 Gwyn i'r adithaeth y cyfnodau gũtaicol ar y cwylwyr 보시wn hwn i'r ddweud. Felly, mae'n iawn i'ch gũtaicol ar gyfer yr adithaith cyfnodau. Felly, mae'n iawn i'ch gũtaicol ar gyfer yr adithaith cyfnodau. Mae'n iawn i'ch gũtaicol ar gyfer yr adithaith cyfnodau. Pryddoch chi'n dweud yn gwerth â'r ddebyr oedd ar gyfer yr adithaith cyfnodau ar gyfer yr adithaith cyfnodau. of Police Scotland, who is currently leading the service well, the Post of Chief Constable, is vacant. My last meeting with him was on 28 March 2018. Daniel Johnson I thank the cabinet secretary for that reply. SNP policy on policing has meant police staff have been cut. Trained officers who should be on the front line are instead doing desk work that should be done by staff. That is what the SPA report yesterday confirmed. We now know that the 1,000 extra officers that were promised by the SNP were not doing what the public would expect. They were, in the words of the SPA, backfilling civilian roles. Does the minister agree with me that we should relieve the pressure on our local forces by redeploying those officers to our front line duties, as defined by the acting chief constable yesterday? If not, how many officers is he prepared to lose by the end of this Parliament from Police Scotland? Cabinet secretary, I am not clear where the member welcomes the fact that we did see a significant increase in police officer numbers under the SNP. That continues to be the case. The member may be aware or may not be aware that, when Police Scotland published its 2026 strategy last year, which is the first time that we have had a national strategy for policing in Scotland, they set out the need to rebalance their workforce to make sure that the level of staff they had alongside the number of officers and the change in nature of the crimes that they are experiencing, they were able to deal with that as they moved forward. That is exactly the work that has now been taken forward, something that, at that time, if I recall correctly, the then Justice spokesperson of the Labour Party supported and recognised the need to rebalance the workforce. That work has started and is now moving forward under Police Scotland with oversight coming from the Scottish Police Authority. Alongside that, there has been independent assurance being provided by HMICS, who are looking at the increasing operational capability that the force is focused on taking forward. That is the strategy that they set out last year under 2026 and which has now been taken forward. The focus here is in making sure that the service has the necessary operational capacity and at the increase in their operational capacity in order to make sure that that is in place. In relation to police officer numbers, which I know that the member has had a lot to say on in the last day or so regarding the three-year financial strategy, the member may be aware that, just yesterday at the Scottish Police Authority board meeting, the very issue was looked at. Police Scotland and the SPA have made very clear that their focus is on building police capacity. The paper that was provided to the board was for illustration to express how much it could actually create in terms of increasing operational capacity. The key fact here for the member is that the key is that the figures do not equate to reduction in officer numbers. The SPA made that very clear during the close of their board meeting yesterday. Liam Kerr In 2014, Mr Matheson told a parliamentary committee that there are no plans for us to change our position on the 1,000 extra officers. That commitment remains, and I intend to take it forward as the new cabinet secretary. Given that promise was broken, how does he expect the BTP officers to trust him when he says that he will protect their pensions? As often as the case with Liam Kerr, he often gets his facts mixed up and very often is not aware of events that have taken place since then. As he would be aware of the election that took place in 2016, where we set out very clearly about the need for the police service to be able to rebalance its workforce, what we are not doing is the approach that the Conservative Party has to policing in England and Wales. That is slashing almost 20,000 police officers. As a result, we can see the very significant problems that the police service right across England and Wales has as a result of the sheer incompetence of home secretaries over a number of years in managing policing in England and Wales. George Adam Thank you, Presiding Officer. As far as I can tell, Labour has expressed four different positions on police numbers since 2007, and Daniel Johnson, in a rather confused GMS interview, expressed another one entirely yesterday. His previous justice spokesperson supported decisions regarding police numbers being the responsibility of the chief constable, yet they now seem to be against it. Is the cabinet secretary as confused as me over the position of the Labour Party? I suspect that I did hear Daniel Johnson on GMS the other day, and I must confess that it was one of the most confusing interviews that I have ever heard about what Labour's position is on police numbers. If you think that it is rubbish, just go back and replay an iPlayer jacket and you will be able to hear how confusing it is for