 Mae'r ddaf yn ei wneud i fynd i ddechrau'r ysgolwyddiadau a'r ddaf yn ei wneud i ddefnyddio'r bod yn ymdweithio'r cyfnodau, ac yn y byddwyd trefniadau, yn ymdweithio'r cyfnodau i gael y gwelladau i gael'r cyfnodau i gael. Yn y gweithio'r no 1, rwy'n cael Pam Duncan Glancy. i'r cabyn arno yr Gowdydd Ysgrifennig i brifedwyr a'r codeigdau i Llanfaenau mewn Archwiligol hanes o'r unrhyw ddim yn Llanfaenau. Mae clywed ddiweddig yn Llanfaenau a Chymdwll Erfyn diseasell yn unrhyw gydigion i Llanfaenau a Llanfaenau, a ddim yn lleiol i'r Unigolion i'r unrhyw gyrfaenau i Llanfaenau i Llanfaeniau i'r unrhyw gyrdiau i Llanfaennot ac i ni oedai amserion i Llanfaennau i Llanfaennau i Llanfaenntau Ar ddigon yr unigiau d dippingart taebau, ein review dealltuing o gyll toys. Mae Unigiau Gof Gastdd na gfin seist 14 fryddol ar gyfer cyfunsedd hiad oter daughters oddi'r iechyd. Thosefford automat achos pallol i ddechrau ar ei dyn nhw ond ar gafoddem andrHeidrim Niy甚麼 tamur i drago ym gy rywun. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Seen swim over the weekends have been horrific, and I know that all of us in this chamber stand in solidarity with those fleeing their homes as a result of Russian aggression. Ensuring Scotland is a safe support of being welcome in place for people who come here is crucial, and we need to be ready for that. We also need to make sure that people get advice and support on their rights, including through help lines run by the third sector. This is particularly important for disabled people. There are 2.7 million disabled people in Ukraine. They face a disproportionate risk of abandonment, death and a lack of access to safety, relief and recovery support. The European Disability Forum has heard the situation as appalling. Gelters are inaccessible and disabled people are forced to stay at home, not knowing where they can go to be safe. Is vital political leaders across the globe ensure that disabled people are included in the response? We can't leave them behind. The cabinet secretary sets out what plans he has put in place to do that, what discussions he has had with COSLA on Scotland's birth parentness for refugees and what support will be given to the third sector. I thank Pam Duncan Glancy for her question. The issues at hand have been subject to discussions already in the Scottish Government in the resilience settings, the meetings that we have already held over the weekend, a meeting that we are going to hold this afternoon. Those include representatives of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, our conversations are on-going with the third sector. She raises very specific issues relating to the support of disabled people from Ukraine. We have already been providing a material that has been requested by the Ukrainian Government and will continue to do so. I will have a look at what has been requested by the Ukrainian authorities to satisfy myself that what is being asked for and what is being provided will be of assistance to people with disability in Ukraine and will highlight the issue that she raises and the further discussions that we will have on an on-going basis from now on. I will be happy to write to her in detail to answer any of her question that I was not able to in the curtail time that we have at present. I know that this Parliament will also stand ready to support the Korean children and their families. The Children's Commissioners for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have written to the Prime Minister highlighting the need to protect children as far as possible from conflict. It is vital that the 7.5 million children in Ukraine are also factored into preparedness, which means ensuring that all four nations are ready to provide much needed safety and hope. Children in conflict zones have made clear over the past eight years how important it is to continue their education and we must do what we can. Can the Scottish Government set out what steps it has taken to ensure that those fleeing Russian invasion are able to find suitable accommodation accessible when needed, proper support services and for children education that they so desperately must not miss out on? Can I highlight something that is perhaps a little bit missed in the context that we are currently talking about? People from Ukraine have to get here first. In preparation for that, we have to follow all the steps that the requests that are being made, including in this topical session today. At the present time, the United Kingdom is not offering a visa waiver for people seeking sanctuary from Ukraine, shamefully in my view and that of the Scottish Government. It is possible right across the European Union, including for our neighbours in the Irish Republic to do so. The UK is saying that they are prepared to allow people to come here to work if they have family members already resident in the United Kingdom. Apparently, humanitarian pathways are set to be opened if they are sponsored in the UK. Frankly, that is not good enough. People need sanctuary, so we should be taking them in. We should be making the necessary preparations that have been highlighted by the questioner. Today, we need to get everything in place for when people arrive. I really hope that the UK Government will reconsider what, to my mind, and I am sure that the majority of people across the chamber is frankly not good enough. Skyrora, a rocket launching company with a base in Midlothian, has Ukrainian employees here in Scotland, but also has 44 employees and anipro in east of Ukraine, and it is asking what contingencies there will be for its employees. Does the cabinet secretary consider that corporate sponsorship should be introduced by the UK, which would allow those employees and their families, if they so wished, to come to Scotland to be employed? Christine Grahame highlights something that should be part of a wide, broad and