 Good afternoon everyone on the first item of business. подоб hyn adevol yn'rやd portfolio questions', ac yn aiku hacen stewllwch gydas cyимерddio. I will be grateful for short and succinct questions and answers please. Question 1 Alex Johnstone To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the local allocation of funding by Creative Scotland to support cultural events. Gratio of Scotland's funding decisions are a matter for the Gratio of Scotland board decisions made for regular funding followed a robust assessment process. The Scottish Government accepts these decisions. Difficult decisions had to be made as there were applications worth £212 million for an available budget of £100 million. More organisations have received funding for three years than ever before. It's that stable funding that allows organisations to plan and deliver with a greater deal of security. 20 organisations are new to three-year funding, 26 moved from two-year funding to three-year funding and 31 moved from annual funding to three-year funding. I'm pleased that Aberdeen performing arts, City Moves Dance Agency, Devran arts, Dundee contemporary arts, Dundee repertory theatre, hospital field arts, north-east arts touring, Peacock visual arts, Scottish dance theatre and Scottish culture sculpture workshop and wood-end arts in the member's parliamentary region have been funded. As part of the assessment process, Creative Scotland looked to achieve the best geographical coverage as possible. Alex Dylasyn I thank the minister for an answer, but it has been revealed that Creative Scotland has removed all permanent support sources of funding for the sound festival based in Bancary. That means that it would appear that there is now no Scottish Government support on-going for any music festival taking place between Edinburgh and Lerwick. Does the minister understand my concerns about the regional allocation, which seems in this case to support a central-built bias at the expense of the north-east? I would point out that Widen Barnard, one of the organisations behind the sound festival, became regularly funded for the first time to a tune of £400,000. The sound festival is funded to March 2015 and has £52,000 of transitional funding and is eligible to £150,000 per project funding that is available at this point. His point about music festivals and the availability between Edinburgh and Lerwick is that there are a wide range of music festivals between Edinburgh and Lerwick, large-scale commercial events such as Tea in the Park to free events such as the Dundee Blues Bonanza, Creative Scotland Fund the Orkney festival, the St Magnus international festival, the Neil Gow fiddle festival, the Mendelssohn and Mull stone haven folk festival, which the member would be familiar with, Belladrum tartanheart festival and the Hebridean Celtic festival. Perhaps the member might want to reflect not only on his cultural experience but also on his geography. Question 2, Stuart McMillan. To ask the Scottish Government what arts and culture events it has planned for the west of Scotland parliamentary region. The Scottish Government is not directly planning arts and culture events in the west Scotland parliamentary region. Indirect support for arts and culture events however is provided through public bodies such as Creative Scotland and Visit Scotland's event directorate, Events Scotland, who are supporting arts organisations and venues who hold events in the west Scotland region. Stuart McMillan. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. Does she agree with me that locations such as Edinburgh, Clyde and Western Barrenshire, with its rich cultural and music scene, would actually be excellent locations for more events to be hosted? Will the Scottish Government assist in promoting both Edinburgh, Clyde and Western Barrenshire as locations to help to showcase Scotland's wider cultural offering? Indeed, as part of the homecoming celebration throughout the year, there are events taking place all over Scotland. Indeed, in relation to St Andrew's weekend and the winter festivals, he makes a good point about showcasing particularly music in different areas. I think that the regular funding that has been announced has been £600,000 for three years to the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock from 2015 to 2018. I also hope that we will provide an opportunity for music and theatre and arts in the member's region. Many thanks. Question 3, in the name of Jackie Baillie, has been withdrawn and the satisfactory explanation provided. Question 4, Dr Elaine Murray. To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on establishing a film studio complex. We are committed together with our partners Scottish Enterprise and Creative Scotland to secure a permanent film studio for Scotland, and we will make an announcement as soon as possible. I thank the cabinet secretary for that reply. She will know that this has been an aspiration in Scotland for many years and there are suggestions that the film studio complex could be opened as early as 2017. Can I ask, in that favourable circumstance, how the Government and its partners can ensure that the benefits would be realised at locations throughout Scotland, including the many fine locations in Dumfries and Galloway? Yes, she is right to identify that it is not just the availability of a film studio. We have the Oki development currently operating in Cumbernaud, where Outlander is working from. It is also about production, development and promotion of our fantastic scenery. I know that there have been a number of productions in the south of Scotland. I am very conscious that we have to promote all of Scotland. Indeed, the wonderful light that is in the member's constituency in that area is very attractive not only to artists but to a number of productions. I distinctly remember 1,000 Acres of Sky as something that was produced in the member's area. I am very conscious of that, but I will remind Scotland of the great availability of wonderful scenery. We also reflect on the wonderful talent and skills that we have that we want to be deployed here in Scotland when we have the opportunity to develop further. Our proposals will announce them to Parliament. