 A throughout amser, mae y dylai ddynnutrwysy o ei bod ynohon a ddyn ni'n g graspen pan inych yn ei ddyn ni lambda welun o'r baldig o rhywam ni'n ghargrif bawd. Samarent yn y pol On a note of consensus that may not last very long, can I echo Ruth Davidson's comments about international women's day? Today, of course, there is an opportunity for us to recognise countless women, not just those whose names we know but also those whose names we don't know but women who have battled and who continue to battle for change in their communities, their workplaces and all across Scotland. Today is an opportunity to salute them but also rededicate ourselves to continued progress for the next generation of women in Scotland and, indeed, globally. On the question relating to GPs, of course, Ruth Davidson will be aware that we are taking a range of actions around GP recruitment. That includes action to get more people into medical schools into GP training, to encourage people into rural practices, for example, and of course, overall, the statistics that were published earlier this week show that our primary care workforce is at its highest ever level, thanks to increases in nurses and healthcare support workers. Of course, the new GP contract will help us to ensure that the action that we are already taking is intensified in the period ahead. According to the First Minister's own statistics, just four years ago, only one in ten GP surgeries was missing a doctor. Now it is just one in four. That is not progress. I will spell it out because, under the SNP, GP services are in crisis and we have known it for months. Last year, we wrote to every single GP practice in Scotland asking to hear their concerns, and here are just some of the responses that we got back. A GP in the Highlands is declaring that I think that the Scottish Government has forgotten that Scotland extends north of Perth. Another doctor is adding that the new Scottish GP contract is a disaster for rural GPs. A practice in Aberdeen, where both GPs are set to retire in the next few years, is saying that they cannot find anyone to replace them. All of that is against a backdrop of demand rising, GP numbers falling and surgeries closing. The First Minister has had ten years to sort this out. Why hasn't she? The First Minister has a number of points here. Firstly, Ruth Davidson wants to suggest that this is all about the SNP, and I suppose that the implication is that, if only the Tories were in government, it would be all much better. That begs the question why, where the Tories are in power in the UK, we see the decline in GPs double what it is in Scotland. I hope that Ruth Davidson was not intending to scare monger about the new GP contract because we look at the issues of rural general practice in particular. Under the terms of the new contract, no GP practice in Scotland will lose funding. That is not just something that this Government is saying, that it is something that the BMA itself has been at pains to stress. In fact, all of the measures in the new GP contract are about making sure that we can encourage more professionals into general practice. It is also about making sure that we are reducing the unnecessary workload on GPs. The provisions on multidisciplinary working are particularly important in that regard. It is also about making sure that those GPs who have the biggest workload get additional funding to recognise that. Of course, the recent budget that was passed in this Parliament included new resources to support primary care and general practice within that. Perhaps Ruth Davidson, if she is so concerned about the issue, would like to explain to the general public across Scotland why she and her colleagues voted against that additional funding for primary care. Ruth Davidson, again we have the same old story from the First Minister. Judge me by my promises for tomorrow, not by my actual record that exists today. The truth is that the SNP's mismanagement of our NHS is making the situation far, far worse. For example, just over a year ago, I asked the First Minister or at First Minister's questions about the spiralling cost of locums. Medical staff brought in at huge expense because there are not enough NHS staff to fill shifts. Last year, the First Minister was clear that health boards should minimise their use of agency staff. We have looked again at the cost of locum staff using freedom of information. It has now risen, again, breaking the £300 million barrier for the very first time. We have got GPs telling us that they are having to close their doors because of poor workforce planning. Because of a lack of staff across the NHS, taxpayers are shelling out a third of £1 billion on costly locums and private agency workers, despite assurances that numbers would go down and not up. Does that sound like good planning to her? Let me just look at the issue of agency spending in particular. The combined medical and nursing agency cost represents just around 2 per cent of the overall staffing budget. Ruth Davidson might be interested to know that that is a third less proportionately than it is south of the border, where, of course, the Conservatives are in government. I know that Ruth Davidson does not like that. Let me be clear. We do not judge ourselves by standards elsewhere. We set our own standards. When Ruth Davidson or any other member of the Opposition stands in this Parliament and says that it would all be better if only my party was in government, then it is legitimate to look at where their party