welcoming package of measures by the United Kingdom Government. The Home Secretary has been outlining some changes that may allow companies to play a role in bringing people out of Ukraine. We have to see how that will operate in practice. If that is what it indeed is, it is welcome, it is still, however, not enough. I might also take the opportunity of saying to colleagues in the chamber that it will have impacted on quite a lot of us. We will have been approached by companies or third sector organisations who are aware of companies making offers, third sector organisations making offers. I encourage them to please get in touch, so that as we are in a very fast-moving situation, we are able to help to co-ordinate those offers to make sure that we can get aid to people in country, in theatre, but also people who may be able to come to the UK. Hopefully, it will be far more than the UK currently has in mind. I thank the cabinet secretary for his replies. In the main, I agree with what he is saying. We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in resisting brutal aggression. Does he agree that it is vital that we show our united support for the people of Ukraine? Does he welcome the role that the United Kingdom is playing in shaping the international response and providing military hardware and developing meaningful financial sanctions? What steps will the Scottish Government take to co-ordinate, as he has just mentioned, the word co-ordination? What co-ordination support will the Scottish Government give to those community-based responses? People want to show their support for the people of Ukraine. There is much in Stephen Kerr's question. If there is something that I have not touched on, I am happy to write to him in detail. In general, I think that the United Kingdom response on the economic front, on supporting the Ukrainian armed forces, is commendable, as it has been from countries right across the European Union as well. Sadly, there is much more than the people of Ukraine require from us, whether on the economy, whether on military support and on the diplomatic response that we all need to be a part of. The Scottish Government is co-ordinating with the UK and other devolved administrations across the United Kingdom, an example of which is the provision of immediate aid that has been flown out to Ukraine at some point today. Co-ordination is already taking place. In terms of looking forward, how do we make sure that we capture all of the information? That is exactly the point that I was saying in an earlier reply. We need to make sure that we are getting all of those details. If members across the chamber have examples of that, please get in touch with the Scottish Government to make sure that we are fully cited and that that will be included in the response that we are pulling together with partners in the third sector and further afield. Alex Cole-Hamilton Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Freedom of Information requests last week revealed that there are still 300 Afghani refugees languishing in hotels and bridging accommodation. We need to be ready for what is coming. We hope that the UK Government will waive visas so that more Ukrainians can reach here. We have also witnessed the tremendous outpouring of support from the Scottish people saying, open our borders and we will open our homes. Can I ask the Scottish Government, firstly, will he urgently refresh the new Scott strategy, which is due to expire this year? Secondly, make sure that funding is available to local authorities to house these Ukrainian refugees and thirdly, make it easier for Scottish people who are willing to give up of their own accommodation to Ukrainian refugees the ability to do so. I am pleased to agree with everything that Alex Cole-Hamilton has just said. At the heart of his question is an important point. Ukraine is a massive challenge at the present time, but we cannot lose sight of what is happening in other parts of the world. At the present time, there are very terrible developments in Afghanistan in particular, but in other countries as well. We cannot see the response that we require to get in place for Ukraine to be seen as a displacement for what we also need to be doing for other parts of the world. Alex Cole-Hamilton asks other questions. Yes, we need to be speaking with local authority partners, but I would stress to him that at the present time, Ukrainians able to get here will be classes of people who have family members who they are expected to be staying with. What he is talking about and what I am concerned about and what the Scottish Government is concerned about is all of those people who do not have contacts here, who do not have family members here. They frankly have every right to be here, just as every other refugee does. We need to unify our voices. It has been appealed across the chamber. I would appeal for all colleagues, please. Let us be united in saying wave visa restrictions to be able to come to the United Kingdom. Most people will want to stay close to Ukraine in central Europe, but for those who wish to come to the United Kingdom, we should welcome them with open arms. Liam McArthur asks the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government about using the sanctions regime to prevent Russian Government-owned tankers entering ports in the UK, including in Orkney. The unprovoked aggression by the Russian Government against a sovereign democratic state is wholly unacceptable and we are committed to ensuring appropriate measures that are taken to ensure that any support, however indirect for Russia's unjust war, is prevented. The First Minister met the Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shaps on Sunday evening to discuss concerns about the Russian-owned oil tanker, NS Champion, which at that time was heading towards Orkney to pick up a cargo of crude oil at