 Thank you, that concludes general questions. The next item of business is First Minister's Questions. At question number one, I call Douglas Ross. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. So apparently the First Minister couldn't bear to watch the SNP leaders debate this week. Her ears must have been burning as the candidates torched her record in government. Rwy'nolytg watershun, a'id i'n helpu o'r Cyfrinumau, a wnaeth i ddim yn unig y bydd ar redech y ffordd. Rwy'n hi'n hynny da'n byth i'ch gynnwys. Os yw'n hynny, os maeth i'ch gynnwys, boeth i'ch gynnwys. Os yna, dros hynny, ymlaen nhw ar y cyfrinumau. Rwy'n hi'n hynny, os maeth i'ch gynnwys ymlaen nhw'n hynny, os maeth i'ch gynnwys o'r Cyfrinumau, oedd pryd yn hynny, o'n mynd i'ch gynnwys, oherwydd mae nhw'n hynny. John Swinney i'r Nikelisurgin yn ystod i'r hunain dechreuodd mwy gwrthu'n defnyddio. Mae gennych nhw'n iawn, ond mae'r First Minister ydy gallwn ni'n gael cael ei naom fawr y tydd yr SNP oedd yn cael ei gafodol i'r dibuig ac mae'r mwyaf oedd yn bernigiau os y cadydag ymwyntynnol ym ymlaen, ac rhera wynau sy'n dod o'r nikelisurgin yn ddergyrch i dda i fynd oedd i dda. Her finance secretary, Kate Forbes, said this about Scotland. The trains never run on time. The police service is stretched to breaking point. There's record high waiting times in the NHS. Does the First Minister applaud as we do on this side of the chamber, her finance secretary's honest assessment of this SMP's record in government? Of course I didn't unfortunately catch the leaders debate the other night because I was on my way back from a wonderful visit to the inspirational Glasgow Women's Library, a fabulous place that I would recommend to anybody across the chamber. For my part, of course, the only verdict on my Government that really matters is the verdict from the people we serve, the people of Scotland. That verdict has been pretty clear over the eight years of my leadership, winning no fewer than eight elections. Let me perhaps remind Douglas Ross, trying, as I always do, to be helpful to him. Why that might be the case? Under this Government, we've seen a 20 per cent increase in NHS staff, the highest number of doctors and nurses proportionately anywhere in the UK. We've seen a doubling of the NHS budget. We've seen the best-performing A&Es anywhere in the UK for the last seven years, the only part of the UK, with no NHS strikes and the highest-paid workforce anywhere on these islands. A significant reduction in hospital infections, £10,000 nurse bursaries at a time when the Tories in England scrapped nurse bursaries. Scrap prescription charges take away parking charges at NHS hospitals, leading the way on public health measures. I can see your looking at me as scans. That's just the NHS. I look forward to getting on to other topics later in this session. Douglas Ross. If the First Minister really did miss the first TV debate, there's another one tonight. I'm just really worried that 30 minutes isn't going to be long enough for the candidates to trash her record in government. Last week, I said that there seems to be two cake forms. One with a terrible record in government and one who says that this Government has a terrible record. However, now the finance secretary is in an even bigger guzzle. She can't decide whether she's in government or she's in opposition. Just listen to that statement from Kate Forbes again. The current finance secretary said that the current SNP Government leaves trains that never run on time, the police service stretched to breaking point and record high waiting times in our NHS. That's a quote sorted for every Scottish Conservative leaflet going forward. There's even more material that we can use. Kate Forbes said more of the same is not a manifesto, it's an acceptance of mediocrity. The First Minister might expect to hear that from me, but did she really expect to hear that from her own finance secretary? I am very, very aware that for Douglas Ross, mediocrity, of course, is a dizzy height that he's never come close to achieving. There's also a confusion whatsoever about where Douglas Ross is in terms of Government or Opposition. He's in opposition now and he's going to remain in opposition for a long, long time to come. Helpfully—and he has been very helpful today, I'm most appreciative—he's taken me into other subject matters, so briefly. He talked about crime, so let's talk about the record of my Government endorsed eight times in eight years under my leadership by the Scottish people. Crime down by more than 48 per cent. Violent crime alone down by 48 per cent. Automatic early release indeed, of course, opposed by the Scottish Conservatives. We see re-offending rates among the lowest ever. The highest number of police officers is at any time during previous Scottish administrations, higher proportionately than any other part of the UK. It strengthened the law on domestic abuse. Then there's transport. ScotRail in public ownership. Lower fares on average than where the Tories are in power. 