is in government. You know what? Unfortunately for Ruth Davidson, that does not paint a very pretty picture. This is a week that we had statistics published in Scotland that show that, under the SNP Government, the NHS workforce has increased by more than 10 per cent. That is more than 13,000 additional people working in our NHS today than was the case when we took office. We will continue to invest record sums in our NHS and support record numbers of staff working in our NHS. It is because of that, of course, that we also know that something else in Scotland is at a record high, and that is patient satisfaction. Ruth Davidson. If the First Minister is so desperate to talk about the rest of the UK, perhaps she should explain to the chamber why, as a proportion of NHS funding, general practice gets a smaller share in Scotland than any other of the home nations of the United Kingdom. Presiding Officer, here is the Government's record. 160 fewer GPs, vacancies trebling in the last five years, a third of GPs in post now nearing retirement and an entire NHS propped up by expensive private agencies to fill the gaps left by poor workforce planning. This is a crisis of the First Minister's own making. The fact of the matter is that the share of funding to GPs has fallen since the Scottish National Party Government came into office. In fact, it has fallen in eight out of the last 10 years. Is it any wonder that GPs' surgeries are in such a mess? First Minister. Let me also talk about the record of this Government. Record funding in our national health service, record numbers of people working in our national health service, 10 per cent increase since this Government took office, extra money being committed to primary care in general practice, a target to reach 11 per cent going to primary care as a percentage of the overall NHS budget, money going into the NHS generally and within that going into primary care, money that the Tories voted against in the budget. It is simply not credible for the Tories to come to this chamber and say somehow that they think that there should be more investment in the NHS when they voted against the investment that we are already making. So why does it look the Scottish people in the eye and try to explain that? Question 2, Richard Leonard. Thanks, Presiding Officer, and can I offer greetings and solidarity from these benches on this Worldwide International Women's Day? Scottish Labour supports increasing child benefit, both as a way of helping with the rising cost of living and tackling the national shame of child poverty. It is the difference that this Parliament could start making with our new powers over social security, but last week the SNP and the Tories voted together against a Labour amendment to deliver it. Scottish Labour and the Scottish Greens support this policy, as do the poverty alliance and the child poverty action group, so why won't the Scottish Government? First Minister. This is a really important issue. First, I think that Richard Leonard and I share the aspiration and the commitment to end child poverty in Scotland. In terms of the top-up child benefit campaign, that is something that I have looked at very carefully, as has Angela Constance. I respect many of the organisations who are making the case for that. One of the issues with it is that if we go down that road, seven out of every 10 pounds that we would spend on that policy would go to families who do not actually live in poverty. As Richard Leonard knows, I am an advocate of universal benefits, but when you are looking at topping up an already universal benefit to specifically target families in poverty, I think that the question is raised about whether that would be the best way to do it. Of course, as Richard Leonard knows, we asked the new poverty and inequality commission for advice to inform the delivery plan that we will publish by the end of this month. That advice was published last week, and that advice in itself raises the question about whether that is in fact the best way to tackle child poverty. We will publish our delivery plan by the end of March, and we will make it very clear in that plan the steps that we intend to take, including using new powers. What we are determined to do is make sure that the money that we spend to tackle child poverty is used to do that. I hope that we can continue to have a constructive discussion on that as we take forward what I hope is our joint commitment to end child poverty in Scotland. In the spirit of constructive debate, I would like to point out that child benefit is usually paid directly to the mother. It gives a degree of financial independence and is more likely to be spent on the children. That is something that Labour wants to see with all benefits, particularly universal credit. We think that universal credit should be automatically split between the two partners in a relationship. Those split payments are supported by organisations such as Engender and Scottish Women's Aid. An SNP MP just this week has published a private member's bill to address that very issue. In the Westminster Parliament, it offers not just a choice but for split payments to be automatic. Just last week, SNP MSPs here voted against split payments in the Social Security Bill. First Minister, I want to see progressive change across the whole of the UK, but why is this Government currently blocking the delivery of benefit payments directly to women in Scotland? First Minister. As Richard Leonard knows, we have already made modifications