 Felly, cyfle. Felly, cyfle i gแตch gydym ni'n ceisio gweithio'r cwestiwn yma, nad yw'n gofyn i ddiogelio'r iechydig yn llwyddoedd, a'u cwestiwn unigrwydd。 Dwi'n ddigwydd. Felly, mae ymwneud Morhened, gyda'r brygol a'r difgarfau ynghraen gyda Ycran a'r Prudence i'r Ffwhryd. Mae'n ddoch chi i'r bodi ddegiwr bwysig i'r grwp, ddegiwr eich cyfnodd a'r bodi'n ddigigodd ei ddegir, i'w ffordd i weith bwysol i'r wych â'u sgwrdd. As we debate in this chamber, we cannot forget that the people of Ukraine continue to put up the most heroic defence of their country in the face of Russia's appalling actions, but they urgently need food, water, shelter a medical care. Today I'll stand with fellow party leaders to show our support for the disastrous emergency committees' Ukraine appeal. sydd allu'r gweithredu i gyntafol o'r gwasanaeth hynny yn ei ddysgu, ac rydyn ni i gael io'r gwasanaeth i'r gwaith mneud a'i wneud ei gael i chi taeth i mneud i gael, ac mae'n teimlo i gael i gael gweld y cymdeithasig yr nhyntau hynny wneud yn zeddio. Ieithaf y mae ymwneud ni, agwядd, y lleoliaeth cyfilmwysgol yng Nghymru Bank rwy'r ffrwyd. First Minister, can I also on behalf, I'm sure, of all of us in this chamber and across the country, express my horror at the scenes that we have watched unfold in Ukraine as a result of Putin's aggression and illegal invasion over this past week? I also express my admiration of and solidarity with the people of Ukraine, led of course by their president. All of them are showing incredible bravery as they stand up for the values of democracy and sovereignty and freedom. I also want to echo the comments made about the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, which will launch just after this session of First Minister's questions and all party leaders will stand together to support that. The Disasters Emergency Committee appeal brings together all of the leading aid agencies who are responding right now on the ground and donating. To its Ukrainian appeal is the fastest and the most efficient way to get money to charities who are helping right now of the £4 million announced by the Scottish Government on Monday for humanitarian aid. I can confirm to Parliament that £2 million of that will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal and before I move on to Douglas Ross's question, can I just take the opportunity to say to people that they can donate to the appeal at deck.org.uk or by telephoning 0370 60 6900 or £10 can be donated by texting support to 70150. Every penny donated from Scotland will help to get much-needed aid to the people of Ukraine who are fighting so hard for those values that we all hold dear. On the question about the Scottish National Investment Bank, I am sure that everyone across the chamber will understand that I am not going to go into the confidential details of anybody's employment situation here in the chamber. This issue is not a matter for Scottish Government ministers, it is a matter for the board of the Scottish National Investment Bank ministers had no input into that, although we were told earlier in February that the chief executive would be leaving the bank eminently. What is the responsibility of Scottish Government ministers to ensure is that the bank is performing well, and the bank is performing exceptionally well. It is perhaps the most important economic initiative that has been taken over the past few years in Scotland. As of the end of January, the Scottish National Investment Bank has completed 13 investments totaling just under £200 million since its launch, supporting companies across its three key missions of net zero, place-based development and innovation. The bank is doing incredibly well, and the Scottish Government and I think all of Scotland should continue to support it in those efforts. The First Minister has used this opportunity to explain how well the bank is doing and the vital work that it is undertaking. Therefore, it is important that this Parliament knows—and the public in Scotland know—why the chief executive resigned so abruptly earlier this week. We have heard from the First Minister that she was given advance warning of that last month. Therefore, I have to ask why we are not finding out in this Parliament. This week, repeatedly, Scottish Conservative MSPs have asked why Ailey MacTaggart, the chief executive, resigned. Not once did we get an answer, and again today the First Minister has refused. This bank will eventually be in charge of £2 billion of public money. Therefore, I think that we are entitled to know about the leadership, because this secrecy and shutting down scrutiny is completely unacceptable. How can the First Minister and her Government have nothing to say about why the person running that organisation has left? The ministerial quote states, and I quote, "...information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for doing so. Are there clear legal reasons for hiding this information from the public or will the First Minister now tell us why the chief executive stood down?" I will report the answer to Douglas Ross's question about the terms of the ministerial quote. The bank's chief executive is an employee of the Scottish National Investment Bank. The bank has a duty of care to all staff, including the former chief executive. That is why it is a matter for the board of the bank, and it is important for everyone, including Scottish ministers, to respect that confidentiality and that duty of care. What is important is that, given that the chief executive has resigned—and I think that it is important to make this point—that the bank has new interim leadership in place and the bank continues to perform extremely well. I have already outlined the scale of the investments that are being made