 The First Minister is in a moment. We turn now to First Minister's questions. Question number one, Ruth Davidson. The First Minister's last questions before Christmas may a wish all members and people across Scotland all the compliments of the season and in a spirit of goodwill may a ask the First Minister what engagement she has planned for the rest of the day. The First Minister may a wish you, the chamber, and everybody across the country a very, very happy Christmas and a good new year. I will reciprocate that spirit of goodwill. I can advise the chamber that later today I will have engagements to take forward the Government's programme for Scotland, plus probably a spot of Christmas shopping. Ruth Davidson. Presiding Officer, in the last 90 minutes, the Auditor General has reported back on the Scottish Police Authority. For the third year running, she has cited weak management and financial leadership. She describes it as unacceptable. How does the First Minister put it? First Minister. I agree with the conclusion that the Auditor General has reached in the report published this morning. She says that the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland have taken steps to improve financial leadership, governance and arrangements, but those arrangements have not yet had a chance to have an impact. Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority are working to improve their financial management. That is something that the chamber should support. For the part of the Scottish Government, we are working with the Police Authority and Police Scotland to ensure the financial sustainability of policing in the years ahead. That is why, in the draft budget, we have put forward a real-terms increase in protection for the resource budget of the Scottish Police Authority and an increase in the capital budget, continuing the reform budget, which is all intended to put the police on a good financial footing so that they can continue the excellent work that they do. Ruth Davidson. I note the First Minister's reply and will get to the budget in a second, but let's just spell out the report itself. Last year, the Auditor General said that there was a potential funding gap of £84 million by 2018-19. This year, we learned that the cumulative funding gap that our police service may face over the course of this Parliament is now running at £190 million. Poor leadership is responsible, says Audit Scotland. It says that there are inaccurate financial records and that the Scottish Police Authority is failing to provide information about what money is actually being spent on. The Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constability report, also out this morning, says that urgent work is still needed to improve the way public funds are being spent. Does the First Minister really have confidence that this is the system that is working or indeed improving? The Auditor General said in the section 22 report published this morning, and I quoted this in response to Ruth Davidson's earlier question, that the SPA in Police Scotland are taking steps to improve financial leadership and governance arrangements, but those have not yet had a chance to have an impact. That is the conclusion of the Auditor General and it is one that I support. In terms of the wider budget issues, as I have said, we are protecting the resource budget of the Scottish Police Authority in real terms. That is important given the challenges facing our police service. We are also ensuring a real terms increase in the capital budget. The reform budget, which should have ended completely by now, is being continued to assist the police with the on-going work of reform. The police are also working, as members will be aware, on their long-term strategic plan and associated financial strategy as part of the policing 2026 programme that I met with the chief constable and the chair of the police authority earlier this month to discuss their progress with that work. We will continue to work with and support the police as they face up to the challenges ahead. Can I say this one final thing, Presiding Officer? There would right now be an additional £25 million a year available to the police if the Conservatives do not like to hear that. If the United Kingdom Government did not insist on making Police Scotland the only police authority in the entirety of the UK to have to pay that, will Ruth Davidson get behind our calls to stop that? The charges from the Auditor General are weak financial leadership, inaccurate records and poor financial management. Running to Westminster bad is not exactly going to cut it, First Minister. Do you know that there is something terribly familiar about all the responses that we have had so far today? All that we have is terribly regrettable. It is all in the past. We are going to do better. Let me read out the reaction from the Scottish Government to last year's report from the Auditor General saying exactly the same thing, which was the commitments given in this week's draft budget will put the police budget on a sustainable footing for future years. A year on, Police Scotland is now staring down the barrel of a £198 million budget deficit. We have heard it all before. There is an issue that I want to come on specifically from the two reports today, and that is transparency. The Auditor General says that there is very limited publicly available detail to provide it to the police authority board on how it spends its money. Let me just read and rebate him from the report. The Scottish Police Authority allocated £972.9 million to Police Scotland for 2016-17. There was very little publicly available detail provided to the SPA board in its papers about what this allocation was to deliver. In other words, nearly £1 billion of funds handed to Police Scotland without us knowing what it was for. Does the First Minister find this as extraordinary as I do? The £1 billion that we invest in our police provides