 That is the first item of business this morning is consideration of business motion 17582 in the name of Graham Day, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a business programme. I'm going to call in Maurice Golden to move this motion. I've moved. Thank you very much and no member wishes to speak in a motion. The question therefore is that motion 17582 be agreed, are we agreed? Thank you. Yes. Thank you, Mr Lyle. Thank you. That is just to make sure that members know that the business this afternoon starts at 2 o'clock, not at 2.30, so that is what the change is for us. We will return now to general questions. Our first question is from James Dornan. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the SQA and what was discussed. Jeremy والull iawn. Richard Lock III Hello, and thank you for the promotion, Presiding Officer. I will answer the question saying that the Deputy First Minister holds regular meetings with the chair and chief executive of SQA and he last met on Tuesday 16 April, when a range of matters were discussed and Scottish Government officials are all in regular contact with SQA officials. James Dornan. I thank the still minister for that response. Considering the assault on a binized deplorable views towards his gay subjects, including unbelievably the attempted introduction of death by stoning until international pressure forced him to U-turn, does the cabinet secretary agree with me that the SQA should reconsider its links with Brunai and reaffirm their role as an equalities champion for Stonwall? The new legal regime in Brunai, which suppresses so clearly the country's LGBTI community, is, of course, a porant, as I'm sure we all agree, and has no place in the modern world. Although independent of ministers, as a public body, the SQA has a duty to contribute to the advancement of equality. With that in mind, the SQA carries out due diligence for all its contracts and has regard to Scottish Government policy and foreign office advice and guidelines. The SQA approves all its centres, including international centres, to the same standard, and every centre offering SQA qualifications must ensure that there are no discriminatory barriers and everyone is eligible to take a qualification has an equal chance of benefitting. The standards include the requirement for the centre to have a number of policies and procedures in place, including a candidate equal opportunities policy and a candidate's compliance policy. I hope that that gives a reassurance of the Government's position and SQA's position on those matters to James Dornan. Liz Smith, can the minister confirm that the organisation of this year's SQA diet of exams was highly successful and that no major issues have been reported to the Scottish Government? As the member can imagine, we are in regular contact with the SQA on a whole range of issues, and it has assured us that the 2019 exam diet and all the activity and connection with that remains on track. Given some of the other issues that it is dealing with just now, we have agreed contingency plans with the SQA and partners to ensure that there is no disruption to qualifications in the awarding system. 2. Johann Lamont To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Glasgow City Council has received more than 14,000 requests to deal with rats since 2016. Minister Kevin Stewart Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am aware of recent media reports about the number of rats that Glasgow City Council dealt with since 2016. Under section 2 of the Prevention of Damage by Pes Act 1949, local authorities in Scotland are obliged to take such steps as necessary to ensure that, as far as is practicable, its district is kept free from rats and mice. Glasgow City Council does that through its own in-house pest control team, discharging its statutory responsibility through that, and by ensuring that there are adequate waste collection services to households, which is a duty set out in the Waste Scotland Regulations 2012 and the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Johann Lamont Does the minister share my concern at the scale of the problem and the implications for the health and wellbeing of the citizens of Glasgow? No matter what the responsibilities of the councillor, there is clearly a serious problem here. When will the Scottish Government accept that its choice to make substantial cuts to Glasgow's budget is having a direct impact on the front-line services that we all rely on? When will the minister take responsibility and ensure that Glasgow gets the fair funding that it so evidently needs to keep our streets clean and our citizens healthy? Johann Lamont I share concerns about the increase of pests wherever it happens. However, I do not share Ms Lamont's view about local government funding, because this Government has been extremely fair over the years in terms of the settlement that there has been to Glasgow and to the 31 local authorities. Glasgow City Council is currently investing £6.5 million into a three-phase bin replacement programme that will replace approximately 48,000 existing small dustbins with 80,000 larger capacity wheel bins to prevent overflowing, which can attract pests. That programme could have been done previously under the previous labour regime, but it has taken an SNP-led council to sort out those problems. Bill Bowman To ask the Scottish Government when NHS Tayside's next annual report on drug deaths will be published. I understand the Tayside Drugs Death Review Group plans to publish its annual drugs death report this month. That will include information on all drug-related deaths that occurred in Tayside in 2018. National Records Scotland is expected to publish its annual report on national drug deaths statistics in July. Bill Bowman I thank the minister for that response. ISD Scotland published data last week showing that, over the past 20 years, there was a fourfold increase in the rate of drug-related general acute hospital stays. That includes a critical increase of admissions by approximately 50 per cent across Tayside, driven by the region's most deprived citizens over the last decade. Does the minister agree that this state of affairs is devastating for the people affected? Can he advise the chamber what is being done to address deprivation levels that are reaching a breaking point across NHS health boards? Bill Bowman I absolutely think that the levels of people who are suffering harms and death from drug-related harm are an emergency in Scotland. That is why we have a new drug strategy, which is intended to look at the services that we provide in the competences that we currently have, but it is also important that we look at the options in reducing harm, which are not currently devolved to this Parliament. I would strongly urge the UK Government to accept the public health emergency that we are in and support the proposals for a safe consumption space in Glasgow. Question 4, Liam McArthur. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment is made of the provision of mental health services in Orkney. Joe FitzPatrick The Scottish Government wants everyone to be able to access mental health services and to get the help that they need when they need it. We are supporting health boards across Scotland to achieve that through £54 million funding over the next four years for capacity building and improvement support. An additional £250 million of investment in mental health through programme for government and funding for an extra 800 mental health workers. Funding for that will rise to £35 million per year by 2021-22. The Scottish Government expects NHS Orkney and its partners, including the health and social care partnership and NHS Grampian, to provide specialist care to ensure that there is appropriate provision of mental health services for residents on the island. Liam McArthur In her review of Orkney's mental health provision in 2017, Professor Linda Gass identified the need for increased capacity in CAMHS services as, quote, urgent. With an increase in referrals, the pressure on the local CAMHS team has only intensified since then. I am also aware of specific concerns in relation to the availability of support for those affected by eating disorders. Will the minister therefore undertake to work with the local board to ensure that any existing gaps in CAMHS in the wider mental health team are filled as soon as possible? Following my exchange with Clare Hockey last November, will ministers also review the issue of patient transfers to Cornhill, which now requires staff, including CAMHS staff, to travel from Orkney, thus impacting on scheduled appointments and putting additional pressure on an already stretched service? Long waiting times for CAMHS treatment and support are unacceptable, so I thank the member for raising this particularly important point. We expect all health boards to deliver the standard that 90 per cent of patients are seeing within 18 weeks of referral. The Scottish Government is currently working with NHS Orkney to agree their annual operational plans, including how they will deliver the standards. The member additionally mentioned the issue in relation to Cornhill and the transfers, and the service level agreement. Of course, there is a matter between the health boards. I understand that NHS Grampian has confirmed to officials that they have adequate mental health nursing capacity for the provision of services, but the Scottish Government expects that health boards to meet those service level agreements and ensure appropriate provision of mental health services for residents. I understand that NHS Orkney and NHS Grampian are currently reviewing the service level agreement, which will be an opportunity to address the particular issues of patient transfers. I understand that the Minister for Mental Health has asked officials to look at that matter further. I know that the minister is aware of the particular issues around Cornhill, and I am sure that the minister will be content to discuss that matter further with the member. Angus MacDonald To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Falkirk Council to discuss its plans for 1,000 new social and affordable homes by 2024. Minister Kevin Stewart Thank you, Scottish Government officials. Last met Falkirk Council to discuss its affordable housing programme on 15 May 2019. I am pleased to say that we remain on track to meet our ambitious 50,000 target and are proud of our record on delivering affordable homes in communities right across Scotland over 80,000 since 2007. Over this Parliament, £50 million is being made available to Falkirk through the affordable housing supply programme. Investment that has already supported the delivery of 295 homes over the first two years of the programme. In relation to housing delivery beyond the current programme, we are committed to continue to promote increased supply across all tenures and build in our more home Scotland approach. We are working with stakeholders to develop a shared vision for our homes and communities for 2040 and a longer-term approach to housing delivery, which will help to make it a reality. Angus MacDonald I joined the minister in welcoming Falkirk Council's ambitious plans. However, at a recent briefing at the council, I was informed that, according to the affordable housing supply programme benchmark, the council receives between £57,000 and £59,000 per unit. However, RSLs for most areas of the Falkirk Council area receive up to £72,000 and for rural areas £74,000 per unit. Can the minister advise why there is this unequal treatment of local authority housing services in relation to grants, tax and other forms of subsidy compared to RSLs? Will he commit to reviewing the situation with a view to a fairer outcome, not just for local authorities but for tenants and council tenants in particular? Our grant subsidy benchmarks are in line with the recommendations of a working group, which both COSLA and the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers were represented at. Benchmarks are not fixed grant amounts, which is important. It means that there is flexibility to approve additional subsidy, if required, to enable higher-cost projects to proceed. If a project is found to be deliverable and provides value for money, we will support it. Beyond that, in terms of flexibility, I have said it before in the chamber, but if an authority is looking to build more specialist housing, including wheelchair-accessible housings and larger homes with more bedrooms, we will look to be very flexible indeed with subsidy levels. When the minister next meets Falkirk Council to talk about