, Willie Rennie. To ask the Scottish Government when it expects a decision to be reached on a railway station for Nubra in Fife following the publication of the Nubra and Area Scottish Transport Appraisal guidance. The Scottish Government provided Cestrans with local rail development funding for the Nubra Transport Appraisal. Cestrans has advised that it intends to send transport Scotland, the detailed options appraisal report for the Nubra Transport Appraisal in the next few weeks. This stage is the third and final stage of a transport appraisal in line with the Scottish Transport Appraisal guidance, known as STAG. A completed, clear and robust strategic business case is required in line with the STAG guidance before any further consideration can be made for any new proposals. Willie Rennie. I thank the minister for that answer. The community is very hopeful that the railway option will be considered very highly by the appraisal, because it feels cut off even though the railway runs right through the middle of Nubra. It is united, but it has been waiting for years for something to happen. Can I press the minister again? I know that the report will be handed over to Transport Scotland soon, but how long will it take for it to consider the report and when does it expect a decision to be reached? In relation to Mr Rennie's supplementary, I very much recognise the feeling that he described of hope in the local community. He will know of my constituency and the long-running campaign in the Levenmouth area to re-establish the rail network there. I understand, too, that the feeling that his community has in relation to their disconnect from the wider infrastructure on rail, recognising the geography of where Nubra sits in the Kingdom of Fife. There is, of course, a process to be adhered to, as I have outlined in my initial answer to Mr Rennie. That was, of course, the case with the reopening of the Levenmouth line, and it has been the case in the past with other rail lines. SCPR2, as he will know, does not make any distinct recommendations in that respect. However, he does ask a specific question in relation to the timescales. At this moment, Transport Scotland has yet to receive the details options appraisal. I will ask my officials to provide my office with a timescale once that report has been received for review, and I will be happy to ensure the details of that with the member once we have received that detail. The Nubra study was funded by the local rail development fund alongside a range of other community projects across Scotland. Can the minister give an assurance that, now that those projects are coming to the end of the stag appraisal process, that they will all be considered when it comes to allocating funds for rail infrastructure investment under control period 7? I thank the member for his supplementary question. I would join with him again in paying tribute to the hard-working community groups across the country. As we have heard from Mr Rennie, I was in the north-east on Friday of last week hearing from his campaign group about the re-establishment of rail in that part of the country. It is, of course, for that reason that the Government created the local rail development fund, and the projects that Mr Ruskell has alluded to are currently under way. They are being considered under the stag guidelines and where a strong business case is presented, those will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but it has to involve local input in the process. I think that that is the strength, really, of the LRDF. 7. Rachael Hamilton To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve water quality in Scotland's rivers. Mr Marri McCallan Presiding Officer, as I announced in my ministerial statement to Parliament last December, the publication of Scotland's third river basin management plans set out our objectives to continue to improve water quality across Scotland from 87 per cent currently at good or better condition to 92 per cent by 2027. The plans are complemented by Scottish Waters, improving urban waters route map, which sets out a programme of continued action to reduce wastewater pollution and sewage litter over the coming decade, with investment of £0.5 billion. Rachael Hamilton I thank the minister for that answer. Ecologists, conservationists and anglers have all expressed concern about the recent decline in wild salmon and sea track stocks in Scotland's waterways, with stocks reaching record lows this year. Declining fish populations are also being affected and damaging the wider ecosystem. That issue requires urgent action from the Scottish Government, so what immediate steps it is taking to deliver on the Scottish Government commitments to improve water quality? Rachael Hamilton Thank you, Presiding Officer. The Scottish Government takes very seriously the issue of our declining salmon stocks. We are working with stakeholders to safeguard the iconic species. The Scottish Wild Salmon Strategy, published in January this year, sets out the vision, objectives and priority themes that will drive our efforts to protect and recover the iconic species. A priority theme of the strategy is improving the conditions of rivers and giving salmon free access to cold, clean waters. Work is now under way with our stakeholders to prepare a detailed implementation plan to accompany the strategy. The campaign group River Action stated that the UK Government's draft targets for water quality to replace the EU's water framework directive had a general lack of ambition to improve the natural environment. We know that the Tory's Brexit project is not a brief supplementary, Ms Minto. Please can the minister give the chamber reassurance that in Scotland we continue to value the natural environment and that this Government will continue to work to further protect the ecological condition of Scotland's water environment? The big picture here is that, after a decade of investment by Scotland's public water company, supported by independent regulation by SEPA and all backed by nearly £700 million, we have 66 per cent good water quality in Scotland. That is above the European average of 45 per cent and far above our neighbours in England Wales, who are at 16 per cent. To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to set a national generation target for solar energy as it has for wind and hydrogen. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of energy generated from solar PV in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland's energy supply and helping us to meet our target for a net zero emissions society by 2045. In support of that, the Scottish Government will, in consultation with the solar sector, establish a vision for the future of solar energy in the forthcoming energy strategy and just transition plan, which will be published later this year. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer and I'm very pleased to hear that he is engaging with the solar industry and will be establishing a vision in the forthcoming revised energy strategy. However, could I ask the cabinet secretary to consider very seriously the inclusion of specific targets in that vision that is to be established? It has been suggested, for example, that the minimum target should be in the region of 4 gigawatts by 2030 and that a level of ambition be set and be set at the level of 6 gigawatts. I'm grateful for the member's question on this issue. I'm conscious that there's a number of members in the chamber who have an interest in that particular issue. I can assure the member that there's part of the work that will take forward in developing our energy strategy. We will consider the overall vision for solar PV and solar energy in Scotland going forward. The member will recognise, though, that we also have to make sure that we take forward an approach that recognises the whole energy system and capacity within the network as well, which will be one of the factors that we will be taking into account. I have no doubt that those who are involved in the solar energy sector in Scotland will have an opportunity to feed into the energy strategy as we take forward their public engagement and sector engagement plan over the coming months. Thank you very much, cabinet secretary. That concludes portfolio questions on net zero energy and transport. There will be a brief pause while the front benches changes and indeed the tear changes. Thank you. The final portfolio today is rural affairs and islands. If a member wishes to request a supplementary question, they should press the request-to-speak button or indicate so by entering the letter R during the relevant question in the chat function. Again, succinct questions and answers would allow as many members as possible to have their voice heard today. I call question number 1, Karen Watkins. To ask the Scottish Government what preparations have been made to protect the economy of rural communities in areas such as South Scotland from a repeat of the storms that experienced last year? The Scottish Government is working with resilience partnerships to ensure that the recommendations of the storm are when reports are implemented. We are also investing in a broad range of activities that will make the south of Scotland economy more competitive and resilient to such threats in the future. £37 million was allocated to the south of Scotland enterprise in 2022-23, which will enable it to work with businesses and communities to create jobs and attract investment, and £3.6 million across 2021-22 and 2022-23 through our place-based investment programme will support time centre and community-led regeneration in the south of Scotland. Through the Borderlands growth deal, we are investing £85 million in strategic projects that are designed to boost innovation in key industry sectors, enhance regional connectivity and deliver critical business infrastructure to support economic growth. I thank the minister for that answer. The response from local communities to storms last year and earlier this year was admirable, and it is vital that it is included in the development of all future local resilience plans. Can the minister confirm that the Scottish Government will work with local people but also with local businesses in the south of Scotland, many of which are very small, and work with councils to ensure that local small business economies do not face long-term adverse impacts of storms in the future, thus protecting local businesses and rural economy jobs? The member raises some really important points there, because I think that engagement in that partnership working is absolutely critical if we are going to address challenges like that in the future. I know that an update report on the back of the Storm Ireland review was published just last week, which set out some of the actions that we have already taken based on the recommendations. There will be a further update to come in the coming months, because, obviously, within that time as well, we have had the report from off-gem too, but I do just to reiterate that I think that that partnership working in collaboration with our communities with local businesses is crucial and will be part of that work going forward. I welcome the Scottish and UK Government's respective reports into the handling of Storm Ireland. Resilience planning is predicated on the good work and goodwill of voluntary community groups. What I would like the cabinet secretary to tell me is that she is confident that the succession planning for volunteer response groups through the winter preparedness plans will be supported financially by the Scottish Government, particularly as we now see a growing elderly population in rural areas? I know again that this is a serious issue, an important issue that the member raises too, and I am sure that that will be given due consideration. As I have set out in my previous response to Carol Mlock in there about acting on the recommendations, we want to make sure that we learn as many lessons as possible from Storm Ireland and that we implement those changes ahead of the coming winter. I am sure that decisions such as that will be factoring into that consideration too. The storms of last year represented a pattern of adverse weather that is largely unprecedented. There can be little doubt that climate change has a role to play in new extremes such as we saw in 2021. I ask the cabinet secretary