by the bank, supporting businesses all over the country to help us to meet the missions of making Scotland a more innovative country, of completing our journey to net zero, and of ensuring place-based development to help some parts of the country to have better faster economic growth. That is what matters to this Parliament and to the Government. At any given time, it is vital to be clear that the bank has the leadership in place to ensure that continued progress. Douglas Ross's question is about the leadership of the bank that we are not getting answered by the First Minister. She is telling us a lot about the bank and the importance to Scotland and Scotland's economy and to this Parliament, but, like her ministers, she refuses to give any detail on why the chief executive resigned. I think that that is extremely unfortunate when we come to this Parliament to get answers from the First Minister and her Government, because the timing about that is all very suspicious. The chief executive of Scotland's national investment bank resigns just days before the SNP launches its own economic strategy, a strategy that is wafer-thin, underwhelming and watered down by the Greens. It sums up a Government that is out of ideas and out of any vision for creating Scottish jobs and growing our economy. That plan is more of the same. It even recycles productivity clubs from Derek Mackay's economic plan. It has been criticised by business leaders, including Sir Tom Hunter, who described it as a long wish list with no magic wand. Is it really a coincidence that the chief executive of the investment bank has resigned instead of trying to deliver this new strategy? Yes, it is a coincidence, and that is clear. On the issue of the former chief executive of the Scottish National Investment Bank, she is a private individual. She has opted to resign her post as chief executive of the bank. She is entitled to the duty of care and the confidentiality that any other individual in her circumstances would be entitled to. It would be completely wrong, and I think that most reasonable people would accept. It would be completely wrong of me in the chamber of the Scottish Parliament to breach that confidentiality. What I have a duty to make sure about is that the bank has the right leadership in place and can continue to build on the excellent progress that the bank is making across its three missions. That is what is important. On the economic strategy published by Kate Forbes earlier this week, perhaps I just need to quote some people on the front line of Scotland's economy. Tracy Black from CBI Scotland, business will welcome the ambitions set out as the right path for Scotland's future economy, or Liz Cameron, Scottish Chambers of Commerce. Businesses will applaud the scale and ambition that are set out in the strategy. First Minister, if we could just ask you to pause for a moment. There is conversation going on across the aisles, and I would be grateful if that could cease. Or Ewan MacDonald Russell from the Scottish Retail Consortium. There is much in this strategy that the retail industry can support. Andrew McRae, Federation of Small Businesses, the headline measures in this strategy could help Scotland to realise its long-term ambitions. That is what people out there working in Scotland's economy think. We will continue to work with them as we continue to support recovery from Covid and make sure that the Scottish economy is living up to and fulfilling its enormous potential. I have to wonder when the First Minister reads out those quotes that they were similar, supportive quotes when Derek Mackay issued many of the same points in his economic plan, in previous economic plans, because the fact is that this is a retread of many of the issues and ideas that were put forward by the SNP before. The first part of the answer was quite telling from the First Minister, because she has confirmed to the Parliament that there was no direct link between the Government's economic strategy launch and the resignation of the Chief Executive of Scotland's National Investment Bank. Therefore, she knows why the Chief Executive did resign, and she knows that that is not the reason why she resigned. First Minister, we are just asking questions because we need answers, and it may be uncomfortable. The groans from the SNP may be because they don't want those questions to be asked, but it is the job of opposition in this country to raise serious concerns when they come. However, the First Minister also mentioned the economy, and for 15 years that her Government has been in charge, Scotland's economy has been stuck. This Government has created more problems than it has ever created jobs. We have seen one major failure after another, from Presswick airport to Ferguson shipyard to BiFab, and now, in this new strategy, the SNP are literally diagnosing problems that they themselves either created or made worse. The First Minister can't even rely on support on the benches behind her, because in response to the launch of her Government's economic strategy, Maggie Chapman MSP said that the Scottish Greens believe that the focus on growth is outdated. The focus on growth is outdated? These are the same Greens that Nicola Sturgeon personally invited into her Government, a party whose policy is actually to make Scotland poorer. The First Minister, is it any wonder that your Government's economic plan is a shambos? Based on today's performance by Douglas Ross, I predict that the one thing that we will not be seeing any growth in the next few months or years is Scottish Conservatives' fortunes across the country. He wants to dismiss the views of CBI Scotland, of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, of the Scottish Retail Consortium, of the Federation