11 billion pounds of investment in rail infrastructure. The M74 completed the Aberdeen bypass belt, the Queensferry crossing belt, the highest investment in active travel of any UK nation. I could go on, Presiding Officer, and I'm happy to do so later on. Well, if the First Minister did continue that record in government on transport, it would be the A9 delay, the A96 delay, ferries that are rusting in the docks, not serving the island communities that they're there for. However, the First Minister seems to think that if she doesn't mention Kate Forbes, if she pretends she didn't watch it, those comments didn't occur. This was a Scottish Government minister, someone currently serving under Nicola Sturgeon, tearing apart this record in government. If Nicola Sturgeon won't focus on Kate Forbes, we know that one of our closest allies will. Shona Robison, a current Cabinet colleague of Kate Forbes, said that Kate Forbes is trashing the record of the SNP Government. Kate Forbes has voted for every single SNP policy. She's backed every single SNP referendum demand and every one of the SNP budgets. She's the finance secretary. She writes the budgets. Kate Forbes was Nicola Sturgeon's right-hand woman, handpicked by the First Minister to rise rapidly up through the ranks. When promoting Kate Forbes in February 2020, the first minister said this in the chamber. Kate Forbes has a forensic grasp of detail on the Government's record. She's got the detail bang on the money, hasn't she? First Minister of course. Of those colleagues of mine vying to have the joy of First Minister's questions Mrs Rose every Thursday at 12 o'clock. All of them either are or have been members of my Government, so of course they all share in the success of the Government that I am proud to lead. Now I am, of course, by my own choice now an outgoing leader. But I want to be serious for a minute here. Nobody needs a running commentary from me, certainly nobody needs a running commentary from Douglas Ross on anything, but that is another matter. Nobody needs a running commentary taraff Jerome Banks wedi bod gydy'r cadw ymddangos eich ddechrau i mi. Gallon, ddaf y cyfrifol rydyn ni wedi bod nhw'n digwydd i gyd! Rydych chi'n ddiddordeb clywed o'r proses ddefnydd. Pryde, ond nad ym mwy o'r rhaid i gael, ond mae eich gyd yn byw rhaid i gyd, ond ffrifol y mae'n rhaid i gyd yn ddechrau a'i gyrraff a'u gyd yn gyfrifol, a'u fynd yn ddod i gyd yn dd weaponsol, y First Minister's position is standing here three weeks today has one overriding task, Presiding Officer. It is to govern and it is to serve in a way that inspires the people of Scotland to keep placing trust in us just as they have done consistently since 2007 and just as they have done eight times over the eight years of my leadership. That's what matters because without that trust nothing else is possible. Finally, to my opponents, perhaps a word to the wise as well. I can't grudge you at watching the First SNP leadership election in 20 years because we've had lots of Tory and Labour leaderships to enjoy over these years. Here's that word to the wise. For as long as you are using virtually all of your airtime in talking about the SNP because you have nothing positive to offer, then fundamentally the problem is not ours, Presiding Officer. The problem is yours because you're destined to stay exactly where you are right now in opposition. If only the SNP candidates had something positive to offer rather than fighting with each other, that Kate Forbes has been so honest about the SNP's record in government that just this morning Mary Black, the SNP's deputy Westminster leader, said that SNP could split over this contest. Nicola Sturgeon has divided Scotland and now her departure is dividing the SNP. Yet, while the SNP goes through this civil war, the real priorities of Scotland are being ignored. This divided and distracted party is failing to give Scots the health service they deserve. Well, the current health secretary is mumbling while I'm speaking about his portfolio area, so let's go through what has been said this week. BMA Scotland told us that nearly half of junior doctors are thinking of quitting. On Monday, an investigation reported that one in five people in Scotland have been forced to go private for health treatment. There are 773,000 Scots on an NHS waiting list just now, and 10 patients a month are travelling to Lithuania for treatment, travelling from Scotland to Lithuania for treatment. So, First Minister, when you said people should focus on governing and serving, shouldn't the SNP leadership candidates focus on the crisis in our NHS, not the crisis in their party? Second point to the NHS in a second. However, every single one of the SNP politicians that has been mentioned by Douglas Ross today has more popular and public approval than he does. Douglas Ross, I think, is the least popular elected leader in Scotland today. My advice to him was intended to be helpful. Perhaps if he spent a bit more time looking in the mirror and reflecting on the reasons for his parties and his personal unpopularity and a bit less time thinking about the SNP, he might not be in the dire straits that he's in right now. Of course, our NHS faces significant challenges, but the numbers of self-funding private care in Scotland are lower, significantly lower than they are in Tory run England or indeed Labour run Wales. We are now seeing reductions, considerable reductions, whether it's in outpatients or inpatients in the longest waits, because we are focusing on NHS recovery. It's because we're focusing on NHS recovery that no NHS workers have been forced on to strike action in Scotland, and in our fact, in terms of agenda for change, the highest paid workers anywhere in the UK. That's the focus on the NHS that we have, and we'll continue to have for as long as we're in government. Question 2, Anna Sawa. Presiding Officer, week after week I have asked the First Minister about the NHS, and