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government following the recent G20 meeting. Mr Humza Yousaf. The Scottish ministers have not had any discussions with the UK Government ministers following the recent G20 meeting. Unfortunately, the UK Government has not consulted the Scottish Government on any area of devolved competency before or after attending this important international conference. We continue to urge the UK Government ministers to consult regularly with the Scottish ministers on issues that affect the Scottish people. The minister will be aware that the G20 only belatedly included a statement on climate change in its communique. He will also be aware that the Prime Minister suggested that everyone has to bring plans to reduce emissions ahead of next year's international conference on climate change. Will he advise what involvement the Scottish Government will have in contributing plans for this conference? Of course, we welcome any additional pressure being exerted by the Prime Minister and the UK Government on other G20 countries when it comes to the reduction of the mitigation and mitigation of the effects of climate change. The Scottish Government has an excellent record on climate change. We are halfway to our 2020 target of 42 per cent emission cuts, having achieved 26.4 per cent cut in 2012. The run-up to Paris will continue to work with the UK Government and the climate group, which is the international body that brings government and business together to push for an ambitious global deal on climate change. We expect that Scottish ministers will have a place on the UK delegation to Paris. Jamie McGregor One of the key areas on the G20 agenda for 2014 has been infrastructure and investments. Does the minister agree with me that adequate infrastructure is paramount for sustainable growth and investments into small and medium-sized companies and that an integrated infrastructure plan for the Highlands and Islands would be appropriate in the spirit of the recent G20 meeting? Jamie McGregor I salute the members who are managing to get the northeast quite rightly in other regions of Scotland in terms of a question about the G20. However, I, of course, sustainable infrastructure is an important feature that this Government wishes to promote. I am sure that the appropriate minister will be delighted to meet the member to discuss that, but he is absolutely correct. When it comes to the climate change agenda, the world has to abide by. Infrastructure, transport and all those issues are incredibly important and across portfolio. In government, we work very closely with Scottish Government ministers, but I am certain that the member will find it very welcome and in the year that he is willing to listen to what he has to say in that regard. The name of G20 has been withdrawn and a satisfactory explanation has been provided. Question 7, Neil Bibby. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote the use of fair trade footballs. I note the member's on-going interest in fair trade and fair trade footballs, and I wish to put that on the record. The Scottish Government also recognises the value that fair trade footballs have in ensuring that we highlight the needs for workers in developing countries to be paid a fair price for the goods and the efforts of their labour. As a demonstration of our on-going commitment to fair trade, following our achievement of fair trade in nation status in 2013, the member welcomed at the time that we are providing core funding to the Scottish Fair Trade Forum, who are working with Balasports to raise the profile of fair trade footballs across Scotland. Thank the minister for that answer. I know that, like me, he is a keen fan of both football and fair trade. Earlier this week, I spoke with Balasports, a new co-operative here in Scotland, who has already sold 1,000 fair trade footballs this year. In her discussions, we spoke about how procurement could be used to encourage the purchase of fair trade football and the issue of how they could be promoted through our schools. The minister may also be aware that I have organised a local fair trade football tournament in Paisley in the past, and recently I have been discussing with fair trade supporters about the possibility of organising a national fair trade football tournament, given that Scotland is now a fair trade nation. Can I ask the minister if he would be willing to meet with me and Balasports to discuss those issues and other suggestions about how we can take forward the campaign for fair trade footballs? Yes, of course, I would be more than willing to meet the members correct, both him and I have played in the same team. It might not be the only time that we are on the same team possibly, but we have played in the same team, which I should say we beat the MPs 4-3. That was just an aside. I will not mention the fact that I also scored at Celtic Park. All of that is put to the side. The substance of your question, first of all, is very important that schools are involved. Every school that I have visited has a fair trade programme. More and more schools are getting a fair trade programme, so I think that it is imperative that we involve our young people in Scotland on that. In terms of a wider national football tournament, I think that it is an excellent idea, and I would be happy to see how we are able to support it. Of course, I commit to meeting to the member, along with Balasports, to see what we can do to progress this important agenda. 