of Small Businesses. I have set out their views on the economic strategy, and I would suspect that they perhaps speak for more people in terms of the Scottish economy than Douglas Ross does. Let's also look at the performance of the Scottish economy. Of course, we have a massive challenge ahead of us, as all countries do, to recover the economy from Covid. At the record over recent years, the Scottish economy outperforming the UK on productivity. We have seen a growth in the number of employers paying the accredited living wage. We saw our target to reduce youth unemployment, although, with the Covid challenge now, we have established the young person's guarantee. We have expanded modern apprenticeships. We set out an infrastructure investment plan with over £26 billion of investments to drive green recovery, create jobs, stimulate supply chains and support for exporters that has been delivered by this Government in the face of Tory Brexit. Of course, Scotland is now the only part of the UK with a positive trade balance in goods. Of course, Scotland has been the top UK destination for foreign direct investment outside of London for every single one of the past six years. That is the record of this Government on the economy, and we look forward now to building on that, working in partnership with businesses the length and breadth of the country. I join other party leaders in expressing our horror and heartbreak at the continually devastating scenes that we see in Ukraine. We unequivocally stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in defence of democracy, of human rights and their peace and freedom. We again recognise the unjustifiable and unprovoked attack from Vladimir Putin, and I urge all Governments across the world to do everything that they can to put pressure on him and his regime. I also want to pay tribute to the countless number of individuals and organisations across our country who have been doing collections over the past week. I thank them for everything that they are doing. We all feel frustrated. We all feel like we want to act. One way we can act is by supporting the Disasters Emergency Committee's appeal on Ukraine. The First Minister has already set out the details on how people can support that. They can go online to deac.org.uk and donate online, or they can tech support to 70150. We will never forget the people of Ukraine and will continue to support them throughout this tragedy. Last week, data from Public Health Scotland confirmed that there are now over 680,000 people on an NHS waiting list. That is one in eight Scots waiting for hospital appointments, diagnoses and procedures. This week, new workforce figures revealed that there were over 6,600 vacant nursing and midwifery posts, the worst on record. The Royal College of Nursing report that staff feel they are asked to do more with less and care is hugely undermined by the lack of staff. That is a dangerous mix, growing waiting lists and record staff shortages. First Minister, after 15 years, why have you still failed to deliver a credible workforce plan for our NHS? First Minister, waiting times have increased over the course of the pandemic. They have increased because, during Covid, the NHS has been able to see and treat fewer non-Covid patients. However, as we now hopefully come out of Covid and focus on the NHS recovery plan, we want to get the NHS back onto a normal footing so that it can see patients more quickly and start to reduce those waiting times. The Government is very focused on that. On staffing, there are serious recruitment challenges for the NHS in Scotland, as there are indeed for health services across the UK. Scotland has, as a result of the actions taken by the Government since 2007, record staffing numbers in place. The numbers that I am about to cite are exclusive of vacancies, so staff are actually in post. NHS staffing is up by 28,700 whole-time equivalents. That is a 22.6 per cent increase since the Government took office. That takes it to a record high. NHS Scotland does higher staffing per head than we see in NHS England. 28.5 whole-time equivalents per 100,000 people here compared to just 21.4 in England. Nursing midwifery staffing is also at a record high, up by 14.5 per cent since the Government took office. That is the action that we have taken. Of course, the challenges that we face now are even greater, and we are focused on meeting those. Investing in the wellbeing of our staff, making sure that we do not lose staff from our national health service that they are well supported, making sure that our agenda for change staff are the best paid anywhere in the UK, and working with NHS boards on recruitment campaigns. One of the big challenges that we face is a shortage of labour exacerbated by Brexit, so we are focused on all of that in the NHS and across social care. We will continue to get on with the job of supporting our national health service as we go further into the recovery from Covid. There were 450,000 people on an NHS waiting list before the pandemic, and the question is not if we have more staff, but whether we have enough staff, and if failure to plan has consequences. If the First Minister does not want to listen to me, maybe she will listen to one of those 680,000 patients. Ricky, a former miner, has chronic spinal pain and has regular spinal injections, but has been waiting nine months. As a result of his condition, he needs neurological treatment. He has been told that he needs to wait at least a year for an appointment with a neurosurgeon and at least eight months to access an MRI scan. He is in so much pain that he is having to pay 300 pounds per appointment with a private doctor. Things are now so bad that he is considering remortgaging his house to pay for