where we can to how universal credit is paid. We are committed to working with women's organisations, with stakeholders more generally, to look at additional changes that we can perhaps make. I know that that one, splitting the payments, is certainly one that I do think is worthy of further consideration. We require to discuss this also with the UK Government, because one of the things that has perhaps escaped Richard Leonard's notice is that we do not have full control over universal credit, so we cannot always unilaterally make the changes that we want to make. Anybody looking at the range of actions that we are taking to try to use flexibilities around universal credit, arguing against the roll-out of universal credit when it is penalising so many people, the child poverty bill that was passed by this Parliament, the commitment to the delivery plan, the commitment to using our new powers around the new best start grant, for example, that there is a real commitment on the part of this Government to tackle child poverty effectively. I really hope that, no matter all the other things that it divides, this is one issue where we could actually get the support of Scottish Labour. If they want us to go further and reform the welfare system more generally, they also really need to advocate powers over welfare, getting out of the hands of Westminster and coming to this Parliament. Richard Leonard. Let me be clear that the roll-out of universal credit has been a shambles, but those new powers in this Parliament over social security give us a chance to build a fundamentally fairer society. I accept that the Scottish Government has already taken action around the flexibility of universal credit, paying the housing element directly to landlord paying fortnightly rather than monthly, but those very moves establish the principle and the practice that payments can be delivered in a different way in Scotland. Let's not forget why automatic split payments need to happen. There are too many women experiencing domestic abuse where the abuser holds the purse strings. Automatically splitting those payments is a practical step that this Parliament could take, so will the First Minister ensure that this is and becomes a hallmark of Scotland's first social security bill? Genuinely, in the interest of consensus on an issue that is very close to my heart and I know is close to the heart of Richard Leonard and his colleagues, the very fact that we have exercised flexibilities where we can, and Richard Leonard recognised that, I think that he should tell everybody that we are not, in some way, ideologically opposed to doing so, but there are complexities associated with, particularly on universal credit, where we have limited power but the main powers still lie with Westminster. The issue of split payments—I absolutely recognise the rationale for that that Richard Leonard has outlined—is something that we are exploring and talking to others about and will continue to do so. If it is possible to do that in a coherent way, then there would be a commitment for us to take that forward. I would say to Richard Leonard—I say this in all sincerity—that these are important issues. I do not think that anybody on the Government benches could ever be accused of not treating those issues seriously. Let us try to see if we can work together to do this. However, there is a bigger issue here. This is international. Women's day has been recognised. The fact that the majority of welfare powers still lie in the hands of a Tory Government at Westminster means that, on this international women's day, we have in law the rape clause, for example, an absolute obscenity. Let us look at using flexibilities where we can, but why do not we also come together to say once and for all, let us not let Tories at Westminster run the welfare system, let us do it here in Scotland for ourselves? Wouldn't that be a good way to celebrate international women's day? I have two constituency requests. The first is from Rhoda Grant. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I have been inundated with messages from constituents in Gerlach and Wester Ross. They are incensed and anxious about a decision by SIPA to approve a new licence for sewage treatment. It is for a new ultraviolet system that is only going to be operational during peak tourist and bathing seasons. That leaves the rest of the year with an inferior downgraded system, allowing bacteria and sewage into the sea. Can I ask the First Minister if she thinks that this is acceptable for some of our most beautiful coastline, or will her Government step in and intervene to protect water quality in the area? First, I express a great degree of sympathy with the question that has been asked and the sentiment behind that question. However, as Rhoda Grant, I am sure that we will be aware that there is a formal process that has gone through in those cases. As I understand it, ministers have now received a formal request to review Scottish waters application to SIPA. Given that, it would be inappropriate for me to comment any further in detail at this stage. Just to give some factual information, the request was received on 5 March. Ministers have 14 days from then to determine whether the application should be given further consideration and then a further 14 days to decide whether the application should be formally called in. So, while I absolutely understand why that question has been raised, I hope that members will appreciate that it would be in nobody's interest