the Flota terminal. In line with the agreement that all efforts should be made to stop the tanker docking, Scottish Government officials have been working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders, including officials at the Department for Transport and the Joint Maritime Security Centre to pursue all options. More generally, we have been working collaboratively with stakeholders to make it clear that vessels owned, controlled, chartered or operated by individuals or companies connected to Russia are not welcome in Scottish ports or to undertake business here at this time. Members will wish to be aware that an amendment to the UK sanctions regime prohibiting the entry of vessels connected to Russia to UK ports, the registration of such vessels in the UK and allowing for the detention of such vessels already here in certain circumstances, enters into force at 1,500 hours today. The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with the UK Government to maximise the effectiveness of this regime, share intelligence and prevent unacceptable Russian vessels and business activity here. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response and for his engagement on this issue over the weekend. Canceling the contract with Subconflot and preventing NS champion, birthing at the Flota oil terminal in my constituency, was the right thing to do. It is also a victory for the people of Orkney who have been steadfast in their determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine. Through their defiance, major oil companies have had to act as a result money that would have flowed into supporting Putin's bloodthirsty regime has been stopped. Preventing Russian vessels entering UK ports announced by Grant Shaps yesterday is in keeping with the spirit of the sanctions regime. Is the cabinet secretary confident that the measure being put through Westminster today will have the effect of converting a request into a legally enforceable ban? I thank the member for his engagement over the close of the weekend and the intelligence that he provided in relation to this particular vessel. I also record my thanks to the people of Orkney for standing united with the people of Ukraine at this difficult time. I believe that the regime that has now been put in place by the UK Government, or we will come into force at 3pm today, is sufficient to address this issue. There are some challenges in this sector because some of these vessels operate under a flag of convenience. They have complex ownership structures that can make it challenging to identify connection to Russia or where the vessel will have in some way some benefits to Russian stakeholders, but I assure the member that I have asked my officials to prioritise their work with the UK Government to ensure that we work to share intelligence in this area and to identify any such vessels at the earliest possible point to ensure that they are not able to operate within Scottish ports and in Scottish waters. I thank the cabinet secretary for that further response, particularly in relation to reflecting the complexity of the sector and making sure that the ban applies where it needs to apply but does not necessarily impact on other vessels. As harbour authorities will be in the front line enforcing the new restrictions, can the cabinet secretary confirm that they will be fully consulted in how those measures operate in practice? Finally, what work has been done by both the Scottish and UK Government to assess the impact that those measures will have on the wider oil and gas sector in the UK? I assure the member that there will be and there has been communication already with the Scottish ports, which was communicated by the UK Government transport secretary, I believe, yesterday, and it will be on-going engagement with them if there are any issues that they require further clarification on this matter. I can also assure the member that at the present moment Marine Scotland officials are actually tracking and monitoring all Russian vessels, which are exercising the right of innocent passage in Scottish waters under international law at the present moment, and that will continue to be the case as we go forward in the days and weeks ahead. Of course, I recognise that that will have some impact, economic impact, on our ports and harbours, and of course we stand ready to engage with them to discuss any of the challenges that they are experiencing as a result of those sanctions being enforced. The international community is rightly taking strong action to cut off resources to Vladimir Putin. Can the cabinet secretary advise what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure that Scotland plays its part in enforcing formal sanctions and cease trading out with the sanctions regime? Does he agree that the full range of sanctions imposed on Russia should also be extended to Belarus, given its despotic presence backing for the invasion and Belarus being used as a launchpad for the assault on Kiev? The Scottish Government has made very clear our view that the UK Government and the international community should impose the severest sanctions possible on Vladimir Putin and other interests in Russia. We stand in complete solidarity with the people of Ukraine and we are taking a range of steps, as my colleague Angus Robertson has already outlined, including financial support and wider support that we are looking to provide both to the Ukrainian Government and to other support organisations in dealing with the refugees who are now having to leave Ukraine into other European countries, and we stand ready to play our part in helping to support that humanitarian crisis. If reports of Belarusian troops joining the illegal invasion of Ukraine are correct, it would follow logic that Belarus should be subject to the same severe sanctions as Russia, and the international community must be