the surgery that he may need. First Minister, Ricky is not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of people waiting for any NHS treatment and struggling to cope. That undermines the very founding principles of our NHS. First Minister, warm words and quoting stats will not cut it. When will you wake up to the reality of facing too many Scots? First Minister, I am setting out the actions that the Government is taking, because I do not believe that Ricky's experience or the experience of anybody else waiting too long for NHS treatment is acceptable. I think that people understand the immense challenges that have been faced by the NHS over the past two years. Anasarwar talks with some justification about the wider challenges in the NHS and the pre-pandemic progress, but the fact is that we were making progress in reducing waiting times before the pandemic. We have seen, for example, the numbers waiting over 12 weeks for outpatient appointments before the pandemic had fallen by 32 per cent. The median weight for inpatient and day-case treatment had fallen by 8.3 per cent. That is the progress that was being made before the pandemic. I think that everybody understands the impact that the pandemic has had. I do not believe that there are sufficient staff in the NHS, which is why the SNP manifesto at the election this time last year committed to an additional 1,500 staff being recruited on top of the record number that we already have in place. We are working hard to ensure that we can meet those recruitment targets. We are focused on the NHS recovery plan of building capacity in our NHS by 10 per cent to help with that recovery process and making sure that existing staff are well supported, that they are as well paid as we can deliver within our resources and that we recruit more NHS staff. That is what we are getting on with. What people across the country on waiting lists or anybody else for that matter want to hear is what the Government is doing. That is what I am setting out today. We will continue to set out and indeed continue to be held to account for. The actions are not good enough and they do not go far enough. Scottish Labour has modelled the Government's NHS recovery plan that the First Minister just referenced and backed up by independent analysis of that modelling. Even if you manage to deliver all the promised increases to activity, waiting lists will actually still continue to grow. In four years' time, by the end of the Government's recovery plan, there could be over 430,000 patients waiting for an outpatient appointment. That is 11,000 more than are waiting today. At the same time, and the same is true for inpatient procedures, under the Government's plan, as many as 153,000 people could be on a waiting list, that is 30,000 more than are waiting today. A catch-up plan surely means less people rather than more people on a waiting list. After 15 years of neglecting our NHS, it is the best that the First Minister has to offer, a flawed recovery plan that will actually make waiting lists longer. I think that Annas Sarwar referenced Labour's modelling. I would be very interested to see the basis of that. Perhaps it shows his oversimplification of the plans that are in place, because building capacity is a key part of the NHS recovery plan, but it is not the only part. Also redesigning and modernising how people get care, making sure that people are getting care as close to home as possible. Our investment recently, for example, in hospital at home, better for patients, better for the NHS, the redesign of urgent care programme, making sure that hospital stays legitimately and appropriately can be shorter, building up social care so that fewer people end up in the NHS because the services that they need are not there in the social care sector. The 10 per cent increase in capacity is a really important plank of the recovery strategy, but I suggest to Annas Sarwar that it is not the only part. We are focused on finding the solutions. I appreciate that he is in opposition, and I am in government. It is for the Government to find solutions. However, what was missing from all three of Annas Sarwar's worst questions was a single suggestion beyond what we are doing already. We will continue to ensure that we are taking the proper actions to support our NHS into recovery so that patients like Ricky and the many others who are waiting too long for treatment right now get quicker treatment and that our NHS is on that sustainable basis for the future that we all want to see. I am going to move to supplementaries. I will be really grateful for short and succinct questions and responses, and I call Gordon MacDonald. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Does the First Minister agree that Scottish communities have demonstrated that they are fully prepared and willing to engage in a resettlement scheme for recranians that matches the scale and severity of the current crisis? Will the Scottish Government continue to push the UK Government to urgently implement a more ambitious scheme to support those fleeing this appalling war on our continent? Yes, I do. I hope that we will have unity across the chamber on that issue. I support the actions that the UK Government has taken in the light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions have been admirably tough. I think that they can be tougher still, and I think that the Prime Minister and the UK Government agree with that. I also recognise the movement that has been made on the issue of refugees over the past few days, but I think that it can and needs on a moral humanitarian basis to go much further. The estimates that we are getting rapidly cost a million people already displaced from Ukraine as they are fleeing the horror