given that formal process if I was to say any more in substance about it at this time. Jenny Marra It came to like yesterday that the director of finance at NHS Tayside has retired after £5.3 million was carried forward into the NHS Tayside budget when these were national funds. Two weeks ago, NHS Tayside asked the Scottish Government for brokerage for the fifth year in a row, but this morning they are back for more. We know that the Scottish Government has ordered a swift forensic audit, but how much worse must this financial basket case get before the First Minister herself meets the board NHS Tayside to ensure that this mess does not affect patients and staff in Dundee? The First Minister Well, firstly, as Jenny Marra I know is aware, the very fact that the Scottish Government provides brokerage to ensure that the financial position in NHS Tayside remains stable is because our overriding priority is the protection of patient care and services and to ensure that they remain the priority. On the specific issue that Jenny Marra has raised and she is right to raise it, this is an issue about the way in which NHS Tayside has recorded certain amounts of money within their accounts that potentially gives an inaccurate picture of their overall financial position. As soon as this situation came to light, the Scottish Government commissioned an independent external review. That review is now underway, it has been carried out by Grant Thornton, and it will report back within two weeks. Of course, when we know the outcome of that, any further action that is required to be taken will be taken. In the meantime, yes, we will provide additional brokerage to ensure that Tayside's financial position remains stable because that is in the overriding interests of patients. Patrick Harvie I echo the words that others have already given around our commitment to international women's day and hope that all political parties will use this afternoon's debate to recommit ourselves to progress on gender equality and justice. Can I read to the First Minister some words from a constituent of mine called Kersti? She says, I went to Scottish Youth Theatre summer school when I was 14 and it completely changed my life. I made friends with some of the most wonderful people I've ever met there. I completely fell in love with Glasgow and I was inspired to eventually move here to study theatre. Kersti says that she's never forgotten that amazing opportunity and that she just took it for granted that the Scottish Youth Theatre would always exist and that she'd be able to encourage her little niece to go to the summer school when she was old enough. Kersti is by no means alone, and I suspect that every member of this Parliament will have constituents whose lives have been enriched and even transformed in this way. This year is being billed as the year of young people. Are we really going to let Scottish Youth Theatre close? I'm glad that Patrick Harvie raised the issue, because it gives me the opportunity to say a couple of things about it. The first thing that I must say, and Patrick Harvie and others will understand why that is the case, is that the decisions about which organisations receive regular funding is for Creative Scotland. In law, the Scottish Government has no role in that process and is not able to intervene in that process. That said, the announcement by the Scottish Youth Theatre for the reasons that Patrick Harvie has outlined is of serious concern. It will be of serious concern to many people across Scotland and indeed it is to me. I know that Creative Scotland has approved some funding to allow the organisation to continue to operate while they hopefully work together to look at alternative routes to support. I would encourage the Scottish Youth Theatre to continue those discussions. I have also asked the culture secretary to offer to meet with the Scottish Youth Theatre to see whether there is some action that the Scottish Government could be partied to that would help to secure a future for the Scottish Youth Theatre. Yes, we are in the year of young people, but more generally than that, arts and culture and theatre within that are really important to the wellbeing of our country. There will always be difficult decisions on funding to be made. I think that sometimes Creative Scotland is unfairly criticised because it has to make those decisions, but we want to make sure that theatre and youth theatre in particular can flourish not just in this year but generally in Scotland. Patrick Harvie Creative Scotland has indeed come in for serious criticism this year in relation to funding decisions but also to a confused and damaging process that they have gone through. I accept that the Scottish Government cannot simply pick up the phone and instruct them on who they should fund and who they shouldn't. However, the Scottish Government does also have a direct responsibility, I believe, for a national asset such as the Scottish Youth Theatre. The people working at the Scottish Youth Theatre who are still committed to delivering as much of their summer programme as they can and the young people that they work with deserve some good news in that. They deserve some confidence about the organisation's future. The Scottish Youth Theatre was here performing at the opening of this session of the Scottish Parliament in 2016, a performance called Open the Doors. I think that it would be appalling if we stand by and see their doors closed this year as a result of those decisions. Can I ask the First