8. Alex Rowley To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of goods sold in Scotland can be considered fair trade and what is it doing to increase the sale of fair trade goods. Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that producers in the developing world achieve a fair price for the goods, as I was saying in the previous question earlier this year. I announced a further £442,000 to enable the Scottish Fair Trade Forum to strengthen support for fair trade across all sections of society, from sport all the way through to fair trade produce. Figures from the UK show that retail fair trade sales were £1.7 billion in 2014. That is roughly 1 per cent of the UK groceries market overall. As major retailers and manufacturers trade on a UK basis, there are no disaggregated figures that exist for Scotland. However, the last survey and the latest survey indicates that fair trade continues to enjoy strong support, with 63 per cent of the Scottish population regularly purchasing fair trade products. I thank the minister for his response. As Scotland is only the sitting nation in the world to have been declared a fair trade nation, can I ask the minister if he agrees with me that the Scottish Government can do more to promote fair trade in public procurement contracts in light of the new EU public procurement directive that was voted for on 15 January this year, which makes it easier for public sector bodies to buy fair trade goods? I thank the member for the question. I would say to the member that the Scottish Government has always seen this as an important and imperative agenda to push and to promote. We have had, thankfully, a cross-party consensus on that, and we will continue to do what we can. Of course, Governments can always do more and we will look to do that. However, as the member knows, there have been substantial improvements in awareness of fair trade over the last year. Additional communities have designated fair trade, additional colleges, more percentages of the population reported to be buying fair trade, but of course more to do in terms of the procurement. I am aware of the change in the new directive that has come forth. I will certainly be talking to the appropriate minister and Government to see what we can do, but there are other avenues. Legislation can be an important tool. We saw how working with businesses, even before they get to the procurement stage, was very important in terms of fair trade with regard to the Commonwealth Games, where we saw a goal that was sourced in a fair trade manner. We also saw many of the products being used in the athlete's village that were sourced in an ethical manner, and that was done by working with companies before they even got into the procurement process. Therefore, there are elements of what the member says that I would be more than happy to take up with the appropriate Government. I extend the same offer that I extended to his colleague that I am more than happy to meet on those issues if he so wishes. Can the Scottish Government do anything to help to ensure that fair trade benefits the very poorest in developing countries in light of recent accusations that fair trade certifications are a path too narrow for least-developed countries to tread at present? I think that it is an excellent question from the member. It is one that I think has dogged the fair trade debate since the fair trade movement began, but I have every confidence in the fair trade certification. I know that those who are involved in the fair trade marking and certification are very aware of the issues that the member brings up. It is important that, throughout that supply chain, through all the noble intentions that everybody who buys fair trade has, we do not disadvantage the poorest in the world, so we are very aware of that. In terms of what the Scottish Government can do, we can certainly aid those discussions. We can be an exemplar in terms of those discussions. I am more than happy to meet the member to discuss and organise an arrangement and facilitate a meeting with the Scottish Fair Trade Forum so that it can give additional assurances to those that I have given, but I can tell the member that they are very aware of the important issue that he raises. Question 9, in the name of Ken Macintosh, has not been lodged and there has been no explanation provided. Presiding officers, it would be grateful of an explanation by the end of the day. Question 10, David Torrance. To ask the Scottish Government how it protects and supports sites of historic importance. This Scottish Government protects and supports the historic environment in many ways. We have worked collaboratively to develop our place in time, the first-ever historic environment strategy for Scotland, which sets out a common vision and ambition about how we will protect and support our historic environment over the next 10 years. I have convened a strategic forum to oversee and drive the delivery of the strategy and its aims. Through Historic Scotland, Scottish ministers work closely with local authorities, landowners and communities to protect and enhance our country's historic environment. Historic Scotland also administers grants for historic environment projects on behalf of Scottish ministers. That amounts to some £14.5 million a year that is available to help to enhance and promote the historic environment for the benefit of our communities. I thank the cabinet secretary for her response. The Weems Cave in my constituency is a site of great historic importance. The Save the Weems Cave's Ancient Society has worked tirelessly to preserve the unique Pictish artwork found on the caves' interior walls, but the caves remain at risk from coastal erosion. Can the cabinet secretary advise what