week after week she has defended the indefensible and asked patients to accept the unacceptable. Members of our own government accept that the NHS is in crisis. Kate Forbes has said that more of the same won't cut it, and she's called it HUMSA use of for delivering record waiting times. After nearly 16 years in government, the performance of our NHS is the worst it's ever been. It needs a serious plan to fix it. Does the First Minister agree that continuity, mediocrity and incompetence won't cut it? Continued focus on the part of whoever is First Minister on delivering for the people of Scotland and retaining the trust of the people of Scotland, as I said earlier, is the priority and should be the priority of whoever is standing here in just three weeks' time. Let me talk specifically about the NHS, because the NHS in Scotland, in England, in Wales and Northern Ireland, across much of the world is facing challenges largely because of the pandemic that has afflicted all of us over the past three years. Because of the recovery plan, because of the record investment that we are putting into the NHS, the record number of staffs, we are now seeing progress in that recovery. Take waits for outpatients. The numbers experiencing waits of over a year down almost 9 per cent in the last quarter. Numbers waiting over two years down 50 per cent in the last quarter down 60 per cent since the peak. We are seeing similar reductions in inpatients and reductions in those waiting for diagnostic tests as well. We are seeing the numbers being seen in our NHS going up. Is that tough? Yes. Toughest of all for those working in our NHS, but it is our focus on the NHS that is seeing those improvements and will continue to do so. Incompetence has serious consequences. Dr Chris Adams, one of Scotland's leading paediatric surgeons, says that his patients are suffering because of a lack of staff, and he has had enough. Crucially, he says that it is not due to Covid. One of Dr Adams' patients is Harvey Martin. Harvey is nine years old. He suffers from neurofibromatosis, which is a genetic condition that causes tumours to grow on the nervous system. In August last year, he was told that he needed urgent surgery within four weeks to correct a curve in his spine. Seven months on, he is still waiting. The curve is now harming his internal organs, and he is left in excruciating pain. A nine-year-old in excruciating pain for seven months. This is a serious consequence of incompetence. His mum, Natalie, told me yesterday that she cannot watch her child in pain any longer. She is looking at private options and will fundraise for Harvey's treatment. First Minister, why are children having to wait so long for urgent treatment, and why are families having to contemplate pain to relieve their child's pain? No parent should contemplate that. Obviously, other than the details Anasawa has shared with me just now, I do not know the details of Harvey's case, but I will look into that and respond more fully. I have heard concerns that have been expressed by Dr Chris Adams, and all those concerns have been investigated by NHS Lothian. Those are general nots, as I understand it, in relation to Harvey's case in particular. They have been investigated by NHS Lothian, but I have asked officials to ensure that we have more external assurance to satisfy ourselves that there is no substance to those concerns. As all of us know, NHS Lothian is facing significant challenges. It is largely down to Covid. Yes, there were pressures that predated Covid, but in most countries the pressures on health services are down to Covid. That is why we are focusing on the investment, the recruitment and the reform to help to tackle those challenges. Anasawa cited Dr Adams' comments in relation to staff. We have record numbers of staff in our NHS today. Staffing is up since this Government took office by 22 per cent. We have higher staffing per head than NHS England. We have higher numbers of nurses and midwives and doctors than in the health services in other parts of the UK. We will continue to focus hard each and every day on supporting our NHS. There is delivering for all patients every day, including children like Harvey. As I said, I will look further into the specifics of Harvey's case and respond either to Anasawa or directly to Harvey's family in due course. It is important to repeat two things. One, Dr Adams says that this is not due to Covid. The First Minister is hiding behind Covid. Secondly, incompetence has serious consequences. Incompetence might be funny in an SNP leadership debate, but incompetence in government means people losing their lives right now across Scotland. Across Scotland, thousands of people are opting to pay for treatment because they cannot wait for the NHS. Research by the BBC shows that one in five people say that they or a family member have paid for medical treatment. One in five, and NHS staff like Dr Adams are speaking out about waiting times because of the risk to their patients' lives. Shamefully, other clinicians were gagged by Lothian and Greater Glasgow and Clyde health boards from speaking out publicly because they know that there is a crisis. Thousands of operations are cancelled, the worst any waiting times on record, over 5,500 nursing and midwifery vacancies, and 770,000 patients on an NHS waiting list, record breaking levels of delayed discharge. That is a crisis of 16 years in the making because of SNP mismanagement of our NHS. None of the candidates