affordable housing, can he raise the issue of sprinklers? He will know that the Government has adopted my bill to ensure sprinklers and all-new housing by 2021. That will ensure the safety of tenants and avoid another Grenfell tower. I am very happy always to hear suggestions from Mr Stewart. He and I have worked co-operatively in ensuring that his vision for sprinklers becomes a reality in our social housing in the near future. I am always happy to ensure that local authorities know about our future plans when it comes to building and fire safety, and he can be assured that that will continue to be in the agenda when I meet every local authority. Peter Chapman To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to invest in the Scottish Ambulance Service. The Ambulance Service will receive baseline funding of £259.9 million in this financial year, an increase of £9.2 million over the previous year. To support the Ambulance Service strategy, which sees patient treatment delivered out of hospital where it is safe to do so, investment totaling £24.6 million since 2016-17 has been made. Peter Chapman I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Last year's figures showed response times in Aberdeenshire areas, such as Tariff and Mern, suffering some of the worst response times at an average of 18 and 15 minutes, while outwith the eight-minute target. A recent report by Unison said that Scottish Ambulance staff were being overworked and patients were being put at risk by the Scottish Government under funding. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that that is unacceptable, and how does she propose to improve emergency response times in rural areas of the north-east of Scotland? I do not accept the central premise of this, that there is underfunding to our Ambulance Service. I am sure that Mr Chapman has familiarised himself with the strategy, which now has significant external evidence from across the UK that it remains a valid model and implementation is on track. In the next year, the Ambulance Service will concentrate on further development of its clinical response model, including improvements to lower acuity calls, development of its workforce, continued investment in fleet equipment and new technology, and quality improvement work, all of which is designed to improve response times, particularly in lower acuity calls. In terms of the recent Unison survey, of course, we take these matters very seriously, as do the Ambulance Service. With Unison, they are involved in the demand and capacity implementation group, which is looking precisely at the issues that Mr Chapman addresses. We will continue to take these matters seriously and to make progress with our Ambulance Service. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Firefighters in two areas of my constituency, Tariff and Mod, participated in the trial scheme launched in 2015 that saw specially trained firefighters deploy to administer vital CPR or use a defibrillator to try to save people who were experiencing cardiac arrest. I have spoken with firefighters in Tariff who participated in the trial and they are very keen to use their skills. Will the cabinet secretary advise if and when that will be rolled out? The primary aim of the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest co-response trials is to reduce response times to incidents with the longer term aim of improving patient outcomes. The trials involved 18 stations responded to 276 incidents. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service made 83 potential life-saving interventions with 28 positive results. Given those outcomes, the trials can be considered as a success, and I am keen to see that work rolled out. However, there are on-going discussions and negotiations with the Fire Brigades Union and Management on the remodelling of the firefighter's role. That continues, and while those negotiations are under way and continue, the involvement of the Fire and Rescue Service in the work has been paused. Maureen Watt To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to deliver superfast broad band to rural communities. Mr Paul Wheelhouse The 400 million digital Scotland's superfast broad band programme has already delivered truly transformative results across all Scotland's local authorities, providing fibre broadband access to over 930,000 homes and businesses so far. The think broadband figures showing that over 93 per cent of Scotland's premises can now access superfast broadband of 30 megabits per second and above. The equivalent figure for Aberdeenshire is 81.7 per cent. Our 600 million reaching 100 per cent programme will deliver resilient and future-proof broadband infrastructure that will ensure that every home and business in Scotland can access superfast broadband services, regardless of remoteness or rurality. Maureen Watt I thank the minister for that answer. Openreach is responsible for delivering broadband in the Oldport Leithan area of my constituency. Unfortunately, due to long lines, the community is experiencing first-rating speeds and either have to wait for the R100 programme to deliver superfast broadband by 2021 or engage in the community fibre partnership. Can I ask what the support the Scottish Government can give to ensure a faster and more cost-effective solution can be found to tackle communities affected by long lines? Maureen Watt I should say at the outset that I very much recognise the challenge that Maureen Watt has set before us. Clearly, Maureen Watt is aware that those are reserved issues, but we are trying to use our resources to try to tackle them. We recognise that there is certainly a source of great frustration for those who are affected. We are obviously deploying R100, as I said, and I appreciate Maureen Watt's point around the fact that people are concerned to be waiting for that. There is also gainshare funding through the DSSB in deployment, which has continued during the rest of 2019, extending coverage as far as possible. For communities who are still struggling with poor connectivity, there is also interim solutions such as the UK Government's better broadband and rural gigabit voucher schemes, which exist to how they may not deliver services at 30 megabits per second or better, but they may provide an interim solution while R100 is under development.