the police officers the length and breadth of this country that keeps this country safe. Ruth Davidson does not know what the police budget is for. I suspect that she does a bit more homework in future before she comes to this chamber. Of course, there are 1,000 more police officers across this country as a result of the investment and commitment of this Government, but let me return to the Audit Scotland report. When I quoted it earlier on, I was doing exactly that, quoting the Auditor General. I will do it again. It is the conclusion of the report that was published this morning. The SPA and Police Scotland have begun to take steps to improve both financial leadership and management and government arrangements, but they have not yet had a chance to have an impact. That is not my view. That is the view of the Auditor General. I would expect the SPA and Police Scotland to act on all the recommendations made by Audit Scotland and by Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary. I noticed that the one point that Ruth Davidson did not address in her question was the VAT position, because that is material. The UK Government tells us that, because the police service in Scotland is funded by central government, it has to pay VAT. When the UK Government decided to set up academy schools in England and fund them from central government, do we know what it did? It then amended the VAT act in order to exempt academy schools from VAT. So there is £25 million £25 million a year right now that should be going to our police service, that is currently going to the Treasury. Ruth Davidson will not have any credibility standing here talking about police until she backs us in telling her Tory colleagues in Westminster to do the right thing and to stop taking money out of the pockets of our police service. Ruth Davidson said about VAT that she knew that it would happen and that she did not listen to Parliament. She knows that the First Minister is in trouble, but she cannot answer for herself. She runs the Westminster VAT. Twice today, the First Minister stood up and talked about the increasing police budget. I want to challenge her on that. The Scottish Government is claiming that the policing budget is going up by £7 million in real terms, but, like everything else in last week's budget, it is not quite what it seems. The reform budget, which was at £55 million last year, was reduced to £36 million for this year. We asked the Scottish Police Federation about this, and they say that despite its name and what the First Minister tries to claim, this budget is crucial in terms of service delivery. In fact, far from increasing the amount of money that the single force has by £7 million, it appears that the SNP is actually cutting it by almost £12 million. On top of cuts to councils and double counting, isn't there just another stealth cut that is emerging from Derek Mackay's slightly unravelling budgets? The resource budget of the Scottish Police Authority is not increasing by £7 million, as Ruth Davidson says. It is increasing by £19 million in real terms protection for the resource budget. The capital budget is going up by just under £4 million, and it is also a real terms increase. That is the reality. Ruth Davidson talks about the reform budget. The reform budget should have been completely ended, I think, two financial years ago. Instead of that, we have continued the support through the reform budget to assist the police in making the reforms that they need. Let us come back to the nub of this issue. We have Ruth Davidson standing up here again, as she does, week after week after week, asking for more money for the police, for the health service, for education. Where is that money coming from? Because the only criticism last week that Ruth Davidson wanted to make about our budget is that we were not giving big enough tax cuts to the richest earners in Scotland. Here is the inconsistency at the heart of the Tory proposition, tax cuts for the rich, but standing up here asking for more money for every single public service. Of course, there is a potential source of additional money for our police service, as we know. Ruth Davidson has stood up and conceded that the UK Government's refusal to exempt our police service from that is nothing more than political spite. It can do it for academy schools in England, but it will not do it for police services across Scotland. That is absolutely despicable, and the Tories should be ashamed of themselves. Thank you, Presiding Officer. On behalf of the Labour Party, I wish everybody a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. In that spirit, I ask the First Minister what engagement she has planned for the rest of the week. Engagements to take forward the Government's programme for Scotland. This morning, Audit Scotland published a damning report into Scotland's police bodies, and this is a report that was laid before Parliament. The decision to publish this report, little more than two hours before we break for the Christmas holidays, was the Scottish Government's. What was she trying to hide? Requires to be laid before Parliament by 31 December each year. The accounts were only approved by the SPA board last Thursday afternoon, so we have published the report to give Parliament due chance to consider it. The evidence that Parliament is able to properly consider and scrutinise it is right before us today, given that the Opposition leaders are asking questions about it. This is the First Minister who, time and time again in this chamber promises us openness and transparency. She tells us that she respects Parliament, and this is how she treats it. This is a serious report about the state of our police. The Auditor General estimates that the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland could face a funding gap of almost £190 million by the end of this Parliament. That will cause considerable alarm in communities across Scotland. Rather