to replace Nicola Sturgeon are up to the job of fixing it. Surely the people who created the problem cannot be the ones to fix the problem? Just to be very clear, I specifically said in relation to Dr Adams, not specifically in relation to young Harvey's case, but generally the comments and the concerns that he has cited, I have asked for further external assurance to make sure that we have properly investigated those. So nobody is hiding behind anything. Anasarwar must be one of the only people, of course Douglas Ross is in this category as well, that steadfastly refuses to recognise the impact of Covid on the NHS here. I have already referred to Dr Adams. I am not talking about Dr Adams, but, week after week, Anasarwar stands here and wants to pretend that Covid did not happen. Yes, there were pressures on our NHS before that, but everybody understands the significant exacerbation of Covid on the NHS. That is the case in Scotland, Wales, England and most other countries across Europe and the world. This is really important. I have said this many times, and I think that it does a disservice to Anasarwar to suggest otherwise. No staff in the NHS are gagged. We have whistleblowing arrangements in our national health service. When all staff who have concerns should feel able to come forward and make sure that they raise them. Finally, I have been in this post for more than eight years, as I may have said once or twice already today. I have taken the duty and the responsibility of this office seriously, as everybody would have the right to expect me to do every single day right through the difficult days of Covid and every other day beside. I will continue to do that for the remaining days that I am in office. I know that whoever stands here after me will also do that. Government is difficult. It is difficult in the best of times. Those are not the best of times, but the people of Scotland are the ultimate arbiters of who is competent, who is doing the job well and who is not. They have put their trust in this Government consistently since 2007, eight times in the eight years of my leadership. The task of my successor is to make sure that they retain that trust. It is precious and it is essential to achieving anything. Question 3, Tess White. To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on the Scottish Government's progress towards reducing the number of people on hospital waiting lists and ending long waits for NHS treatment. Yes, I can. The total number of patients waiting over 18 months for a new outpatient appointment was down 27 per cent in a single quarter. The number is waiting over two years for in-patient and day cases was down 60 per cent over six months. The number seen in December 2022 was at the highest level since the pandemic began. The number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test was reduced by more than 7 per cent in the last quarter. That is down to the hard work of our front-line NHS staff to clear long waits that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Of course, we need to go further and continue to grow capacity in our national health service, which is why we will be, for example, opening four new national treatment centres over the coming year. Tess White. Figures from NHS Grampian show that two in-patients have waited more than five and a half years for treatment. In NHS Grampian, for orthopedic surgery alone, waiting times are 18 to 24 months, with more than 3,800 people on the waiting list. I have a constituent on that list who is in debilitating pain. It is impacting her physically, emotionally and financially. No meaningful progress has been made to reduce the number of people on waiting lists, as Kate Forbes has said. Now Health Secretary Humza Yousaf is more focused on the SNP succession plan than the NHS recovery plan. What does the First Minister have to say to my constituent and the thousands of other people who are suffering in pain on those waiting lists? To the member's constituent and to anyone who is on an NHS waiting list, the Government will continue to focus on investment, recruitment and reform in our NHS to get those waiting lists and waiting times down. It is simply wrong and the facts do not bear it out that progress is not being made in reducing the longest waits. I have already set out the progress over recent months in reducing the longest waits, both for outpatient appointments and for inpatient appointments and for diagnostic tests. Is that progress yet good enough? No, it is not. The challenge in our NHS is significant, but we will continue with the investment, with the recruitment and with the reforms that are necessary to make sure that we deliver for all patients every day in our national health service. Earlier this week, BBC Scotland revealed that 1 in 5 people had paid for private medical care in the past 12 months. Let's be clear that those people are on lengthy waiting lists and are so desperate for treatment that they are scraping together their savings to go private. The private healthcare information network tells us that the number of private operations has increased by 72 per cent. In 2021 alone, 40 per cent of all hip and knee replacements were done privately. Even the health secretary's targets for ending the longest waits of over two years have all been missed, each and every one of them. Just a few months ago, NHS board chief executives were discussing a two-tier system of healthcare in Scotland with some people paying for their