how initiatives such as the winter preparedness programme will help to ensure that we can cope with new patterns of weather as they emerge. In Scotland, we have well established and adaptable resilience arrangements that have been developed and have also been tested over a number of years. However, that continuous improvement is really at the heart of our approach to emergency planning. The winter preparedness programme that the member and other members have mentioned, which will be led by the Scottish resilience partnership in the coming months, will seek to ensure that we learn the key lessons from the Scottish Government Storm Ireland review and to ensure that those lessons are learned and embedded ahead of the coming winter. It is important to note that, in particular, the programme will review the plans and arrangements for activation of our resilience structures across the country, mutual aid between areas and organisations, the public communications, how we support vulnerable people and further of the voluntary community sector into our emergency response processes. To ask the Scottish Government when the Rural Affairs Secretary last met with Crown of States Scotland. Minister Mary McCallan. The Rural Affairs Secretary met with Crown of States Scotland on Monday, 27 June 2022, as part of a wider group at the Scottish Agriculture Council. I also attended that meeting. However, as Minister with Perforial Responsibility for Crown of States Scotland, I formally met with them three times a year and the most recent meeting in that regard was the 20th of April. Alex Cole-Hamilton. I'm very grateful for that reply. In 2018, the Scottish Government established a due diligence test to establish the human rights and corruption records of the companies it does business with. That was after it dealt with Chinese companies connected to the abuse of human rights. Liberal Democrat research reported in the Scotsman today shows that Crown of States Scotland didn't seem to know that diligence test existed when it was awarding at Scotland Seabed Leases. It invented its own test, which was effectively to ask the companies involved, have you done anything wrong recently? It meant that Japanese company Murabeni, who paid corruption fines as recently as 2014, didn't need to declare these. This Government promised to change its ways, but it seems that Government bodies in this, the biggest sale for years, still aren't performing stringent checks on who they partner with. Given that the Scottish Government insisted that Scotland was sold on the basis of quality not price, should we take it from this that the evidence of corruption is not a bar in the Government's assessment of what quality looks like? Scotland is administered independently of ministers by Crown of States Scotland. As part of the Crown of States due diligence, it required all bidders to submit a formal written legal declaration that they'd not been convicted of unlawful activity across fraud bribery corruption. Only companies who provided the legal declaration were able to proceed. That was not invented, as has been characterised. That was consistent with public contracts. Scotland regulation is 2015. However, Scotland's terms and conditions make clear that the Crown of States Scotland reserved the right to void any application if false information is found to have been provided. Crown of States Scotland will not hesitate to take action if need be, and the Scottish Government will support it in that regard. To ask the Scottish Government what its latest assessment is of the impact of Brexit on the Scottish seed potato industry. The loss of the EU seed potato export market as a result of Brexit and the UK Government's failure to secure an equivalent agreement for seed potatoes with the EU continues to have a very negative impact on Scottish exporters. We previously exported around 20,000 tonnes annually to the EU and 2,000 tonnes to Northern Ireland. The removal of those markets overnight has cost an estimated £11 million. That is a significant financial sum for a country, but it is also the livelihoods of people and families across Scotland. It is vital that all options continue to be explored to find a resolution. I can assure John Mason that the Scottish Government continues to press the UK Government at every opportunity. I understand the NFU Scotland president, Martin Kennedy, recently said that he is concerned that the UK and EU remain at loggerheads. He said that the Scottish seed potato growers are the ones who are paying the price. It seems clear that it is a failure of Brexit. Can the minister say anything about what engagement she or the Government has had with the UK Government about the harm to our agricultural sector? I welcome the efforts of NFUS and other seed potato representatives on this issue, and I share their concerns. We have continually raised the impact of the loss of the EU and NFI markets and the impact that it has on the sector. We do it through a multitude of platforms, most notably our interministerial Government meetings and repeated letters. I stress that the problem is a direct result of the UK Government's refusal to commit to dynamic alignment. I am very disappointed in the UK Government's lack of progress and equally disappointed on its decision to allow where growers in England and Wales to purchase EU seed, while Scottish growers are blocked from selling that same seed into the EU. That is further undermining the industry and we will continue to press them for progress. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports from Salmon Scotland that bureaucracy, as a result of Brexit, is costing the industry £3 million per year to export to the EU and its threatening Scotland's competitiveness. The figure quoted by one of Scotland's key industry bodies regarding increased costs faced by exporters as a result of the EU exit comes as no surprise. The Scottish Government repeatedly warned the UK Government that our forced exit from the EU would be damaging to Scottish export businesses, and it is hugely disappointing that increased costs are threatening the competitiveness of Scotland's most valuable food exports. I thank the minister for that answer. Scottish Salmon is highly prized globally, and the minister will be aware that Salmon Scotland is calling for the full roll-out of digital export health certificates by the UK Government to reduce Brexit red tape. Does the cabinet secretary share my view that the hard work of our Salmon producers has currently been undermined and that the best possible future for our Salmon industry is an independent Scottish Government with the powers to make decisions that protect and support Scotland's exports and interests? We know that, in 2021, £788 million of the Scottish seafood was exported to the EU, but £372 million worth of that was Scottish salmon. The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation reported losses of at least £11 million in January 2021 alone as a direct result of the changes brought about by Brexit. However, we must remember that a lot of those costs are on-going, too. In addition to that, the organisation estimates that businesses are continuing to spend around £200,000 a month due to extra paperwork, and that cost continues to mine as inexcusable delays to the roll-out of the digitalisation project continue. Just last month, the Food and Drink Federation published a report that set out the strong growth in, among other food and drink export sectors, seafood products that have driven Scotland's recent economic recovery. Therefore, we cannot allow the Tories to further impact on the sector, which has been so resilient during these recent extraordinary times. I share the views about the damage of Brexit, particularly to the seafood sector, including salmon. I have pitting weam harbour in my constituency, and they are suffering as a result of that. A trade wall would be damaging, as well. That is why I do not understand why the Scottish Government is pursuing the route of more borders, particularly to the border with England, which should be equally damaging, if not more so. Has the minister in hindsight not reflected on her position on independence and more borders? I can confirm that I have not reflected on my position in relation to independence, because if anything, being in this position, having the dealings with the UK Government, I do see the damage that is continually inflicted on businesses in Scotland, if anything, has strengthened my resolve to pursue independence. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission's call for the closure of unlicensed greyhound racing tracks in Scotland. The Scottish Government will carefully consider any recommendations from the rural affairs, islands and natural environment committee and the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission for possible licensing or other regulation of greyhound racing in Scotland in due course. I corresponded with the committee on 16 May informing them that greyhound racing is in the work plan of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission as an issue to be considered in the medium term, and any recommendations that are made on the possible licensing or other regulation of greyhound racing will be carefully considered in due course. Mark Ruskell Can I thank the cabinet secretary's response and also for her response to the rain committee? It is clear, though, that sending dogs at 40 miles an hour round a track with a high risk of collision is unacceptably cruel, with injuries at the shorefield track having almost doubled between 2018 and 2020. That's why the Welfare Commission is now backing an end to unregulated tracks with the SSPCA one kind and others calling for an end to greyhound racing all together. Is the cabinet secretary prepared to consider a ban? Cabinet secretary, I think that the member does raise some really important points there, because I think that it is, I just want to reassure both the member and other members across the chamber about just how seriously the Scottish Government takes animal welfare and ensuring that we have the highest possible standards in Scotland. I think that it is important to the member that those mistreating animals can now face up to five years in prison and unlimited fines under the Animal Health and Welfare Scotland Act 2006 and the Animals and Wildlife Penalties, Protections and Powers Scotland Act 2020. We have those powers in place, but, again, I would just come back to the point that we know that the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission will be considering that. I know that that is an issue that the rain committee has been taking evidence on to through the consideration of the petition. Of course, any recommendations that come out of that consideration we will consider seriously. It is not just on licensed tracks like Thornton where injuries and deaths of greyhound state police. Fifteen dogs were killed at the licensed track of Shawfield over a three-year period and nearly 200 were injured. Numerous dogs were found with drugs in their system. Surely the evidence is already clear, cabinet secretary, that it is time for the Government to end this animal abuse once and for all and ban greyhounds raising. I agree with some of what the member has set out there in relation to, I think, some of the figures that we hear about, some of the instances that we hear about, which are truly horrendous. Again, we are committed to ensuring that we have the highest possible animal welfare standards in Scotland, which is why we introduced the increased penalties that we did through the Animals and Wildlife Act. Again, that is what I look forward to those recommendations, because I think that it is only right that I give those due consideration and the work of the Scottish Animal Welfare Committee, too. High-quality, nutritious food locally and sustainably produced is key to our wellbeing in economic, environmental, social and health terms. Our vision for Scottish agriculture, which was published in March, outlines our aims to support and work with farmers and crofters to meet more of our food needs sustainably and to manage our land sustainably with nature. We are working with the agriculture reform implementation oversight board to develop new proposals for sustainable farming support, and we will be launching a consultation to inform a new Scottish