than having a force that is committed to keeping our communities safe, we have one that is desperately trying to balance the books. When will the First Minister realise that our public services are in crisis? First Minister. On the timing of the report, as I said, we have until 31 December to publish and lay this report. The fact that it has been done—and it is a nine-page report—I think that even the Opposition can manage to read a nine-page report in an hour and a half before First Minister's questions. The fact that it has been published this morning gives every Opposition leader the chance to ask questions at First Minister's questions as they are doing. In terms of the financial position of the police, as I have already said, the resource budget of the police is being protected in real terms. The capital budget of the police is increasing by more than a real terms increase. We are continuing support through the reform budget, and we are continuing to make the case for the police no longer having to pay VAT in the way that no other police authority across the country has to pay VAT. Can I ask the Labour Party today whether it supports us in asking the Tories to stop taking money out of the pockets of our police? We can read it in 90 minutes, First Minister, so shame it took you a week. If the First Minister had any confidence in this report, she would not have published it two hours before the Christmas recess. As the year draws to a close, it is a good time to look back at the SNP's record, the NHS and the police in crisis. School standards are slipping, and the budget is unravelling in slow motion. SNP MSPs should be embarrassed by this budget, not queuing up to get copies of it signed £200 million in the police service. This is a service that she says she is protecting. God help our schools and hospitals. The truth is that the SNP is cutting £327 million from local services. When will the First Minister use the powers of this Parliament and do the right thing? Stop the cuts. In the unlikely event that Labour had won the election, the NHS budget would be going up by inflation. Under this Government, it will go up by £500 million more than inflation. In terms of funding for local services, in terms of the draft budget, it will increase by £240 million. That includes £120 million more for our schools. It includes an extra £107 million for social care to provide the services that we need in order to alleviate the pressure on our national health service. That is a budget about protecting public services. If we want to look back on the relative records of different parties over the past year, then the crowning glory of Kezia Dugdale has been to lead her party to 15 per cent in the opinion poll. First Minister, I recently met a group of single parents from Mary Hill who have raised serious concerns with me over the plan closure of the local job centre by the UK Department of Work and Pensions plans currently out to consultation. Concerns include the distance, cost and time taken to travel to alternative job centre in Springburn, a poorer employability service, potential additional sanctions and the impact on schooling and childcare to name but a few. Can I ask the First Minister to make representations to the UK Government over any concerns that it may share over how vulnerable groups may be impacted by the proposed closures and whether she agrees with me that it would be best for the current DWP proposals to close eight job centres across Glasgow where abandoned by job centre plus and a fundamental review rethink over how best to support vulnerable groups within the city? Bob Dorris raises very real concerns. They are concerns that I share not least because those changes, if they were to go ahead, would affect my constituents in the south side of Glasgow as well. I know that Jamie Hepburn, the Minister for Employability and Training, has already raised concerns over the impact of those changes on vulnerable groups in Glasgow and, in particular, how those changes could reduce access to services and result in additional costs for those who have to travel further to access them. He is also seeking urgent clarification on the future of job centre plus facilities across the rest of the country, not just Glasgow. I understand that DWP has extended its consultation plans until the 31st of January, and I have asked Jamie Hepburn to again ensure that the views of the Scottish Government are expressed clearly and directly to DWP ministers by that date. The epicentre storm Barbara will be in the Highlands and Islands where winds of up to 19mph will destroy property, cut power lines and dislocate road, rail, ferry and air services. Is the First Minister confident that the transfer assistance is prepared for and resilient enough to cope with the forthcoming severe weather? The member raises important issues of concern. The Scottish Government resilience arrangements have been activated already to ensure that Scotland is as prepared as possible for the severe weather expected across the rest of this week. The relevant authorities have activated their plans to deal with any potential impacts, and extra staffing and on-call arrangements are in place over the festive period. Yesterday, the Minister for Transport and the Islands chaired a meeting with key partners to discuss the Scottish Government resilience arrangements and will continue to chair the daily adverse weather meetings going forward. Public safety of course remains our absolute top priority. I urge people to listen to the latest advice on local radio and digital channels and, obviously, to check before they travel. Alexander Burnett Thank you, Presiding Officer, and still on storms. As we approach the anniversary of Storm Frank, an estimated 70 families have still not returned to their homes, and Aberdeenshire Council has spent over £11 million on the cleanup bill. The residents of Ballotyr and Chemnay are feeling forgotten. Flood