care. Does the First Minister now accept that, in reality, under this SNP Government, the two-tier system is already here? I do not, but I consider it unacceptable that any patient has to pay privately for treatment that they should be getting and want to get on the national health service. That is why we continue to focus on the ways that I have been speaking about in bringing down waiting times. We will continue with that focus, and I know that it will be a priority for whoever succeeds me as First Minister, as it has been a priority for me every day in this job. The targets have not been missed. The targets on reducing long waits are being met, and we need to go further and will go further. I know that this will get howls of objection from the Labour benches, but Jackie Baillie herself is trying to suggest that the challenges in our national health service are uniquely down to the fact that Scotland has a SNP Government. Let me give the counter to that. She quoted the private health information network figures, so she will not mind me also quoting the private health information network figures for self-funded private care in the second quarter of 2022, the most recent figures, in Wales where Labour is in office. Jackie Baillie wants to do the comparisons when it suits her. In Wales, where Labour is in office, self-funded private care according to the private health information network was 27 per cent higher than it is in Scotland. Not just that, Presiding Officer, the rate of increase in Wales for those opting to self-pay for private health care was 21 per cent higher in Wales than in Scotland. I am responsible, but this Government is responsible for health in Scotland. For those who want to suggest that the challenges in our national health service are uniquely down to a SNP Government, if they are Tories they need to look at performance in England and if they are Labour they really need to look at performance in Wales. To ask the First Minister what impact the proposed pay settlement for teachers, if accepted, will have on other Scottish Government budgets? That is a very fair offer for teachers in very challenging circumstances. Indeed, it represents the best pay offer to teachers in more than 20 years. Delivering it of course will require the Scottish Government to make very hard financial choices and therefore it will have an impact in other parts of the Scottish Government budget. That however is necessary and I believe that it is right, given the importance of resolving this dispute, which the Education Secretary has worked very hard to do and in the interests of ensuring that young people's education is not further disrupted and of course also in the interests of valuing teachers who do such a good job in schools right across the country. Christine Grahame, I thank the First Minister for reply. Can I declare as a former secondary teacher, one of my former professions, I have high regard for it and I do hope that settlement can be reached. What will the proposed pay settlement mean for teachers in Scotland, in particular in comparison with teachers in the rest of the UK? That offer, which is the best pay offer to teachers in more than 20 years, will see the salaries of most teachers rise by more than £5,000 in April, if the new pay offer is accepted. The 28-month deal has a cumulative value of 14.6 per cent and would mean an overall increase of more than £6,100 over two years for the 70 per cent of classroom teachers at the top of their main grade scale. Teachers are among the best paid anywhere in the world. They move more quickly to the top of the pay scale than in any other OECD country. In terms of UK comparisons, new fully registered teachers in Scotland are the best paid anywhere in the UK. So this is a good deal, it's a fair deal, I hope is accepted and this dispute is resolved. It's a great relief to everyone involved that this dispute finally looks like it's over. But isn't this whole episode typical of what her Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Kate Forbes, has called the mediocracy of Nicola Sturgeon's time as First Minister? Eight years of broken promises and neglect of Scottish education. Over a year of on-off negotiations, even to get to this point and damaging disruption, wouldn't she agree that Scotland's teachers, parents, children and young people deserve better? The hypocrisy here is absolutely staggering because, yes, this has been a tough negotiation, but it's because the Scottish Government has been determined to find resolution with our partners in local government where we are right now. Why is Stephen Kerr's approach here utterly hypocritical is because he is a Conservative and when we look at the Conservative Government in England we find a completely different approach. Here's what the Tory Secretary of State for Education said about teacher pay negotiations. That's not what Government is there to do. Let me give the full quote. We don't negotiate pay, that's not what we are here to do. In this Government we think that that is part of what we are here to do. Get round the table, agree fair pay deals for the NHS for teachers. That is one of the many reasons why the people of Scotland continue to put their trust in this SNP Scottish Government. The EIS ballot on this last gasp offer ends tomorrow. We all hope that this dispute can end because lost learning responsibility rests with this Government. Can the First Minister assure young people in targeted constituencies such as