 O'r cyfnodau ymlaen i'r cyd-draen gyda'r cyfnod i'r cysteimlu clyweddau. Yn y cwestiwn i'r cyfnod, rydw i'r cyfnod Clywol Adamson. Rydw i'n amser y Cymru, mae'r ffordd i'w cyflogwydau gorfodigau hynny oeddeiligol i gael iddyn nhw'r cyfnodau gwazoliau. Before I answer, let me on behalf of the Scottish Government extend my heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of three men, Sandy Hamilton, Kevin James McKinley and Stuart McLevy, who lost their lives in the recent tragic events in accidents of Dumfries and Galloway and on Loch Lomond. The Scottish Government takes the issue of safety in and around water very seriously indeed, although there have been a number of high profile tragedies and near misses in recent days. We know that there are many other people who have enjoyed Scotland's insure and offshore waters safely and without incident, but we are certainly not complacent. Sport Scotland, the national agency for sport, contributes to promoting safe recreational water activity through its national centres at Cumbria and Glenmore by developing future coaches and offering skills development in a wide range of water sports. We support the aims of ROSPA's Water Safety Scotland group and will provide a hundred and four thousand this year to its annual home and water safety programme. In addition, Water Safety Scotland is developing a Scotland-specific response to the national water safety forum's UK national drowning prevention strategy, which aims to reduce accidental drowning rates in the UK by 50 per cent by 2026. Water Safety Scotland is currently consulting on a draft of this document and I certainly encourage anyone with an interest in water safety and recreational water activity to respond to this consultation. Clare Adamson, I thank the minister for her response and extend my condolences to the families that were affected by the tragedy last week. There is to be a specific Scottish response to the national drowning prevention strategy specifically because of Scotland's geography and we know that we have of the 79 deaths last year, 50 occurred in Scotland. We have a disproportionate problem in this area in Scotland. As chair of the CPG on accident prevention and safety awareness, I work very closely with the ROSPA, RNLI and RLSS and the other organisations involved water safety Scotland. I wonder if the minister would like to visit the CPG and with the members to discuss the final stages of the response to the strategy. Minister, could you just adjust your microphone towards you? I would certainly be happy to come to the CPG at an appropriate time when we can fully discuss future actions as a result of the consultation exercise that has been carried out by Water Safety Scotland. I would encourage the CPG and other interested members to contribute to it. It is very pertinent as we come into the hot summer weather. I hope that the hot summer weather in Scotland and where people are more likely to be engaging in water sports across Scotland that we have a firm message to make sure that people are aware of the risks but also enjoy safely the many opportunities that Scotland's water and water sports can offer. We certainly already undertake a great deal of work with the Scottish Tourism Alliance on a wide range of industry-related masters. We will certainly ensure that we explore with them other ways that we can ensure that safety messages can be shared with visitors who are taking part in activities across the country. We also have our national parks website and other communications, which include extensive advice about staying safe when people are enjoying Loch Lomond's fantastic facilities. That is backed up by our emergency services, including Police Scotland. Clare Adamson One of the key hopes for Water Safety Scotland is that it will be able to cut deaths by half by 2026 in Scotland's waters. Every tragedy is a terrible tragedy for the families involved, but the truth is that, for most people, the danger area is for older males aged 60 to 69 in this area. I wonder whether the minister would consider how she might work with pensioner organisations and other organisations that represent this age group and how they might get a better water safety message across. I think that the consultation exercise gives us an opportunity to make sure that we fully explore any interested group organisation, making sure that there is age-appropriate messaging, particularly to the more vulnerable age groups that Clare Adamson describes. I think that there is also a real recognition that we probably need to be better at understanding the information and data as well. I understand that the national records for Scotland show that, in 2015, 35 people died in Scotland due to drowning as of submersion, but there are difficulties with that data that can be described to mis-described locations for drowning deaths, inconsistency and lack of information captured on death registration forms and complexity with international coding systems. The figure does not include suicide by drowning as well. I think that there is a real recognition that we have an opportunity now to kind of delve deeply into this situation and make sure that we use information appropriately, but also make sure that we use existing partners and make sure that we use existing structures to ensure that we get the best possible safety messages across the country for those who have perhaps greater vulnerabilities. To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers its decision to cut the funding of free swimming lessons to all primary school children, resulting in 40 per cent of children being unable to swim by the time that each secondary school promotes or hinders safety and recreational water activity. I think that it is important not to conflate the two issues. The ability to swim has not been necessarily a factor in some of the issues that I have been describing and discussing in response to Clare Adamson's parliamentary question. I think that it is also important to recognise that the latest funding round for sport Scotland has also allocated over five million to Scottish Swimming for the last four years, and that is the largest funding settlement of all the Commonwealth Games sports. Scottish Swimming is actively working in partnership with local authorities and leisure trusts to implement and embed the national swimming framework to support the development of