prepared to take that action, if necessary. Jamie Halcro Johnston Thank you, as an Orcadian, whose home overlooks Gapa Flow and the Flotter Oil Tournament. Can I also add my congratulations to local people normally for the efforts made in ensuring our community's opposition to the visit? It was very clear. I also extend my thanks to the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, who I was in contact with over the weekend. The cabinet secretary will also be aware of the concerns relating to a Russian-charted private flight to Moscow, which took off from Scottish Government-owned Hyal Airport with no-term guidance in place. It appears to be some confusion and claims and counter-claims for various bodies over notifications and procedures. Can I ask the cabinet secretary whether he will give a commitment to investigate this situation to establish precisely what happened in this case and to ensure that there are no loopholes by which Scottish ports and airports can be used to evade sanctions? Jamie Halcro Johnston We have already looked into this particular matter, and he is correct in relation to the notice to airmen order, which was issued. However, there was a delayed information being provided by the CAA to airport operators, which was not provided on Friday in itself. What I can also say to the member is that, in looking into that matter, the flight was given clearance by NATS as complying with the sanction regime in place at that particular point. The proper procedures were followed at that particular point, but clearly there are some areas where there is a lack of clarity around some aspects of the sanction regime. Those matters will continue to pursue with the UK Government to ensure that everyone has clarity of the detail around how the sanction is applied and that agencies are in a position where they can sufficiently enforce them. Rhoda Grant I understand that there was a Russian tanker in Shetland last week, much to the consternation of the community there. There was also a Russian transporter vessel anchored in Broad Bay in Lewis for a number of days. I understand that it has just left this morning. What restrictions can be placed on Russian vessels entering Scottish water and anchoring there, if not birthing, at a harbour? I recognise the concerns that the member is raising. The member will also recognise that, under international law, there is a right of passage for vessels going through international waters, including Scottish waters, and they have a right to passage in doing so. I assure the member that what we want to do is to ensure that Russian-owned interests that would seek to profit from bringing vessels into Scottish ports and harbours are unable to do so, and that is exactly what the new regulations will ensure cannot happen from here on in. To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being put in place to recruit a new chief executive officer of the Scottish National Investment Bank following the resignation of Ailey McTaggart. The bank plans to recruit and appoint a new chief executive for the Scottish National Investment Bank and the process has begun to ensure continuity within the bank and the interim. The chief finance officer, Sarah Ruffhead, is taking in additional responsibilities. That will include accountable officer responsibilities, and the bank has experienced board members who continue to provide leadership and direction for staff and bank customers. The bank's recruitment of a new chief executive will follow the Scottish Government's guidance on the recruitment and employment of chief executives of public bodies, and ministers agree that all executive and non-executive appointments to the bank's board, including those for the chief executive. Liz Smith, I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. Could she advise Parliament as to the exact reasons for Ailey McTaggart's resignation? I thank the member for that question. I also recognise that there is significant interests and questions around the chief executive's resignation due to the seniority of her role and the importance of the Scottish National Investment Bank to Scotland's economy. The reasons for the former chief executive's resignation are a matter for her and the bank's board. The board has kept ministers up-to-date with all matters relating to the chief executive, and the executive team and board members will continue to provide strong leadership and direction for staff and bank clients. Liz Smith, I thank the cabinet secretary for that further response, but since its inception in November 2020, the cabinet secretary has said in his chamber several occasions that the Scottish National Investment Bank is in a very important financial institution, critical to the future long-term investment in Scotland. The chamber knows that £200 million has been committed since 2020, with the projection of £2 billion to be spent in the next 10 years. Those are significant sums of public money. Does the cabinet secretary accept that there should be full transparency over the operation of the bank, that the public has the right to know the full details of the current situation and the reasons why Ms McTaggart resigned? I echo the comments that Liz Smith has just quoted me on, because, since its launch, the bank has made significantly good progress. It has built up an operational structure, recruited 50 staff and delivered £200 million of investment to 13 projects. It continues to build that investment portfolio, and we expect further announcements about investments over the coming weeks. It will continue to support our recovery. As I said already, I note that there is public interest and political interest in answers and ensuring that there is transparency. I can say once again that matters related to the former chief executive's resignation to the bank are very much for the former chief executive and for the bank's board.