our own that the SQA will make special provision to ensure that they get a fair chance of success? What will the Government do to ensure that all payments are in this month's pay run the last of the financial year to avoid tax and benefits chaos for many, many teachers? I very much hope that we'll see this pay offer accepted and that teachers will get the substantial increase to their salary that I believe they deserve. Education Scotland of course will continue to take steps, as will the SQA as appropriate, to ensure that pupils are properly supported. The approach of this Government, whether it's in the NHS, the wider local government workforce or the teaching profession, in very, very tough times where inflation is putting significant pressure on our budget is to get round the table to respect trade unions and to negotiate fair pay deals. If only that was happening in other parts of the UK in the way that it is happening in Scotland, we might all be in a much better position. To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support homeowners seeking to reduce their energy bills. The Scottish Government has allocated £336 million to heat energy efficiency and fuel poverty measures this year. £119 million of that is targeted specifically at fuel poor households. We have also doubled the fuel insecurity fund and provided an additional £1.2 million to help advice services meet increasing demand. We are and will continue to do everything we can within our limited devolved powers, but of course the key levers here lie with the UK Government. We will also continue to call upon the UK Government to protect those struggling with their energy bills. I urge anybody who is struggling to contact Home Energy Scotland who can provide advice and support on how to manage energy costs. The current cost of living crisis has highlighted the benefits of improved energy efficiency in homes, an area where Scotland has sadly lagged behind for too long. The Scottish Government's existing proposals on home retrofitting for energy efficiency are, like the pledge to retrofit a million homes with heat pumps by 2030, long on ambition but short on detail. Every key question about how their goals are going to be achieved, from who pays to how they are going to have enough people with the skill to carry out their work, is still unclear. First Minister, those are Scottish Government initiatives and goals, and however laudable and necessary those targets are, they are worthless without a route to achieve them. Does the First Minister accept that a detailed practical programme for implementation will be vital to delivering net zero homes, and if so, when are we likely to get sight of them? Of course, Brian Whittle rightly references the cost of living crisis. Let's remember that the cost of living crisis is largely created by an incompetent UK Tory Government. We will continue to take our responsibilities seriously, not just to helping people through what we all hope are short-term cost of living pressures, but to ensure that we are insulating and improving energy efficiency in our homes for the sake of the environment longer term. As I said earlier, we have already allocated more than £300 million to heat energy efficiency in fuel poverty measures in this year alone. That is being delivered through a package of support via some long-standing programmes that have already supported over 150,000 households that are in or at risk of fuel poverty. We will continue those short and long-term plans to make sure that we are delivering for the people across Scotland. Households in my constituency and across Scotland expect to see their energy bills rise by more than £1,000 from next month, by eating up more than 13 per cent of the average Scottish take-home pay. Will the First Minister urge the UK Chancellor to use next week's spring budget to halt the increase, which will have a devastating impact on so many of our constituencies when our finances are already stretched to breaking point? Will she support the call from Age UK for an amnesty and prepayment metres that are penalising some of the poorest people in our society even further? Yes, I agree with all of that and will certainly take those steps. It is really important and there has been some positive noises from the UK Government around this. I hope to see those realised and turned into concrete commitments in the UK budget next week. It is essential that the proposed increase to the energy price guarantee cap is cancelled. Failure to do that would mean an estimated increase of 120,000 Scottish households in fuel poverty, taking the estimated total to almost £1 million. I hope that we can all agree that that would be completely unacceptable and that it can be avoided if the UK Government so chooses. Question 6, Stuart McMillan. Thank you, Presiding Officer, to ask the First Minister in light of Scottish Apprenticeship week this week how the Scottish Government is supporting people into apprenticeships. First Minister, I was delighted to visit City building in Glasgow earlier this week to launch Scottish Apprenticeship week and meet with some fantastic young people there who shared their own apprenticeship journeys with me. The Scottish Government is working with Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council to maximise apprenticeship opportunities and ensure that employers wishing to take on an apprentice are supported to do so. The modern apprenticeship quarter three statistics show an increase