that is unfolding there. We, in common with countries across the democratic world, have a moral humanitarian obligation to play our part in addressing that. I appeal directly to the Prime Minister to follow the example of the Republic of Ireland, to follow the example of the whole European Union and allow anyone fleeing the horror in Ukraine entry to the UK, if they wish, and to deal with the paperwork later. Let's operate now first and foremost on the basis of that humanitarian obligation. At this week, Robert Habeck, the economic minister and member of the Green Party in Germany's ruling coalition, signalled that Germany will drop its opposition to German-based nuclear-generated energy. If even the Greens in Germany see the sense in generating nuclear energy domestically, isn't it time for the Scottish Government to drop its ideological objection to Scottish-based nuclear generation in favour of a more informed scientific approach? First Minister. No, I think we should build our energy mix based on Scotland's assets and Scotland's priorities. So Germany, for example, doesn't have anywhere near the renewable potential that Scotland has and, for example, offshore wind is a massive potential for Scotland, so let's continue to build our low-carbon renewable energy mix and do it in a way that is right for Scotland. Ross Greer. Vladimir Leeson is one of the richest men in Russia, and he has been on the US Treasury Department's Putin list of known Kremlin associates since 2018. He is also the owner of a 3,000-acre estate here in Scotland at Abarackle. That estate has received just under £700,000 of agricultural subsidies between 2016 and 2019. Will the Scottish Government urgently review the agricultural payment system and any other relevant payment system to ensure that no member of the Russian elite and no Kremlin associate is in receipt of public money here in Scotland? Yes, I will ensure that that review happens. In fact, I can advise Parliament that I have sought urgent advice on the maximum possible action that the Scottish Government can take within our powers against individuals and entities identifying as having close links with the Russian regime, whether they are currently on the UK sanctions list options that will be examined, include but are not limited to ending support from the public purse and freezing or seizing assets in Scotland where that is possible. Of course, we will keep Parliament fully updated. I can also confirm to Parliament that the Scottish Government will today write an open letter to Scottish businesses and business organisations asking them to ensure that it is a matter for businesses, but we will encourage them beyond direct investments, which we would hope businesses would divest themselves of, review operations for links and connections to Russia, however, indirect, and then savor those links. I can tell Parliament that the Scottish Government and our economic agencies will not support trade and investment activity with Russia. We will, of course, support businesses as they adapt to remove any and all links with Russia. On Tuesday dawn fresh seafood but into administration, the immediate closure of the Udingston factory has plunged 200 workers into redundancy, and they feel betrayed after years of broken promises. They fear that they won't get their wages this week, with Alasdair Salveson, one of Scotland's wealthiest men, claiming that there are no funds to pay them. The baker's food and allied workers union are working tirelessly to support their members, and some thankfully have found other work this week. However, with a cost of living crisis biting, no-one should be shortchanged at this present time. One angry worker told me last night that there was no Christmas bonus, no support through Covid, not even a slice of fish. What urgent action is the Government taking to support those workers? The men and women who helped to feed the nations during the pandemic should not be forced to use food banks. First Minister, I absolutely agree with the sentiments of that question. Like others, it was very concerned to learn that dawn French holdings had entered administration, and I would absolutely call for the fairest possible treatment of workers of that company. Scottish Enterprise spoke with the administrators yesterday to better understand the situation and to provide whatever support it can to help the business and indeed to help the workers. Affected, we will work with the administrators to understand all the potential options for the business going forward and explore all the possibilities to rescue jobs. Of course, the Government's partnership action for continuing employment and pace will offer any necessary support to the workforce that are affected and who may be facing redundancy. Don Freish is in my constituency in Erdingsdon-Bells Hill, and as Ms Lennon referred to the vented administration this week. That is despite concerted efforts by the Scottish Government, my own office, South Lancer Council and Scottish Enterprise to support a takeover deal that would have maintained Erdingsdon operation and continued to employ every worker there. What efforts will be made to revitalise those efforts to continue seafood production at Erdingsdon? What work will be gone on locally to support those local workers who are really sadly facing redundancy currently? I thank Stephanie Callaghan for that question and I can also take the opportunity to acknowledge how active she and her office have been on behalf of her constituents on this issue. Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government will explore and give support to the exploration of all possible options that might allow the business to continue in some form and, of course, that might allow jobs to be saved and protected. As I said in my earlier answer, in parallel to that we will provide as much support as possible to those workers who are affected and who might be facing a redundancy situation. Of course, the business minister would be happy to meet Stephanie Callaghan and other MSPs who cover the area on a regional basis to keep them updated on those efforts. A concerned constituent contacted me following a polling overcrowding on the board Israel last Saturday. The 10.30 train from Tweedbank was cancelled, and the 11.30 train had just two carriages with standing room only from Gallar Shields. As a result, no fares were collected. Passengers were crammed in carriages with no social distancing and very limited mask-wearing. The train couldn't pick up passengers on the route by passing stations. First Minister, this is absolutely unacceptable. Why hasn't the Scottish Government implemented the change as promised to boarder's passenger services years ago? Obviously, the situation that has been rated there does seem to be unacceptable. I am not aware of the particular circumstances that led to this at the weekend, but I will ask ScotRail for an explanation, and I will ask ScotRail what actions it is taking to avoid a repeat of that. I will ask the transport minister to write to the member once we have that information. 3. Miles Briggs To ask the First Minister what is the best date on the Scottish Government's plans to replace carers allowance with a devolved benefit. We published a consultation on Monday's setting out proposals for how Scottish Carers Assistance will improve support for more than 80,000 of Scotland's unpaid carers, and that is, of course, in recognition of their vital contribution. Our proposals have been developed with carers and support organisations, and the consultation is an opportunity for people to continue to shape that important benefit. It sets out how we will deliver an improved service, providing more stable support and also a new payment that is worth £520 a year for those caring for more than one person. Of course, that is in addition to the on-carer grant and the carers allowance supplement. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions right now to ensure that we can launch and deliver this new benefit as quickly as possible. I thank the First Minister for that answer. During the pandemic, 1.1 million of our fellow Scots have become unpaid carers, and as a society we owe them so much. There is cross-party support across the Parliament for the extension of support for when the caring role ends due to bereavement, as well as support for when cared for people or in hospital or residential care. Can I ask the First Minister if she will commit for the potential reforms to be included in the next programme for government? Yes. The first thing that we need to do is secure the safe and effective transition of this benefit so that people's payments continue. Of course, we have also set out views on priority changes that we want to make to the benefit when it is possible to do so. For example, there are five of those. We are removing education restrictions so that full-time students can get the benefit, allowing carers to add together our spent caring for more than one person. Increasing the time for carers to receive payments after the death of a cared-for person, making payments for longer when a cared-for person goes into hospital or care and increasing the amount that carers can earn and still get support. We are taking views on those options. I hope that members across the chamber and people across the country will respond to that so that we can build a system here that is fit for unpaid carers because the contribution that they make to our society is immense and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. I could take brief supplementaries. I welcome that the Scottish Government is planning on delivering this new benefit in a caring and compassionate way in line with our ethos, and that the Scottish Government intends to make further improvements for carers. Can the First Minister confirm how much recipients in Scotland already receive compared to carers south of the border because of the Scottish Government's carers allowance supplement? It is important that our social security system is based on dignity, respect and fairness, and that we deliver the maximum support to people who most need it. I think that that has been shown with our carers allowance supplement, which was the first benefit that we introduced with New Powers in 2018, since then around 126,000 carers have received payments. Last year, carers got just under £700 more than carers in the rest of the UK through the supplement, and that included the extra payment in December to help with the impact of Covid. Those who have been receiving carers allowance continuously since 2018 will have received over £2,270 more than carers in the rest of the UK in the past three years, and we have also introduced a young carer grant for younger carers. That is a sign of what we can do when powers lie in this Parliament, which is why I want to see so many more powers come to this Parliament and not lie at Westminster. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Last year, you doubled the carers allowance supplement to recognise the increased support that unpaid carers had to provide during the pandemic. Will you double it again this year and until you create the new carers allowance? We will consider all those things carefully. Of course, there were additional consequentials made available to us because of Covid, which are not being continued. Any moves to do that will mean that we have to take the money from elsewhere in our budget. However, I think that I have made very clear—I think that people across the chamber are of this view—that the debt that we owe to unpaid carers is so significant that we have to consider very seriously everything that we can possibly do to help them. To ask the First Minister, in light of the steps that have been taken to return to normality after the Covid-19 pandemic, what extra help has been provided to support people's mental health? Right throughout the pandemic, mental health has been at the forefront of our thinking. Our transition and recovery plan, which was published in October 2020, backed by our £120 million recovery and renewal fund, will transform services with our renewed focus on prevention and early intervention. Funding already allocated includes £40 million for children and adolescent mental health services, £21 million for grass-roots community groups via communities' mental health and wellbeing fund for adults and £5 million to increase capacity in the NHS 24 mental health hub. Looking forward, we will continue to address the mental health harms caused by Covid. The updated strategic framework commits to ensuring that improving mental health and wellbeing is an underpinning principle as we take strategic decisions. Evidence on the likely effects on mental health will also be specifically assessed as part of our future decision making. I thank the First Minister for that comprehensive answer. Last month, the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee finished taking evidence on the health of our children and young people and, unsurprisingly, early intervention to prevent mental health issues becoming acute was mentioned frequently. School councillors were highlighted as a very positive move in that regard. I want to ask what more has been done to improve early intervention opportunities for those who leave the support of school or leave care? It is still young people, but entering adulthood is potentially particularly vulnerable to the effects of the psychological stresses of the pandemic that have faced. I firstly agree wholeheartedly that early intervention and prevention are central to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. In addition to school councillors that Gillian Martin has referred to, this year, we have provided £15 million of funding to local authorities to deliver locally-based mental health and wellbeing support for 5 to 24-year-olds in their communities. We have also funded the I feel and mind your time web resources, which provide information to young people on a range of mental health and wellbeing topics. We know that providing young people with good opportunities when they do leave education or care has a significant impact on their health and wellbeing. We have also built that into the young person's guarantee. We have provided up to £75 million to local employability partnerships via local authorities to provide employability support, including mental health support to young people aged 16 to 24. A report published today by the Mental Health Foundation highlights that mental ill health costs Scotland around £8.8 billion a year, while we know that referrals for psychological and mental health services have now exceeded pre-pandemic levels. What action is the Scottish Government taking to improve mental health prevention and reduce the time spent on waiting lists? I have already set out, in response to Gillian Martin, much of the action that we are taking. We are focusing much more now on early intervention and prevention. That is the case, particularly for CAMHS services, but also for adult services as well. We are investing significantly in mental health services generally. I believe that Governments have a duty—as far as Governments possibly can, and this cannot be done absolutely—to remove some of the causes of mental health challenges for people, which right now will be exacerbated by poverty and the cost of living crisis. Giving money to people who most need it rather than, as some other Governments are doing, taking away money from people who most need it is an important part of supporting people to prevent mental health difficulties that come from the worry of wondering how they are going to feed their children or provide in other ways. That is an important part of the bigger picture here as well. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's responses to the information commissioner's office recently issued a reprimand to it and NHS National Services Scotland in relation to the Covid-19 status app. Throughout the pandemic, the Governments continually had to make tough decisions aimed at minimising transmission of the virus and helping to keep people safe and indeed alive. The NHS Scotland Covid status app is an important tool in our response to Covid and has played a vital public health role during the latter stages of the pandemic. We accept the outcome of the ICO's investigation and that the privacy information that is being noticed in the app could have been made clearer to users about how their information would be used. However, I must stress that at all times people's data was held securely and personal information was not compromised. Together with NHS National Services Scotland, we are working with the ICO to implement the improvements on transparency that it has asked for and ensure that any necessary lessons are learned for future work. The First Minister was warned but some might say as usual that she thought she knew better than everyone else. An apology to the people of Scotland is in order at very least. People trusted the Scottish Government with their personal data, but the ICO has had to reprimand the Scottish Government for misleading us about how that data would be used. This is a betrayal of trust. So why should the people now trust the Scottish Government? I don't