swimming right across the country. It is also incumbent upon us and Scottish Swimming to include and work with local authorities who are the ones that are responsible for deciding what subjects are offered in their schools, taking into account local needs and resources. Again, I will continue to engage with Brian Whittle on the points that he makes and certainly make sure that we, with his investment, make sure that young people get the opportunities that they would like. To ask the Scottish Government for its response to the decision by the SQA to restrict teachers' access to exam papers after the exam has taken place to prevent inappropriate postings on social media. The Scottish Qualifications Authority has taken this decision in response to concerns that social media posts, including answers to questions that were being viewed by candidates immediately after the exams had concluded, causing additional stress for candidates. The intervening period afforded by the new arrangements are intended to reduce the potential negative impact on candidates. As with all operational changes, the SQA will review how this new arrangement has worked over the course of the 2017 exam diet, and in consultation with stakeholders consider whether any changes are necessary for the 2018 diet. To be clear, the SQA's rationale for restricting access to the paper after the exam has taken place is about nothing more than avoiding negative press over any errors that they have made, errors that have unfortunately became an annual occurrence. The reality is that the period immediately after an exam is often one of the most anxious for pupils, and the opportunity to seek reassurance or at least clarity from their teacher whilst it is fresh in their minds is invaluable. What effect does the Scottish Government believe that this decision will have on the levels of stress and anxiety that pupils feel during the exam season? As I indicated in my original response to Mr Greer, the decision by the SQA in this respect has been taken directly and for the reasons that I have publicly put on the record to reduce additional stress for candidates as a consequence of some of the practice that has taken place. When I looked into the matter, I looked at some correspondence that was received from parents in relation to the views and the experiences that they had arising from social media posts, not about the accuracy about examination papers but about the presentation of answers on social media that caused immediate stress for candidates in the immediate aftermath of the examination. It is for that reason that the SQA has taken the decision that it has taken. Mr Greer will know from the exchanges that we have had at the education committee that I have made clear—not the education committee here as well—the necessity of accuracy in SQA examination papers, and that must be maintained at all times. I have written to the chief executive of the SQA and made that point to her. Those are two very separate issues. As I have indicated in my answer, the SQA will look at the particular operational decision that it has taken in the light of experience in 2017 and in consultation with stakeholders. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, but the reality is that exam papers will be discussed immediately after the exam. The difference is now that they will be discussed for the first 24 hours without accuracy and without teachers being able to reassure their pupils. As the Government is aware, the Education and Skills Committee published a report in January agreed by consensus, which was nothing short of damming the SQA. The evidence that was received from teachers in particular was, in the words of the convener, nothing short of eye opening. It is quite clear that teachers' trust in the SQA has broken down. As the EIS has said, this shows that the SQA lacks trust in teachers. What effect does the Scottish Government believe that the message that the SQA does not trust teachers will have on teachers' trust in the exam authority? I do not see it that way at all. We need, as a country, a trusted and respected examination authority not to satisfy me but to ensure that candidates have reliable certification of their achievements. I am determined to ensure that the Scottish Qualifications Authority carries that respect among candidates and teachers. I want to make sure that the SQA works in that fashion. I have seen it first-hand and a sustained effort by the SQA to ensure that that is the case. The reason why we must make sure that that is successful is because the confidence and credibility of examination certification upon which thousands and thousands of young people in our country depend every year must be assured at all times. What confuses me here is why 24 hours? If the answer that he has given is correct, surely there should be no putting on Facebook until the results are announced. Why the 24-hour period seems to me completely arbitrary? How did the figure come up with? The SQA's rationale, as it has been explained to me, is that by delaying the availability of those papers until the following day, it provides for a period for views and experiences to settle in the aftermath of the examination and for more considered advice and dialogue to take place with teachers in the aftermath of the examination. That is the rationale for the change that the SQA has made. I should also make it clear that there is an important point in relation to my relationship with the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The SQA is an independent examination certification body that must be in a position to take operational decisions that it judges within its remit to be appropriate and not for them to be dictated by a minister in relation to the proper operational functions of the SQA. I reiterate to Mr Balford the point that I made to Mr Greer in my earlier responses that, of course, those arrangements will be reviewed by the SQA to determine what has been their effect on candidates and experiences during the 2017 night. Thank you very much, and that concludes topical questions. We are now going to move on to a statement by Michael Matheson on forensic examination. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end of his statement, and so there should be no interventions on interruptions. I would ask members who wish to ask questions to press their request-to-speak buttons now.