Minister to ensure that the Scottish Government, whether in working with Creative Scotland or through another route, ensures that we do not see that happen and that the Scottish Youth Theatre does not have to close its doors this year? I have a great deal of sympathy with what Patrick Harvie has just said. Scottish Youth Theatre does fantastic work and I think that it would be the desire of all of us to see it able to continue to do that. Given the position of the Scottish Government's inability to intervene in decisions that Creative Scotland makes about regular funding, the Scottish Youth Theatre, as I understand it, was not previously in receipt of regular funding. In fact, when the decisions were taken in the last round of that, my predecessor, as the First Minister, I think was involved in exploring options at that time. We will continue to work with Creative Scotland and the Scottish Youth Theatre. As I said, I have asked Fiona Hyslop to offer to meet them. Although I cannot give detail about what those options might be today, I certainly give a commitment that we will do everything that we can to fully explore all options to allow young people in the future to benefit from the Scottish Youth Theatre in the way that young people in the past have done. A few additional supplementaries. Sandra White Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. If I can follow on the theme of Patrick Harvie, Scottish Youth Theatre has been in existence for over 40 years. It is world-renowned and its present state is in my constituency in the Merchant City in Glasgow. I hear what the First Minister is saying, but to say that this world-renowned company of young people in the year of young people is to close its doors in July this year just because Creative Scotland cannot find money for them is a very big slap in the face and the kick in the teeth for the Scottish Youth Theatre. The First Minister mentioned that she would speak to the cabinet secretary for culture. Can I ask the First Minister if she would arrange a meeting with the cabinet secretary of culture between myself and other interested parties to ensure that this essential youth theatre is allowed to continue? The First Minister Again, I thank Sandra White for raising the issue. As I said, I have asked Fiona Hyslop to offer to meet with the Scottish Youth Theatre and hopefully that is a meeting that will take place. I am sure that she would also be happy to meet with Sandra White and other interested members as well. There is not much more that I am able to say today in addition to what I have already said. I think that anybody listening not only to what I am saying but probably reading between the lines of what I am saying can hear that I have a lot of sympathy with the sentiments that are being expressed. Clearly, there are always difficult decisions to be taken about funding. Of course, the budget for Creative Scotland and for culture and the arts increased this year in the budget that we have just passed. There are many organisations that previously did not get regular funding and will be getting regular funding. Of course, we have managed to mitigate the impact of cuts to lottery funding. Those difficult decisions cannot be completely escaped, but we are determined to look at all options to protect, if we can, the work that the Scottish Youth Theatre does and to support, as far as we can, a healthy, vibrant culture sector across Scotland generally. Lewis MacDonald Thank you very much. The First Minister will know that Balfour Beattie holds many public sector contracts in Scotland, not least on the AWPR. Does she share my concern that the company's plans announced this morning to close their electricity substation design office at Contour and Aberdeenshire at the cost of the jobs that they are and to bid for all future work in Scotland's electricity network from outwith Scotland? If she does share those concerns, will she raise them with Balfour Beattie and will she tell them to drop their closure plans and, instead of making workers redundant, to sit down with staff in Contour and plan a sustainable future for their Scottish business for the time ahead? Decisions and announcements like this, of course, are always of concern, and this one is certainly no different in direct response to Lewis MacDonald's question. Yes, we will engage with Balfour Beattie about this, and I am sure that the economy secretary would be happy to meet Lewis MacDonald after we have had the opportunity to do so. Christina McKelvie The First Minister will be aware of my successful campaign to bring about laws in this place to protect people victims of non-consensual share of intimate images, commonly known as revenge porn. Can the First Minister tell us how her Government will respond to reports this week that less than half of revenge porn cases are actually passed to prosecutors? The impact of sharing intimate images, as we all know, can be hugely damaging, and there is absolutely no place for that in our society. That is indeed why we brought forward legislation for a specific offence of sharing or threatening to share intimate images without consent, and that offence is a maximum penalty on conviction of five years imprisonment. A public awareness campaign, consisting of advertising and PR work, ran to coincide with the offence coming into effect. I, of course, like Christina McKelvie, would have been concerned at the statistics that we saw this week. The investigation of the offence, of course, is for Police Scotland and prosecution is for the Crown Office. We know that there are particular complexities for police in investigating offences that are committed to using internet services, often hosted in foreign jurisdiction, and the rate of prosecution for those offences in Scotland is broadly similar to that that we see in England and Wales. The message that I took from the statistics this week—I think that Christina McKelvie is absolutely right to raise it—is that, while putting laws in place is important, making sure that those laws can effectively be used is what matters most, and I think that those statistics tell us that there is still work to be done on this important issue. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the First Minister what progress the Scottish Government is making on increasing the number of modern apprenticeships. We are making very good progress on increasing modern apprenticeships, in line with our commitment to deliver 30,000 new starts a year by 2020. Investing in skills development through apprenticeships makes a vital contribution to inclusive economic growth, and we have increased skills development Scotland's funding by 7 per cent next year. Next year's target of 28,000 apprenticeships starts will, for the first time, include graduate apprenticeships, which provide the opportunity to study for a degree while in full-time paid employment. This week, of course, we are celebrating Scottish apprenticeship week, which is a fantastic opportunity for apprentices and their employers to promote the benefits of apprenticeships across all sectors and the life-changing opportunities that they provide. Gillian Martin. I thank the First Minister for that answer. There is a myth that apprenticeships are just for school leavers, but they can offer a pathway to more mature adults who, for whatever reason, find themselves further from the workforce. Can the First Minister give details on what has been done to make apprenticeships accessible to those people who might later in life be in need of trying to improve their employability and also give some more detail on the graduate apprenticeship scheme? The First Minister. Gillian Martin is absolutely correct to say that, while apprenticeships are an important option for school leavers, they increasingly also provide a diverse range of work-based learning opportunities for people of all ages and all backgrounds. Indeed, last year, we saw an increase of over 20 per cent in the number of over-25s starting an apprenticeship, and already during the course of this year, we see that figure growing even further. Diversifying as well as expanding our apprenticeships is another vital way of opening up access by creating new pathways into work. The graduate apprenticeships offer the opportunity to develop high-level skills in emerging STEM-related areas, and foundation apprenticeships are expanding the vocational options available in the senior phase of schools. I think that there is a lot to be very positive about here, but Gillian Martin is absolutely correct to point to the need not only to increase the numbers but to make sure that we have greater diversity in all its respects as well. Jamie Halcro Johnston I thank the First Minister for her answers on this issue, and I agree with her on the life-changing opportunities that apprenticeships provide. I am sure that many of the colleagues across the chamber have seen that this week as they visited apprenticeships across Scotland. However, will the First Minister recognise this month's report from FSB Scotland on the particular barriers that small businesses in Scotland face in taking on apprenticeships? Will she consider how its recommendations could help ensure that small businesses get a fairer access to support and clearer information about taking on apprentices in future? The First Minister Yes, we will. The FSB makes important recommendations. We recognise that there often will be barriers for smaller companies and larger companies that do not face and experience. As we continue to increase the number of modern apprenticeships, indeed as we continue to diversify them as well, it is really important that we give all companies across Scotland who feel that their business would benefit the opportunity to take up an apprentice opportunity. That is an important part of the overall process that we are engaged in. Murdo Fraser To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to educate children regarding using the internet safely. First Minister We all want children and young people to be aware of their rights online, enjoy the internet, show resilience and take advantage of the opportunities on offer. It is the prerogative of children and young people to explore and enjoy the online world, but we have a collective responsibility to ensure that they do so safely. Children and young people learn about the safe and responsible use of different technologies as part of their broad general education under curriculum for excellence, and we are also working with others to continue to deliver briefing sessions to support professionals, parents and carers to keep children safe, as well as working with young people themselves to identify and develop ways of supporting themselves and their peers. Murdo Fraser I thank the First Minister for her response, and I agree with her that everyone involved with young people either professionally or simply as a parent will have concerns about safe use of the internet by children. This week, the Scottish Children and Young People's Commissioner