of 7.1 per cent in those starting an apprenticeship compared to the same period last year. Despite a context of the most turbulent economic and financial situation that most of us can remember, the Scottish budget for the forthcoming financial year delivers record investment in education and skills, and we have kept the Skills Development Scotland budget broadly in line with last year, allowing it to fund both modern and foundation apprenticeships. Stuart McMillan, I thank the First Minister for that answer. On Monday, I visited River Clyde Homes's headquarters in Greenock to learn more about their apprenticeship programme. I heard directly from the apprentices how working for RCH has helped with their development and offered them opportunities. River Clyde Homes' investment in youth recruitment has also led to them being awarded platinum accreditation from investors and young people making them only one of the 11 organisations in Scotland to achieve that accolade. The First Minister joined me in applauding RCH and their commitment to helping young people in my constituency into sustainable employment and hopes that their actions will inspire even more organisations to invest in apprenticeships. I certainly applaud the work done by River Clyde Homes and the award of platinum accreditation from investors and young people. It really is testament to their commitment to offering opportunities to young people. I hope that that inspires other organisations to invest in apprenticeships, which are a key way for employers to invest in their workforce, providing the skills that the economy needs now and in future. Almost 12,000 individuals between 16 and 24 took up the opportunity of a modern apprenticeship by the end of Q3 2022-23. Scotland's apprenticeships support young people and all ages into sustainable and rewarding careers and give individuals the opportunity to develop the skills that they need to succeed in their chosen career. Graham Day. Seven years ago, the Equality and Human Rights Commission identified that just 0.5 per cent of modern apprenticeships were going to young disabled people, despite their making up between 8 to 9 per cent of the target population at that time. Can I ask what progress has been made since then? Can I confirm that we remain very committed to helping to address the barriers to young disabled people in taking on an apprenticeship and figure show significant progress has been made in this area since the study by the Equality and Human Rights Commission seven years ago that Graham Day has referred to. Skills Development Scotland provides enhanced funding contributions for disabled apprentices in training until age 29. The most recent statistics published by SDS on 14 February report that the disability rate for modern apprenticeship starts by the end of Q3 was 14.8 per cent to percentage points higher than Q3 of the previous year. Just under 3,000 individuals had unknown disability status, self-identified and impairment health condition or learning difficulty, which is a 23.5 per cent increase compared to the same point last year. There has been good progress, but much more work is still to be done. This week, I met with winners of my Western Scotland apprenticeship awards. Apprentices spoke highly about the skills and opportunities gained and employers boasted about the value added to their company. The Scottish Training Federation says that, while demand for apprenticeships is strong, the funding just is not there. Will the First Minister commit to properly funding apprenticeships and back the STF's calls to increase the number of apprenticeships places to 27,000? I do not recall the Tories putting forward a proposal in the budget that was passed recently for more funding for apprenticeships, but if we had taken their advice over the last few months to cut taxes for the richest people, we would have less money to spend on apprenticeships and everything else. We are investing strongly in modern apprenticeships. We have asked the SDS to deliver at least 25,000 new apprenticeship starts in this financial year, and there are still some to be allocated. Apprenticeships is a really good news story. It is a good news story for the young people who are apprentices, people of all ages, who are apprentices. It is a really good news story for the economy because it is providing skills that we need for the future. That is more important than ever before, since Tories' Brexit has denied us many skills from elsewhere across Europe. Given the new proposals that we are seeing from the Tory Government this week in relation to their approach to refugees and asylum seekers, does the First Minister share my concern about how that will impact on our ability to meet our responsibilities under the United Nations Refugee Convention and the European Convention of Human Rights, and does she share my disgust at the spectacle of the leader of the UK Labour Party trying to outdo the Prime Minister on his anti-immigration rhetoric? On matters for which the Scottish Government has responsibility? Let us be clear. The UK Government's illegal migration bill sets out a clear intention to remove the right to seek refugee protection in the United Kingdom. It is utterly shameful and immoral. I can still remember a day when Labour would have opposed it tooth and nail in principle and not in the mealymouth way that it has been doing. Here is what the UN Refugee Agency said. It would be a clear breach of the refugee convention and would undermine