think that anybody contributes to them by grossly overstating them or exaggerating them to the point of almost misrepresenting them in the way that Stephen Kerr has done. Let me repeat for the reassurance of people listening to this who are interested in the substance. At all times, people's data was held securely and personal information was not compromised. The reprimand at the lower end of the sanctions that the ICO has available to it has said effectively that the paperwork could have been clearer. We could have made it clearer to users in the privacy information notice about how their information would be used and we accept that. At a time when every single day Governments everywhere were taking decisions to protect people from a potentially deadly virus, in that instance, yes, we could have made the paperwork slightly clearer. I accept that, but we are taking the right decisions to try to keep people in the country as safe as possible. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government plans to mark eating disorders awareness week 2022. Earlier this week, the Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care visited Beat, the UK's eating disorder charities helpline service, and took part in the member's business debate for eating disorder awareness week 2022. At this, he highlighted our work to implement recommendations made in the national review of eating disorder services, including the establishment of an implementation group and investment of £5 million to support the recommendations. We have also announced further funding of more than £300,000 in 2022-23 for Beat and that will enable additional services to be rolled out across Scotland. Emma Harper I thank the First Minister for that answer. On Tuesday, I led the member's debate on eating disorders awareness and I highlighted that one in 50 people in Scotland are living with an eating disorder. Could the First Minister provide any additional information on what the Scottish Government is doing to improve the outcomes for people with an eating disorder? Will the First Minister join me in encouraging people who are worried about an eating disorder or who are living with an eating disorder to contact Beat for help by calling 0808 801 043 2 or by visiting Beat's website? First, I congratulate Emma Harper on leading the member's debate and absolutely agree with her in terms of access to Beat services, and she has very helpfully given the contact details. In terms of the action that the Government is taking on building on what I said in my initial answer, the implementation group was established to take forward the recommendations made by the review that most recently met last Friday to discuss progress so far and next steps. The implementation group has taken forward a comprehensive work plan focused on training and skills, quality standards and data improvement. The mental wellbeing minister is attending the group's next meeting to discuss areas where further improvements need to be made. I would absolutely encourage anyone who feels the need to support for disordered eating to seek help from friends and families, a medical professional or support services such as Beat. The additional funding that I mentioned in my earlier answer for Beat will allow additional services to be delivered, including expansion of helpline support, specific binge eating disorder support services and additional training for GPs and healthcare professionals. To ask the First Minister what urgent steps will be taken to address lung disease in Scotland in light of the reported comments of Asthma and Lung UK Scotland, that the state of lung health in Scotland is shameful with over 7,000 people dying a year. First I thank Asthma and Lung UK for their new fighting for breast strategy and for the very important work that they do to support people with respiratory conditions. Respiratory disease is a Scottish Government clinical priority. We are committed to ensuring that people living with respiratory conditions receive the best possible care and treatment to enable them to live longer, healthier and independent lives. The first respiratory care action plan for Scotland was published last year. It sets out our priorities and commitments for driving improvement in the prevention, diagnosis, care treatment and support of people living with those conditions. The plan also works alongside existing prevention strategies, including air quality and tobacco strategies, which help to address the root causes of lung disease. I thank the First Minister for that answer. I know that she references the publication of the respiratory care action plan. Indeed, it is now one year since the publication of that plan. However, implementation of the plan has slowly progressed with the creation of the Scottish respiratory advisory committee. On the issue of funding of the RCAP, no commitments have yet been made. Will the First Minister make clear how much funding will be allocated to the implementation of the RCAP in order to improve Scotland's lung health? I thank you for working closely with the Scottish respiratory advisory committee, which includes Asthma and Lung UK, to develop an implementation programme. That will help us to understand the funding that is required to deliver on the plans, commitments and priorities. We will make announcements about funding in due course as we do that work. The committee has identified three key priorities for year 1, which are, first, the child to adult transition services, secondly, pulmonary rehabilitation and thirdly, data. We have also provided the alliance with some funding to support the establishment of a lived experience respiratory network. I know that the health secretary will keep Parliament updated of further developments.