called for three major changes to the relationship between children and the internet, digital citizenship lessons, a public ombudsman to mediate between under-18s and social media companies, and simplified terms and conditions for young people. I know that the Scottish Government published an action plan last year in this area. I wonder whether it has considered whether that action plan needs to be updated to take account of those new calls. The First Minister First Minister, we will fully consider the recommendations that Murdo Fraser has talked about in his question. In short, the answer to the question, do we think that the action plan requires to be updated? Given the nature of what we are talking about here, the answer to that is yes. I think that by the very nature of the internet and digital technology, we have to make sure that the actions that we are taking keep pace with those technological changes. We will continue to look at what more can be done. The internet is such a fantastic resource and young people should feel confident about enjoying the benefits of it, but we all know the risks that are there and it is therefore important that we look carefully at the actions that need to be taken to keep children safe. I can give an assurance to the chamber today that we will continue to do that on an on-going basis. 6. Anas Sarwar To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to figures that show black and Asian people in Scotland are more likely to be stopped and searched. First Minister Last month, the advisory group on stop and search, chaired by John Scott QC, produced a report evaluating the first six months of the code of practice on stop and search. I understand that yesterday the group issued an amendment to some of the figures in its report that Anas Sarwar has drawn on. The group's conclusions remain unchanged. The report clearly shows that the rate of searches declined across all ethnic groups and the positive detection rate of searches increased across all ethnic groups, which suggests that the police are focusing searches more effectively. In my view, it is vital that people in Scotland have confidence in policing whatever their ethnicity and the Justice Secretary commissioned this evaluation so that we can understand how well stop and search is operating. A fuller evaluation will be carried out later this year, and it will look at all those issues in more detail. Anas Sarwar I thank the First Minister for that answer. I raised the issue of the original statistics in good faith as he reflected the experiences that my constituents had raised with me. I recognise and accept that the author has since corrected an error and published an amendment to that report. The First Minister will know from her own constituents that there is, at the very least, a perception of bias in stopping and searching amongst our diverse minority ethnic communities. A number of individuals, representatives of organisations, including the Muslim Council of Scotland, the Pakistan Forum, the Scottish Afghan Human Rights Foundation and Positive Action and Housing, as well as serving and retired officers, have repeated that concern in the last few days. The current stop and search statistics do not include vehicle stops, airport or port stops or British transport police figures. As the First Minister rightly said, building the trust and confidence of our communities is crucial. Will the First Minister therefore commit to reviewing and covering all those areas and to meeting representatives of our diverse minority communities? Finally, as members across the chamber have recognised, it is unfortunate that some senior figures have attempted to shut the debate down by accusing me of playing the race card or having a personal agenda. That is the attitude that needs to be challenged, because that agenda is personal to me and it should be personal to anyone who believes in equality in all its forms. First Minister. First, let me be very clear. I do not question Anna Sarwar's good faith in raising those statistics and I do not question the good faith of anybody involved in this debate. It is a really important issue and I know that from my constituents as he does from his. However, it is important, and I think that he recognised that in his question, that we do try to deal in reality. I think that it is important to put on record that this report does not show that there is an increased risk of being stopped and searched if you are black or Asian than if you are not. However, where Anna Sarwar is right, and I know this from my constituents, is that there is or there can be a perception of that. Often, as we know, tackling the perception of something is as important as tackling the reality. That is an issue that we will continue to take seriously in the further evaluation that I spoke about. I think that it will be helpful to us as we do that. In terms of the remainder of Anna Sarwar's question, as he knows, all searches conducted by Police Scotland under the code of practice, including those that take place at airports, railways and on roads, are captured by Police Scotland and published on a quarterly basis. Information related to searches carried out under reserved powers is collated and reported by the UK Government, and searches carried out by British Transport Police are recorded on their own database and reported separately. I certainly understand the concern that some in the Asian community have, particularly about their experiences at airports. Therefore, the justice