a long-standing humanitarian tradition of which the British people are rightly proud. All of us, without exception, should be appalled that the Home Secretary has introduced such a bill, a bill that she knows does not comply with the Human Rights Act, a bill that adds to the damage already inflicted on the UK's reputation as a place of refuge, the UK's credibility with international partners and the ability to meet responsibilities under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. It is a bill that this Government does not support, will never support and nobody who has any concern for our fellow human beings should ever support such an appalling piece of draft legislation. Douglas Lumsden. This weekend, the Parliament rugby teams of Scotland and Ireland will play a match in memory of our former colleague and friend, David Hill, who sadly died playing in the same fixture last year. After the game, there will be a fundraising dinner to benefit two charities, Cardiac Risk in the Young and Murrayfield Injured Players Foundation. Will the First Minister join me in wishing both teams well and also acknowledge the strength and courage of David's parents, Roger and Sharon, who have been instrumental in organising this weekend's events so that some good can come from this awful tragedy? First Minister, can I associate myself wholeheartedly with those comments? I think all of us still remember the sense of shock last year when we heard of David's sad passing. I had some communication at the time with David's parents, Roger and Sharon, and my thoughts remain with them at what I am sure is an incredibly difficult time for them. The fixture this weekend will be a fitting tribute to David. I wish both teams well and, of course, pay tribute to the charities that money is being raised to support. Let's all, in the session of First Minister's Questions, where, rightly and properly in our democracy, we have had some robust exchanges. Remember somebody who gave a lot to our democracy in this Parliament. He is sadly missed by all of us across the chamber, particularly by his colleagues and the Conservative benches. He was an example of what we should aspire to in public life and in politics. If it is the closing question today, it is a good one to remind us, Presiding Officer, of our common humanity and to remember somebody that we all miss greatly. I will take one further question. Paul Sweeney. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The First Minister will be aware of the plight of Morton's rolls on drum chapel, where 250 workers responsible for creating an iconic Scottish brand now face an uncertain future. In the past few days, investors have come forward, and I have put Government ministers in touch with them, and they are due to meet this afternoon. Whilst there is undoubtedly a deal to be done here, it will require the Government to do its bit to ensure that there is a sufficient level of capital investment and business support to make sure production can be restarted on a sustainable footing as soon as possible. I ask the First Minister today if she will commit to her Government and its agencies to doing everything in their power to save Morton's, save these skilled jobs in a depressed area and ensure that this household name can prosper for decades to come. First Minister. Yes, I will give the commitment to doing everything possible to try to preserve Morton's rolls and the jobs of those who depend on it. I, like everybody else, was deeply concerned of the company's decision to cease trading last week. In my pre-politics life, I used to work in drum chapel. I know how important a company like this is to people there and to the sense of community. Of course, Morton's is an iconic Scottish brand, so the Scottish Government working with Glasgow City Council will do everything we possibly can to see whether there is a rescue package that allows the company to continue trading and to continue to make the contribution that it has made for some time to the community of drum chapel. Thank you. That concludes First Minister's questions. I'm grateful, Presiding Officer. Over the last number of weeks we've been subject to increasingly tiresome interruptions from protesters in the public gallery. Now, in a democratic society, we recognise that there is a right of peaceful protest, but this is very disruptive for those of us in the chamber, for other people who have come to watch proceedings in the public gallery and for those watching at home who tune in to see the First Minister and the Scottish Government being held to account. Will you, therefore, through your office and the corporate body look at the question of allocation of tickets to the public gallery? Are those individuals obtaining tickets directly, or are they doing that through the offices of MSPs? What sanctions are being applied to those who are being disruptive? Are their names being taken and are they being prevented from coming back on another occasion? What other steps can be taken to try and address what is a weekly irritation to all members? I thank Mr Fraser for his point of order, and I can assure him and all members that work is under way with regard to the disruption that the Parliament is experiencing and has done so over this last period of weeks. I have held discussions with the Bureau, with the SPCB, with party leaders and members more widely. They are on-going. This issue will continue to be pursued, and I will give members an update in due course.