yourself, because it was a bit of a comedy exchange to be perfectly frank. I am not clear about what the Labour Party's policy is in this matter or in the other matter for that fact, but I can say that ways of government are very clear about the need to make sure that we continue to support our police service, and that is why, over the course of this Parliament, something that the Labour Party did not do or any other party does is a commitment to maintaining police budgets and making sure that there is a real-terms increase, which allows us to invest an extra £100 million in our police service over the course of this parliamentary session, continuing with the reform fund of another £31 million being invested into our police service this year. Alongside that, we have been able to secure the money that has been pinched from them for years by the Tories and not been able to reclaim that, allowing them to retain that and invest another £25 million into our police service. This is a Government that is investing in our police service and will continue to do that in the years ahead. Neil Findlay. When the cabinet secretary last met the acting chief constable, did he discuss the call that I made repeatedly for an inquiry into the police and the miners strike. It has been 17 months since we met the cabinet secretary along with retired miners and their union reps and legal representatives, and we still have not had an official response. When will we get an official response to that call? The first part of the question is no, and, as I have said to him on a number of occasions, it is a matter that I am continuing to give due consideration to. To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making toward introducing an opt-out system for organ donation. Minister Eileen Campbell. Thank you. The Scottish Government is committed to introducing a workable, soft-out system that will add to the improvements that are already being delivered and legislation to provide for such a system will be introduced before the summer recess. It is important that we take the time to get the system right. It needs to be developed in a way that will do no harm to the trust in the NHS or to the safety of donation in working with stakeholders to achieve that. Pulton MacGregor. I thank the minister for that answer. Last week, I hosted a roundtable event for Kidney Research UK on renal regenerative medicine. We heard from a range of stakeholders on how Scotland is leading the way in life sciences. Can the minister advise how the opt-out system can work in tandem with the regenerative medicine to improve outcomes for kidney patients? Thank you, and I thank the member for his question. Opt-out will work alongside the range of different measures that we already have in place, including the work on regenerative medicine. We know that, for opt-out to be successful, it has to work alongside other measures, and we will be part of the on-going improving outcomes for patients. We also recognise the potential for research in regenerative medicine to lead the transformative new approaches for the treatment of renal disease. Officials from the chief scientist's office are currently in discussions with Kidney Research UK on collaborative funding of research in this area. Question 3, Claire Hawkey. To ask the Scottish Government how it supports the promotion of tourism in rather glin constituency. The Scottish Government fully recognises the importance of tourism to the economy and endeavours to promote tourism across the whole of Scotland. We appreciate that rather glin, like all constituencies, possesses its own unique attractions, including its magnificent town hall, a five-star VisitScotland-rated arts venue, which plays an important role as a visitor information partner in the I Know Scotland scheme. VisitScotland will continue to work with local authorities, destination management organisations and businesses to ensure that each of Scotland's destinations is well positioned to offer an exciting and enjoyable experience to tourists. I thank the minister for his answer. The minister will be aware of some of the fantastic tourists destinations in my constituency, ranging from the urban park of Cunninghar loop to the David Livingston centre, the historic buildings, parks and cycle trails, as well as the place where William Wallace was betrayed to name but a few. Visit Lanarkshire and VisitScotland poorly served my constituency often misadressing venues, as in Glasgow, or not promoting local amenities instead directing tourist elsewhere in the area. Can the minister give an assurance that the Scottish Government will liaise with those agencies so that opportunities for tourism and visitors are not missed in my constituency? Although many of those are operational matters for VisitScotland, I recognise the points that the member is making. VisitScotland is committed to serving the whole of Scotland, and we want to ensure that its work is efficient and accurate. The information that is available on the VisitScotland website is often, it should be said, provided by businesses who may choose to self-identify as Glasgow businesses. However, I understand the member's concerns, and I will ask that the Scottish Government officials raise this as part of their regular engagement with VisitScotland. Rachael Hamilton Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am sure that the minister recognises that culture is a driver of tourism. On that note, would the minister agree with me that we should do more to see regions appoint cultural ambassadors who can play key roles in supporting and promoting tourism throughout Scotland? Well, certainly communities and ambassadors for communities have a major role to play in supporting and promoting communities, as the member says. For instance, VisitScotland has information partnerships throughout Scotland now, and there are many, I am sure, in the constituency in which the member represents. We are very keen at all times to look at new ways of ensuring that those measures have success. 