repairs are inadequate or non-existent and are rightly concerned that they are still at risk this winter. Can the First Minister reassure them that the Scottish Government is doing all it can to protect them and their families from future floods? The First Minister Yes, I can, and it is an important issue. I know—and I saw much of this with my own eyes this time last year—the damage that flooding did to many individuals and, indeed, many businesses across both the northern parts of the country and the southern parts of the country. I can assure the member that those affected and those who are still out of their homes as a result of the damage that was done last year have not been forgotten. The Scottish Government has been with our partners and local authorities, and we will continue to do everything that we possibly can, to ensure that the damage for those affected is dealt with and that they get back into their homes as quickly as possible. However, through our flood risk management planning, we reduced the risk of it happening in the future, because we can never eliminate it. Willie Rennie To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the cabinet. The First Minister Is the importance of the people of Scotland? Willie Rennie Apex Scotland has 30 years' experience working in prisons. Its chief executive says that a majority of young offenders have a mental health condition, yet he also says that access to mental health services is poor or non-existent. The latest figures show that attempted suicides at Paulman Young Offenders Institute went up sixfold in just one year. Apex Scotland says that mental health services for young offenders are being left far behind, just like the rest of the country. Can the First Minister give me a guarantee that mental health services for young offenders will change? That is certainly the intention of the Scottish Government. I agree with Willie Rennie. If mental health services generally—this is not a new thing, this is a generation's old issue—have tended to be the Cinderella service, then that is particularly true when talking about and dealing with young offenders in our prisons. It is absolutely the case that many people, particularly young people who find themselves in prison, will suffer from mental health issues. It is therefore incumbent on all of us to make sure that they have access to good-quality mental health services to deal with what are often the underlying causes of their offending. I have said before in the chamber many times, and I will say it again, that we are seeing a substantial increase in demand for mental health services, and we should recognise that as a positive in terms of the reducing stigma associated with mental health. However, we have an absolute obligation to make sure that we can meet that rising demand. That is why our mental health strategy is so important, why we are taking so much time and care and making sure that we get that right, but also why the additional investment that we have planned in mental health services is so important as well. The problem for the First Minister is that that mental health strategy does not even mention mental health services for young offenders—not one mention within it. I have told her before that many organisations think that that strategy is just not good enough. Marie Curie says that there is nothing for the terminally ill. It has been criticised by the RCN, the psychiatrist and by a whole lot of charities. The £10 million announce that the weekend was a drop in the ocean. All the while, people are struggling. Hundreds of teenagers are still waiting over a year to get the help that they need. 11 out of 14 health boards can't even meet the basic target, and Police Scotland has lost 200,000 working days from mental ill health. Does the First Minister accept that the draft mental health strategy, which is already a year late, needs a major rewrite? The problem for Willie Rennie is that he is alleging that the mental health strategy does not cover that particular issue, but the mental health strategy has not been published yet. It will not be published until the new year. We are taking time and care to make sure that the responses, some of which have been cited by Willie Rennie, are properly taken into account. In fact, I think that the Health and Sport Committee of this very Parliament asked that we did not publish it until they had had the opportunity to properly feed into that process. Publishing a draft document for consultation is a normal part of the process in developing these strategies. The input that we get from organisations like The One Willie Rennie has spoken about is a crucial part of making sure that, when we do publish the final strategy, it takes account of those very important points. I encourage Willie Rennie and any other member of the chamber to continue to play a constructive role in helping us to ensure that, on this very important issue, we get it right in all those different aspects. On the general point about CAMHS, I have recognised before and continue to recognise the big challenge that confronts us on this because of rising demand. However, we are seeing, and we have a lot of work still to do, rising numbers of workers in this area. We are starting to see waiting times improve, although they have an awful long way to go. We have a lot to do, but I think that we are heading in the right direction and our mental health strategy will help us to accelerate the pace of that. When that is published in the new year, I hope that all members of the chamber will be able to get behind it. As I have said before, one of the most important issues is not just for the Government but for all of our partners working in this area to get to grips with in the years to come. Some supplementaries now. First one from Christina McKelvie. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. To ask the First Minister what the focus of the Scottish Government's new international development strategy will be. Our new international development strategy was published yesterday. It has, at its core, the aim of tackling global poverty, injustice and inequality, working in partnership with others to achieve the UN global goals. Since 2005, we have supported hundreds of projects, delivering healthcare, giving children access to education, families access to energy and support to gain employment to lift themselves out of poverty. The strategy will build on this work and will focus on four partner countries—Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda and Pakistan—to allow our funding to have a bigger impact on the lives of people we work with. Douglas Ross Last Thursday, the cabinet secretary provided me with a written answer about SPA committee meetings being held behind closed doors. The cabinet secretary said that it was a matter for the SPA. Later that day, a member of the SPA raised their concerns about openness and transparency. The HMICS report was published about 90 minutes ago, which goes to 17 pages. If the First Minister has got to page 5, however, she will have read that she questions the decision to hold committee meetings in private. What will the First Minister do to ensure that the SPA carries out its functions in ways that are proportionate, accountable and transparent, as required by the Police and Fire Reform Act, which her Government passed? Expect the SPA to take account of and make sure that it implements the views and recommendations of both the Auditor General and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, and that includes the views that have been expressed in the report this morning on openness and transparency. Given the unacceptable decision by Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board to close the inpatient facility at the Centre for Integrated Care and that this is a decision under the original agreement that can only be taken by the Secretary of State for Scotland, now devolved to her Government, will the First Minister now respect the decision of this Parliament in a vote to call this in and instruct the health secretary to stop hiding behind the board and call this in? As the member is aware, we take all of these decisions very seriously. We ask the Scottish Health Council to inform decisions about what service changes or proposed service changes are to be treated as major service changes in which do not require that, and we will continue to follow that advice. We will continue to make sure that we give support to local services but also that we are supporting the reforms that are required in our health service to make sure that patients across the country get the services that they are entitled to expect. To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding the proposal by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government that holders of public office should swear an oath to uphold British values. The Scottish Government has had no communication from the UK Government in relation to the Secretary of State's premature, in my view, response to the casey report on social cohesion. We respect the work published by Dame Louise Casey into integration and opportunity, and the Scottish Government will certainly consider her suggestions carefully in terms of the relevance to Scotland. John Mason I thank the First Minister for that answer. I mean, I wonder if the First Minister is actually any clearer than I am as to what British values actually are and if everyone in Scotland should be expected to have them, because certainly I, for one, do not feel particularly British. First Minister. I think that these are important issues, and as I said, we respect the work that is being carried out by Dame Louise Casey. I think that it deserves to be given proper consideration, and I would suggest that the UK Government should do the same, commit to giving it proper consideration rather than taking the premature step of announcing that all public servants should be compelled to swear an oath and risking. I do think that it potentially risks the exclusion of people who do not define their values as uniquely British. As a nation—I hope that this is something that all members across the chamber would agree with—as a nation, Scotland has a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities and all faiths, and we are committed to supporting their integration into our communities, not in my view through the swearing of oaths, but by creating a country where everyone has an opportunity to flourish and where diversity is truly welcomed and celebrated, where we judge people on the contribution they make to our country while they are here and do not expect them to give up their own identities and their own backgrounds in the process. Mark Ruskell Thank you, Presiding Officer. I declare an interest as a member of the district of Stirling Licensing Board. A decade ago, none of us would have predicted the growth of online sales—sorry? Sorry, I thought you were going to ask a supplementary in John Mason's question. This is a general supplementary, which I didn't take you for the previous time, so I apologise. Mr Ruskell will be happy with a very sympathetic response from the chamber. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the call by the Association of Head Teachers and Deputies in Scotland for the extension of powers to head teachers. Wherever possible decisions about children's learning should be decided at school level. We therefore welcome the response to the Government's review from the Association of Head Teachers and Deputies in Scotland, which proposes increasing the powers of our head teachers in order to have the biggest positive impact on learning, teaching and outcomes for our children. The Scottish Government will of course consider all responses and contributions to our review and to the governance of education in Scotland, which closes on 6 January. I thank the First Minister for that, and that's good to hear. The First Minister will, I am sure, acknowledge the very long-standing success of Jordan Hill School in Glasgow, but she will note to that a number of schools that want to adopt different governance arrangements within the state sector face some constraints because this Parliament repealed the 1989 Self-Governing Schools Act. Will the First Minister confirm whether it is the Scottish Government's intention to amend the existing legislation to make it much easier to meet the growing demand for greater diversity in the state sector, the growing demand for head teachers for greater autonomy and to give more powers to parents? We have made very clear our desire to see more power lie with head teachers and individual schools. That indeed is the presumption that lies at the very heart of the governance review. That said, John Swinney also made it very clear when he launched the governance review that we also believe that local councils should continue to have democratic oversight and accountability for education, but I absolutely want to make sure that the steps that we take are guided by the need to raise standards and close the attainment gap, not by ideology on one side or the other. That's why we've set up the governance review. It's why we will listen to all contributions made to the governance review. It closes, as I said, on 6 January. It will take time to consider those contributions. John Swinney will then set out our plans, including whether there is any requirement for legislative change after that. I welcome the First Minister's acknowledgement of the pivotal role that head teachers play in providing leadership in schools across my constituency and indeed the whole of Scotland. Can she advise what the Scottish Government is doing currently to strengthen school leadership and to invest in head teachers' skills and professional development? Strengthening leadership was a key recommendation of the OECD's review of Scottish education, and the changes that we are proposing in the consultation on the standard for headship are intended to do that. That will enable future head teachers to have the leadership skills and support that they need, while the draft regulations give education authorities flexibility to deal with individual local circumstances, particularly in relation to temporary appointments. We absolutely recognise the importance of educational leadership, and we are committed to supporting teachers who want to take the step into headship. That is why we are funding the new into headship qualification at a cost of up to £1.5 million to 2018. 18 out of 29 head teachers in Shetland already teach pupils in classrooms. They struggle to find enough time in the day, as it is. If the Government plans to give head teachers more responsibilities, what part of their workload will go? I think that there is a strong desire on the part of head teachers to have the greater responsibility that we are talking about. I absolutely recognise, and I do not think that John Swinney could have been any clearer since he took up the post of education secretary about the need to make sure that we address issues of excessive workload on the part of teachers. That is why steps have been taken to reduce unnecessary workload and bureaucracy. I also acknowledge very much that, in rural and island areas in particular, that may be a particular challenge that we have to address. I am sure that John Swinney would be happy to discuss that directly with Tavish Scott. All those issues are ones that we will take into account, but our absolute determination—as I have said many times over the course of this year and will continue to do so as we go into next year—is to raise standards in our schools and to close the attainment gap. I believe that one of—not the only way, but one of the ways of doing that is to support leadership in our schools and then give the leaders in our schools the ability, the powers and the freedoms to get on with the jobs that they do best. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the number of destitute people sleeping on Scotland's streets this Christmas. First Minister? As long as there is, in my view, one person sleeping rough on our streets—not just at Christmas, but at any time of the year—that is one person too many. The number of homeless people reporting that they had slept rough before applying for housing support has decreased every year for the past five years in Scotland. However, we know that only those who approach local authorities are recorded. That is why we are working with stakeholders to gather more robust data on the figures of those rough sleeping and to assess their often very complex needs, so that we can continue to take action that will support people to move off the streets and into a home of their own. Thank you, First Minister, for that answer. It is a sad fact that there will be many people sleeping rough this Christmas across their streets—the visible scourge—on our society. The figures that I have showed last year, there is a dramatic increase on rough sleeping. The City Mission in Glasgow and the Bethanage Trust in Edinburgh showed that the trend is likely to continue, as we know from press reports that they are turning people away from their night shelters. There seems to be a severe shortage for women of emergency accommodation, for some reason. As the First Minister, she looks at two areas of government policy in this regard. Would she consider initiating a national co-ordination to ensure that there is provision for women in emergency night shelters, at least until we can eradicate rough sleeping and homelessness? Secondly, would she also look at a model that is adopted in Nordic countries and also used in Glasgow of housing first, which is simply a model that provides quickly accommodation and permanent homes, but, importantly, it wraps the services around the person's particular problems, which may be