secretary is looking into the matter further and will write to Mr Sarwar. It is important that we recognise any perception that our ethnic minority communities have and seek to tackle that perception. However, it is also important that we recognise the good work that is also done in good faith by police officers, the length and breadth of the country. To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the capacity of the Scottish Police Authority and whether the organisation is fit for purpose. The Scottish Police Authority has implemented a number of changes in relation to governance and accountability since its new chair, Susan Deacon, started her appointment in December last year. That includes steps to ensure greater simplification, transparency and clarity around the Scottish Police Authority's governance and to ensure that decisions are underpinned by effective processes and enhanced professional advice. The current public appointments round for which interviews are taking place this week will bring up to five new board members enhancing the Scottish Police Authority's capacity to scrutinise policing in whole police Scotland at account. Audit Scotland, of course, for the first time gave an unqualified opinion on the SPA accounts for 2016-17. Liam McArthur Thank you. The recommendations set out in this report will go a long way to resolving the issues and concerns raised. That was the last SPA chair, Andrew Flanagan, speaking nearly two years ago after the justice secretary had asked him to conduct a review. What followed was a succession of failures leading to Mr Flanagan's resignation and the SPA's reputation being dragged through the mud again. The latest report was co-authored by the SPA's deputy chair. Does the First Minister not recognise that, rather than members of the SPA marking their own homework, it is time that we had an independent expert-led commission that can examine the whole picture, including the roles of police bosses, Parliament, councils and the justice secretary? In terms of the justice secretary, it is for this Parliament to hold the justice secretary to account. In the broader issue, it is important to recognise the changes that Susan Deacon has herself made since she came into office as the new chair of the SPA. For example, she has implemented single board meetings to discuss public and private issues while setting out how items of private business are addressed. She initiated an examination of board business, committee structures and the governance framework of the board. She strengthened engagement and dialogue with Parliament, including with committee conveners, the complaints and conduct committee has been reinstated with delegated decision making power. She has moved to improve the performance management of board members with a continuous and accelerated one-to-one programme of improvement. I am sure that she will also consider the comments from the Parliament's Audit Committee as part of that process. In terms of the review that we are talking about now, as Susan Deacon herself said, it will help to inform the wider programme of improvement work that is now being taken forward. It focuses specifically on executive support to the board and sits alongside the work that I have already mentioned that Susan Deacon has been undertaking. I hope that the member would recognise the work that has been done and the determination on the new chair's part to make sure that progress of this nature continues. The review found that local communities, local police scrutiny conveners and local politicians are effectively shut out from inputting into policing decisions. Does the First Minister accept the review's conclusion that the SNP's structures have fundamentally undermined localism in policing? Speaking as a local constituency MSP, I would have to say no. I regularly speak to local police about issues and priorities in my constituency. I would assume that most members across the country do that. We have always said that it is important that there is local accountability in policing. As the member rightly said, that was one of the issues that was talked about in the review. The recommendations that have been made in the review will complement the work that Susan Deacon has already undertaken. I would expect her, in consultation with her colleagues, to take forward those recommendations, as she considers appropriate. Stuart Stevenson, with the impending appointment of five new board members, what input has the new chair of the SPA, Susan Deacon, had in setting the agenda for that in ensuring that the job descriptions are proper and getting a fully effective board? Susan Deacon has had considerable input into that. As I said, interviews for new board members are taking place this week. I have outlined in my earlier answers some of the steps that have been taken to better support board members and to ensure good performance management of them. I think that all of that should be welcomed. I have also outlined a range of other measures that Susan Deacon has taken. I think that there is an openness around the fact that improvements required to be made in how the SPA was doing its business. Improvements have been made, and I am sure that they will continue to be made as the new chair considers appropriate. Thank you very much, and that concludes First Minister's questions. We will now move to members' business, the name of Graham Simpson, on Save the Green Belt. We will just take a few moments for members and ministers to change their seats.