progress has been made on offering support to the Weems Cave to help to provide security and stability for the future of the site? The Weems Cave is quite remarkable. Indeed, after the member had a member's debate, he invited me to visit and I have seen firsthand the remarkable artwork that is in the caves and gave me a real sense of the vulnerability of the caves. The group that was brought together, a management group covering local partners, Save the Weems Ancient Cave Society, Five Councils, Five Coasts and Countryside Trust, the Weems Estate, who are the owners of the site, are advised and supported by Historic Scotland and Scotland's coastal archaeology and problem of erosion. We are taking forward five recommendations of a report that was put together last year. The five recommendations are to join the resource management plan, to provide support for a feasibility study for a cultural centre, to develop better integration between local and national bodies for long-term coastal management between the east, Weems and Buckhaven, to complete the scanning project for the caves and for main government partners to work together to empower local groups to deliver key management aims. I know that David Torrance is passionate about the Weems caves. I also share his anxiety about the immediate threats in relation to some of the coastal work that has taken place around five and the implications of what that might have over the next few months and into spring next year. I have asked Government agencies to try and identify some immediate issues but also to drive forward this management plan. I think that more people should be aware of the Weems caves and I cite the member for drawing it to Parliament's attention. We conclude those portfolio questions and we now move to questions on infrastructure, investment and cities. Question 1, Margaret McAllach. To ask the Scottish Government how it is promoting the living wage as part of its anti-poverty strategy. The Scottish Government fully supports the living wage campaign and recognises the real difference that the living wage can make to the people of Scotland. That is why we have funded a pilot by the Poverty Alliance with the aim of increasing the number of employers across all sectors in Scotland paying the living wage. I am pleased to note that, since the launch of the pilot in April 2014, the number of living wage accredited employers has tripled. In addition, we are leading by example by ensuring that the living wage is a key part of the Scottish Government's public sector pay policy. Although the Scottish Government is not able to set pay levels in the third sector or indeed the private sector and wider public sector in Scotland where employees are not covered by our pay policy, we actively encourage all organisations to ensure that all staff and lower incomes receive a fair level of pay. Through that, we seek to maximise household resources to tackle poverty and reduce inequality across Scotland. I thank the minister for her reply. Bluebird Care in South Lanarkshire has recently become one of the first care providers in my region to be recognised as a living wage employer. They expect to see the benefits to their business, including to improve staff morale and better levels of worker retention. Regardless of whether the power over their minimum wage is devolved to Scotland, will the Scottish Government agree that there is nothing stopping them from promoting the benefits of the living wage to employers in sectors where work might be in the low-paid or insecure area? If so, do they agree that they could promote the living wage by establishing a living wage unit and introducing a living wage strategy for Scotland? I am very pleased to hear of the organisation in the member's constituency that has adopted the living wage and absolutely concurred with what has been said about the benefits of any employer paying the living wage to their staff. It creates better productivity and values the workforce. Given the fact that we now have a cabinet secretary who is one of the main responsibilities of the living wage, that indicates clearly the Government's position on the living wage. We funded the poverty alliance to initiate the campaign and to promote the living wage. We continue to do so. As I said earlier, the Scottish Government pays the living wage across all its employees. It also has a contract that has managed to negotiate with those who provide the catering and other services to the Scottish Government to pay the living wage. We are committed to it and will continue to do so and work towards it. I accept the positive things that have been said about the living wage, but would the minister accept that it is always second best? It is always voluntary at the end of the day and it would be better if we had control of the statutory minimum wage? I agree with the member on that. That feature in the Scottish Government's submission to the Smith commission. We very much believed that having the power over the living wage, the minimum wage, is the way forward. We also said in the white paper that we could increase the minimum wage in line with inflation, which UK Governments have failed to do so. Had they done so, our low-paid workers would already be £600 a year better off. Absolutely, we would want to see the power over the minimum wage and setting the minimum wage here in Scotland. It is important to focus on the areas that the Government has got responsibility for now. Labour recently highlighted the case of mighty cleaners in the Atlantic Key Scottish Government location. I welcome the fact that the Government has moved on that and will now seek to ensure that those cleaners are paid the living wage. Will the minister, if that policy will be extended to other cleaners coming under the public sector, for example, Serco in the NHS? It will be very clear that what I said that this Government is committed to the living wage and to ensuring that across all public sector employees that the Government is responsible for and also negotiating and working towards our good programme in promoting workforce matters throughout the Scottish Government and all the subcontractors, and we are working towards that. That is something that we continue to be committed to. We are absolutely committed to the living wage and I want to make it clear to this Parliament and to the country that it is something that we are absolutely committed to doing. That is why we want to have the statutory powers here in Scotland over the minimum wage as well. We can increase it in line with inflation until eventually we do not require to have the living wage. Many thanks. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle high rents in the private sector. Rents in the private sector reflect conditions in local housing markets, and there are wide variations in rent levels across Scotland. Where rents are high, the answer is to build more houses, and we have taken the size of action on that. We have boosted housing supply budgets by investing £1.7 billion in affordable housing over the lifetime of this Parliament. Just this month, we announced a £200 million increase in funding to stimulate Scotland's housing industry. We are also working with homes for Scotland to attract new sources of investment to build more homes for private rent. Nearly half of let in the private sector are now occupied by families, and one in four of the poorest people are now having to rent privately. At the same time, we have seen rent rises in some areas of just 40 per cent in just four years, meaning that many Scots are paying half of their monthly pay packet on rent alone. What reassurance can private renters in my area have that the Government understands its predicament, particularly if there are no substantial proposals for action in this afternoon's legislative programme, and given the fact that the minister previously failed to back rent reform when it was proposed by Scottish Labour? As I said in my original answer, rent levels across Scotland are different, but in average the rent levels across Scotland, including in the member's constituency in Glasgow, the average rent increases over the past four years have been less, and the inflation has increased. That is across most of Scotland. There are some hotspots in Aberdeen, in parts of Edinburgh, in Scotland, where we are aware that rent levels are rising higher than inflation, and we are looking at that. We committed and are at the moment consulting on that, and that is part of our consultation on reviewing the private sector tendency, and that is something that we are exploring as part of that, is looking at rent levels. I would remind the member that, when he said that Labour introduced it during the housing bill, they introduced it at a very late stage during the housing bill, and at a stage that they had not introduced it early on in the housing bill, it was not introduced then. It was not mentioned until, lo and behold, they were allowed to mention it because Ed Miliband mentioned it in London, and it was not until then that it was mentioned by Labour. We were committed, and we had already made a commitment to review the private sector tendency regime and rent levels, and we stuck to that commitment. To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to reach agreement with Orkney Islands Council on the replacement of the island's internal ferry fleet. Derek Mackay In the Empowering Scotland's Island Communities Prospectus, published on 16 June 2014, we recognised that the provision of transport services should not place a disproportionate financial burden on any council, particularly with reference to revenue support for ferry services and ferry replacement costs for internal ferry services. We have since agreed to a programme of work with the local authorities involved, Orkney Islands Council, Shetland Islands Council and the regional transport partnerships to consider the issue further, and we are currently taking that work forward in partnership with those local authorities. I thank the minister for that helpful response and also congratulate him on his position, and welcome in particular the appointment of his position and role as minister for the islands. The focus on new powers is clearly welcome, but as he indicated in his response, focusing on the powers that we have, particularly in relation to transport, is vital. This is a long-standing issue as the cabinet secretary will testify. Will he agree to meet with myself and the local council to discuss how that can be progressed in the interests of supporting some of the most vulnerable communities in Orkney for whom those ferry services are a genuine lifeline? Yes, of course I will be happy to meet the member and the local authority and others to take forward that issue, and I look forward to the on-going work of the partnership. I particularly thank Liam McArthur's constructive approach, including welcoming my appointment as the logical choice that is praised indeed, and I look forward to the meeting that will conduct it. Many thanks. Question 4, and the name of Jamie Hepburn, has been withdrawn due to his ministerial appointment. Question 5, Bob Dorriff. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government how it seeks to promote affordable public transport for vulnerable groups. Travel Line Scotland provides support for disabled people planning public transport journeys. Over 1.25 million people have older and disabled persons passes, providing free bus travel, and the new ScotRail franchisee will provide a wide range of rail fare promotions, including for job seekers. I thank the minister for that answer, and I welcome to his new transport briefing in the Parliament this afternoon. Last month, I hosted an awareness-raising event in Parliament by Breast Cancer Care Scotland. It mentioned the difficulties that people living with cancer often have in accessing various services. In terms of transport costs, I was wondering if the minister could look at potentially reviewing the costs in that area with specific reference to the concessionary travel scheme, or perhaps even another mechanism by which the Scottish Government could seek to support transport costs-wise vulnerable groups such as those living with cancer and seeking treatment? A number of people with long-term conditions will already qualify for the national concessionary bus travel scheme. Those who are awarded middle and high-rate component care and high-rate mobility component of DLA or who receive attendance allowance or have progressive degenerative condition insofar as the illness or condition severely impedes their mobility and ability to carry out day-to-day activities may receive support. In addition, we amended the regulations last year to allow those who will receive personal independence payments at both standard and enhanced rates to be eligible for the scheme. We take care to keep options for the eligibility for the scheme under review. We have no immediate plans at this time for any further changes, but I am happy to consider the detail further. Mr Doris points out that hospital outpatients are one of those vulnerable groups, particularly those without access to a car. According to Transport Scotland research carried out in August this year, only 54 per cent of those people thought that access to bus services were very or fairly convenient. How does the minister plan to improve bus services between hospitals and communities for outpatients? I am happy to look into that in further detail. Of course, the provision will be by local authorities and by transport partnerships and dedicated schemes, including partnership schemes that I am very aware of. I am happy to consider that matter further to ensure that the transport solutions are fit for those who rely on them, including the most vulnerable in our communities. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation. The Scottish Government is reducing the numbers of households in temporary accommodation both by increasing housing supply and by preventing homelessness wherever possible through the development of housing options. Latest statistics indicate that in the first quarter of 2014-15, there was a 2 per cent decrease in households in temporary accommodation on the previous year and, crucially, a 10 per cent decrease in households with children in temporary accommodation. Those falls are, alongside wider falls in homelessness, more generally in Scotland in recent years. Thank you for the response, but householders are looking for results and figures. There are still around 10,000 households living in temporary accommodation. What is the Government doing to build more social rental housing stock to match the needs of household needs, apartment accommodation, so that householders are not stuck in temporary accommodation for long periods? The budget for affordable housing has been cut and is 25 per cent less in 2008 and 2009. Will this reduction be realigned and are the Government satisfied to allow people to continue to suffer the way they are? The first thing is that, while I accept that there are many families in temporary accommodation, the vast majority of temporary accommodation is good quality, local authority accommodation and well-managed accommodation. We have to look at that in the whole round. In terms of the housing supply, we have not increased the budget throughout the year. We recently announced a further £200 million increase in the affordable housing budget for the coming year. We have to say that we are still building more houses for rent, social rent, than any other administration since evolution. We will continue to meet our targets on that, both in social housing and affordable housing. Question 7, in the name of Animal Ewing, has been withdrawn due to our ministerial appointment. Question 8, George Adam. To ask the Scottish Government what help and support is available to help veterans access housing. There is a wide range of help and support available to help veterans access housing. The Scottish Government has provided funding and support to a variety of new projects and housing developments for veterans such as the veterans housing facility at Cranhill in Glasgow, which was open last month. We have produced a tailored housing guide for veterans and have also supported organisations that provide advice and support to veterans to help them to understand their housing options. Other sources of help include the Scottish Government's low-cost initiative for first-time buyers lift, the scheme that helps people on low to moderate incomes to access home ownership and is available to veterans. Serving members of the armed forces and veterans who have left the armed forces within the past two years are provided with priority access to the lift schemes. George Adam. I have been approached by many constituents in Paisley who live in veterans housing, which they do not feel is fit for purpose. Veterans housing is often provided by charities. That means that they are not bound by the Scottish quality housing standard. In those cases, what can be done to ensure good quality housing for our veterans? The Scottish housing quality standard is a target that ministers have set for all social landlords, including those registered social landlords that are also charities. If the landlord in question is not a social landlord, it will probably be subject to the repairing standard that applies to most private landlords. Private landlords who are subject to the