the problems that have led them to homelessness in their first place. I think that that is certainly a policy that is worth looking at. I thank Pauline McNeill for raising the issue. Also, for the constructive suggestion that she has made, I will absolutely consider both of the points that she has made. I think that the point that she makes, particularly around access to night shelters for women, is an important one. On the second point about the housing first model, that is something that we are very open to looking into. Although some of our local authorities will already use a model that is not dissimilar, in some respects, through the housing options work that they do, the new moderator of the Church of Scotland, after he took office, specifically asked that we looked at this particular model and I gave him a commitment that we would do so. What is absolutely true—and I think that Pauline McNeill's question goes to the heart of this—is that people who find themselves rough sleeping will very often be people whose needs are not just accommodation needs. They have accommodation needs, but they will have very complex, multifaceted needs as well, so we have to look at tackling the problem in that holistic way. I also think that it is important—I made this point in my first answer—that the official statistics would say that rough sleeping has been reducing, but we do know that the official statistics will not necessarily tell the whole story, which is why we are working with partners to try to get more robust data. I am happy to give a commitment to look into both of the points raised by Pauline McNeill. As I said on the latter one, we have already been doing that, and to report back to her in the new year. To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support the Christmas tree industry. Personally, I am delighted that there are two home-grown trees in Bute House this Christmas, and I encourage people, if they have not already bought their Christmas tree for this Christmas, to consider buying a Scottish-grown tree, and if they have already bought their tree to consider that for next Christmas. There is an important point behind that question. The Christmas tree industry is a privately funded sector, but we are absolutely committed as a Government to continued investment in Scotland's wider forestry sector, which is a really important part of our economy. The draft budget protects funding for forestry and increases the money available for forestry grants in the next financial year to £40 million. Edward Mountain. I thank the First Minister for her answer, and I am delighted that she has bought two Christmas trees, and I hope that they are indeed Scottish trees, because over 55% of the UK Christmas trees are produced in Scotland, many on the Black Isle, an area in which I represent. However, we still import over 2 million Christmas trees into the UK every year, so there is more to do. However, as the First Minister pointed out, it is not just Christmas trees that are important to Scotland. Commercial forestry is as well, especially if we are to meet Scotland's timber needs and the Government's environmental targets. The SNP has missed its planting targets for the last three years. I will repeat that in case you did not get it the first time. The SNP has missed its planting targets for the last three years. Does the First Minister really believe that the additional £4 million announced in the budget will be enough to make up the shortfall, which no-one else believes it will, to hit the target of 100,000 hectares of planting by 2020? The Tory spending commitments are really piling up today, aren't they? Unfortunately, they are relying on Santa to deliver them the resources that they need to fund them. There are important issues in that question. I can confirm, as I think I did in my previous answer, but if I didn't, I apologise that the Christmas trees in Butehouse are Scottish-grown Christmas trees. I cannot insist that people across the country buy home-grown Christmas trees, but I would encourage them to do so, because it is good for that sector of our economy. In terms of our own planting targets, we are absolutely prioritising the action to increase the scale and pace of new woodland creation, and that is absolutely the right thing to do. I hope that everybody, as we go into the Christmas holidays, enjoys their Christmas tree wherever in the UK or elsewhere it happens to have been grown. In the spirit of Christmas, which Edward Mountain was so uncharacteristically lacking in, and in the subject of trees, I wonder if the First Minister would join me in welcoming this week's community buy-out of the historic Loch Arcaig pine forest, as another step along the road towards Scotland's land being owned for the benefit of the many, not the few, something that we know that Tories are so supportive of. Tories really do not like the principle of for the many, rather than the few. Nevertheless, I think that it is one that we should support. I welcome very much the community buy-out, which has been achieved by the local community trust working with Woodland Trust Scotland. The 2,500 acres of Loch Arcaig forest form one of only 38 Caledonian pine wood inventory sites in Scotland. Those are vital native ancient pine woods, so it is really good to see the local community coming together to work with other agencies on a long-term plan to conserve and restore them. As I say, I think that the Tories are demonstrating that they do not like the idea of land being owned by the many, not the few, but this Government is determined to continue down that road. Since that was the final contribution in the absence of the Christmas spirit from elsewhere in the chamber, can I end by wishing you a very happy Christmas? Thank you. That ends First Minister's questions. Parliament will resume in the new year, so may I take this opportunity to wish you all a peaceful and merry Christmas. The session is clear.