agriculture bill later this year. The principle sidelined in the Scottish land rights and responsibility statement are not enforceable. Because of that, we see farms being turned into forests to offset landowners' environmentally damaging activities elsewhere. Meanwhile, we face a global food shortage. When will the Scottish Government put in place enforceable responsibilities and principles to ensure that landowners manage their land in the public interest or forfeit that land? I know that this is a vitally important issue that the member raises, which is why the internet principles were established. I know that there will be a programme of engagement that will be undertaken by the Minister for Environment to ensure that the principles are being adhered to. Of course, there will be a land reform bill that will be coming forward in due course, but I will be happy to follow up with further information and provide that to the member. Yesterday, the Westminster Genetic Technology Bill Committee took evidence on gene editing, and there is widespread view on agriculture in Scotland. It is a good move that would improve crop yields and resilience, which are part of our food security. The committee also heard that the EU is definitely moving down the same route, so the issue is now not about divergence, but about Scotland that will get left behind. It is only the dogma of the SNP Government that prevents Scotland from joining the rest of the UK and adopting this important technology. The door is open for the minister to put aside blight adherence to EU laws and join the UK in developing this important technology. I ask once again when will the Scottish Government set out how it will address the GE question that everyone is waiting clarity for? We have said that we will continue to monitor the EU's position on this issue and the work that is happening there, and that is exactly what we will continue to do. The report of the short-life food security and supply task force sets out a number of areas relating to food security that are reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government's commitment to food production is clearly demonstrated through its commitment to active farming. Given that some of the levers regarding food security reserve can ask the cabinet secretary what response if any the Scottish Government has had from the UK Government regarding the report's findings. I established the short-life food security and supply task force together with industry in March this year to essentially monitor the disruption to the food and drink supply chain resulting from the impact of the war in Ukraine. The task force has just reported last Thursday and I wrote to the UK Government to highlight the findings that we had provided in that report. That is because the task force recognised that inevitably there are limits on what we can influence because of the global factors at play. The reality is that the UK Government also holds many of those levers to help address many of the issues that we need to tackle. I have not yet received a response to that, but of course we will continue to urge the UK Government to take action. The rapid response by the Scottish Government in establishing the task force has been really important and I sincerely hope that we see that same focus emerge at a UK level. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed islands bond scheme, including when it expects to publish the outcome of its consultation. The delivery of the islands bond is still being carefully considered in light of the strong feedback that we have received from island residents and within the context of the current energy crisis and rising living costs that are being experienced by many islanders. Further details will be announced later this summer as part of the response to the 12-week consultation analysis report and we expect to publish the analysis of that consultation in the coming weeks. Liam McArthur Can I thank the cabinet secretary for that response? She will be aware of the concerns that I have about the original concept behind the islands bonds, but aware too that I believe this funding can help to achieve its objective of attracting and retaining population by making our island communities more resilient. To that end, will she agree to look at the idea of using island bonds perhaps in conjunction with investing in communities funding to allow a third aircraft to operate across the North Isles in Orkney providing improved transport links, connectivity and job opportunities for those who choose to live in these islands? I know that the member has previously raised questions on this issue and concerns around that. We did undertake the online consultation, but as well as that, officials have undertaken a series of visits to our islands as well. They have undertaken further engagement with our communities to really have those discussions and see what is important to communities so that we can listen to the feedback that we have and act on it. That is exactly what we intend to do. As I say, there has been an awful lot of work that has taken place since the consultation, so we are obviously analysing all the feedback to that at the moment and we will be making announcements in due course. The Scottish Government has made clear its commitment to retaining and attracting people to live in our island communities. Does the cabinet secretary agree that many young people face particular challenges in staying and that they need support for them to maintain their vital role in island communities? I absolutely do, because our young people have a vitally important role in contributing whether that is socially, culturally or economically to our islands. That is why, as part of the national islands plan, we created a young islanders network. That is made up of young people from all Scottish islands that will have a consultative role in the implementation of the national islands plan, essentially to ensure that the delivery of the plan does fully consider the interests and the priorities of our young people. That concludes portfolio questions on rural affairs and islands. There will be a very short pause before we move on to the next item of business.