repairing standard are required by the 2006 housing act to meet the standard throughout their life of a tenancy. Tenants of those landlords can apply to the private rented housing panel for assistance if their landlord fails to carry out repairs that are needed to meet the repairing standard. The panel can enforce repairs by issuing a repairing standard enforcement notice. If it is the case that the property is causing concern and is not subject to the SHQS, I would encourage George Adam and his constituents to consider raising the concerns with the panel. Briefly, Alex Johnstone. During the passage of the recent housing bill, I took the opportunity to discuss with the housing minister the issues of allocation policies for social rented housing to those leaving the armed forces. I was assured at the time that provision was in place that made such additional moves unnecessary. Can the minister tell me if there is a continuing assessment of the performance of the current housing act in relation to allocations policies for veterans and whether there is any prospect of changes being made to that process should it be proved necessary? I should say that, in the discussions that we have had with veterans organisations, what they have concentrated on is making sure that any disadvantage of them is eliminated, rather than creating advantages for veterans. The member knows well enough some of the local authorities that have been very proactive in this area, including Aberdeen and Dumfries and Galloway, to mention two. We do keep this under review. I would also say that perhaps the biggest issue is the armed forces. The MOD can, on the very day that somebody joins the armed forces, tell them that they are entitled to put their name down for a house when they leave the service. That still is not happening. We still have people coming out of the armed forces and having to start from that point on a waiting list. There is more that can be done by the MOD, but we do keep on the review anything that we can do with our partners and local authorities to make sure that we can get suitable housing for all of our veterans. To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on the Dundee Port railhead that is recommended in the Taktran strategy? Discussions on the feasibility of the Dundee Port railhead are on going between Taktran and the freight industry and relevant stakeholders. We understand that, at this stage, a suitable business case is still to be developed. We are committed to encouraging growth in rail freight as evidenced by our £30 million fund on strategic rail freight investment, which will be available over the next five years. The separate freight facilities grant scheme supports the transfer of freight from road to more sustainable modes, and we will keep that under review. Jenny Marra. I thank the minister for his answer, but those discussions have been on going for years now between the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Government. The railhead has been costed £3 million to £4 million, but decommissioning for Dundee. I have been leading a project on trying to bring decommissioning jobs to Dundee and holding weekly meetings with Scottish Enterprise, with fourth ports and with Dundee City Council on how we can bring hundreds of jobs to Dundee. The railhead is a key part of that infrastructure to allow materials to be brought to the port. Will the Scottish Government consider funding the Dundee railhead as a key part of that infrastructure to bring hundreds of jobs to our city? I am more than happy to offer a meeting with the member to explore the issues. The key issue here is private sector investment, and developers will have a keen interest in that. It is a complex issue, and we have to look at the actual demand for the railhead. If we want to look constructively at the issue, I am more than happy to once again offer a meeting. To ask the Scottish Government whether there has been discussions regarding bringing forward work on the roll-out of superfast broadband for Curtlistan and South Queensferry scheduled for late 2015. The Scottish Government is working with local authority investment partners and BT to bring fibre broadband to over 600,000 homes across Scotland over the next three years. Given the scale of the engineering challenge and the major infrastructure work that is required, not all areas can benefit at the same time. There are no changes to report on the dates for the work schedule for Curtlistan and South Queensferry, however the programme is focused on maximising the efficiency of the roll-out to optimise fibre coverage and improve deployment timescales across all areas of Scotland. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer, and I ask him if he agrees with me that areas such as Curtlistan have suffered thanks to the failure of the UK Government's urban broadband fund, failure to comply with European state aid rules. I am aware of and sympathise and sympathetic to the range of issues experienced by households and businesses with poor internet connectivity. We are working to address that and to provide improved connectivity to as many premises in Scotland as possible in the quickest possible time, including those in the most rural areas. The Government's digital Scotland's superfast broadband programme complies with the European state aid rules, which state that an intervention can only be made in those areas where commercial market failure is demonstrated. The scheme is designed to optimise coverage and efficiency while ensuring that there is equity across Scotland and that no areas are left behind when the programme completes in 2017, more than 95 per cent of Scotland will have access to fibre broadband. The next item of business is a statement by the First Minister on the Scottish Government's programme for government 2014.