4. Lewis MacDonald Very much to ask the Scottish Government whether it will remove any legal impediments to council-run bus services. Minister Humza Yousaf The Scottish Government will shortly introduce to your transport bill, which will give local authorities the flexibility to pursue partnership working, local franchising, or indeed running their own buses, allowing them to better respond to local needs. Lewis MacDonald I welcome that answer. The minister, I am sure, will be aware that First Bus continues to cut services in Aberdeen, most recently the X40, 25, 16 and 9, and that Aberdeen City Council has stepped in to secure alternative services for those communities. Does he agree that the city council should be able to set up in business directly if it is its judgment that that is the best way to secure frequent, reliable and affordable services in the future? If he does, I welcome the commitment that he has made to covering that within the bill, but will he ensure that the bill does not provide a veto to commercial operators for any such decision? Lewis MacDonald Once the bill is introduced, the devil no doubt will be in the detail and I will look forward to amendments through the bill process right across the chamber. However, yes, the premise of what he says is absolutely absolute. He agreed with the entire purpose of the bus element of the transport bill is to give local authorities more powers than they have ever had over their transport services, including the bus services. Local franchising will be of interest, and enhanced partnership will be of interest and, potentially, municipally owned bus companies. I look forward to his contributions once that transport bill is introduced. Jamie Greene Thank you, Presiding Officer. Whilst broadly supportive of the principle of municipally owned services, my concern is that those might prove disproportionately costly to councils and rural and island communities. As many of those services are effectively lifeline services, they may require quite substantial subsidies. Can the minister, if the Scottish Government has given any consideration to the concept of central funding support for those types of councils, and if so, what the cost implications of doing so may be? The member will probably be aware, but it is worth reiterating that we fund bus services to the tune of around a quarter of a billion pounds, of which an element of that is the BSOG grant that goes to the bus services operators direct. Of course, to local authorities, they have the ability to fund services that have been withdrawn but are perhaps not profitable, but socially necessary. There already exist some mechanisms for them to do so. Once the bill itself is introduced, it will be accompanied by a financial memorandum, and as I said, there will be a wide-ranging debate, no doubt, in this chamber around some of the provisions of that. What I would say is that, for municipally owned bus companies, or for local franchising, it will be important that we get the checks and balances right. We want to ensure that all of us hear that patronage increases on our bus services as opposed to the trajectory that we have seen over the past few decades. I will work with any member of the chamber, including Jamie Greene, on any sensible measures forthcoming. To ask the Scottish Government how recent developments at NHS Tayside could affect the delivery of patient care. The Scottish Government's position on patient safety is very clear, and it will remain paramount. That is why we have committed to continuing to provide brokerage to NHS Tayside to protect and maintain the quality of patient services. There is no evidence of any impact on the quality of care that is being provided to patients in NHS Tayside. John Brown and Malcolm Wright have made it a priority since taking up posts to engage with staff at all levels and to provide reassurance that day-to-day operations will be minimally affected. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. NHS Tayside is now facing brokerage, approaching £44 million, which will have to be repaid in due course. When I and other members met the new management team at NHS Tayside two weeks ago, they were not able to give us any assurances that the cost savings that would need to be found would not have an impact on delivery of front-line services in Perth and Kinross, where there have been public concerns over a long period about services at Perth Royal Infirmary. Can the cabinet secretary give me an assurance today that, notwithstanding the problems at NHS Tayside, there will be no further reduction in the services that are available at Perth Royal Infirmary? First of all, the priority is protecting patient services, but that obviously does not mean that patient services will not evolve and change over time, and Murdo Fraser will be very aware about the shaping surgical services review. I am sure that he has had many meetings about it, as have other local members. The proposals constitute major service change and, as such, require ministerial approval. Of course, I will carefully consider all the available information and all representations before coming to a final decision in the best interests of patients. What has been very clear—I am sure that Murdo Fraser has told us on a number of occasions—is that the A and E services at Perth Royal Infirmary will continue. That is important for local people. What is being talked about here is where unscheduled surgical care is delivered. I think that we have to make sure that the two things are not conflated. Last month, when it was reported that NHS Tayside is on the cusp of the eradication of hepatitis C in Tayside, having treated more patients a higher proportion of people with hep C than in all other parts of Scotland, does the cabinet secretary agree that this is an outstanding achievement by NHS Tayside from which many other health boards can learn? Yes, I am aware that NHS Tayside has been at the forefront of efforts to tackle hepatitis C for many years now. I met the staff leading on this at the recent NHS Tayside staff awards. They are reporting excellent progress on their elimination aim, very much in line with the Government's aim of eliminating hepatitis as a public health concern across Scotland. I know that hepatitis C clinicians across Scotland meet regularly as part of the national network and are learning from each other's approaches. NHS Tayside has a lot to offer other areas of Scotland. I am also aware that the Minister for Public Health is due to visit the hepatitis C treatment centre in Tayside later this month, and I am sure that I will learn more about the approach at that visit. The cabinet secretary says that there is no evidence of impact on services, but treatment waiting times is getting worse at NHS Tayside. They also tell us that they have to make £200 million worth of savings over the next five years. The BMA, the RCPCH and staff are telling us that the pressure is like nothing before and that it is impacting on services. Surely the cabinet secretary accepts that savings and cuts relate to more pressure on staff, more pressure on services and more patients being failed. What is true is that NHS Tayside has to live within its means as other boards do. Over the past few months and years, NHS Tayside has been found to be an outlier on many aspects of service delivery, which is why, of course, it needs to address things such as agency spend for one where they have traditionally been a high user of agency spend and prescribing costs. Another example is where, again, they have been a high user of prescribing costs compared to other boards. There are areas in which they can make changes that can make sure that the front-line services that patients receive are not impacted. 6. Brian Whittle To ask the Scottish Government when the A77, M77 and Main are tailored route between Ayrshire and Glasgow is scheduled for repair. Minister Humza Yousaf. Our trunk road maintenance contractors have a responsibility to frequently inspect the A77 and the M77 to identify defects in repair, the most serious as quickly as possible. Connect the DBFO company that maintains the M77 between junctions 5 and 8 has a resurfacing scheme that will resurface at least seven and a half kilometres of lane length and is being carried out from 16 April for overnight closures between 8 p.m. and 6 p.m. It is anticipated that the works will probably take two to three weeks to complete. Of course, that follows severe deterioration experience as a result of a severe winter. Our operating company, Scotland Transfer, which maintains the A77 in other parts of the A77, has a programme of structural maintenance and patching planned for throughout 2018. The programme is currently under development and will be shared once it is finalised. Brian Whittle I met the minister for that answer and he is corrected. I met with Transport Scotland last week to discuss that and, lo and behold, the repair started the next day and far be it from me to suggest that it was that meeting that instigated that. As he said, trunk roads are inspected every week. How can roads be allowed to deteriorate to such a bad state before action is taken? It is so bad from south of Camarnock that there are now temporary road signs appearing on a dual carriageway from Montyn to Camarnock where there are no plans to do any work. I wonder if the minister is aware of that and what can the Scottish Government do to ensure that critical repairs are made to the arterial route? Far be it from me to suggest that the power of Brian Whittle is only limited by the ego of Brian Whittle, if possible. In all seriousness, I say that, of course, only in jest. In all seriousness, I would say to Brian Whittle that we have maintained the M77. £50 million has been spent since 2007. On top of that, we of course have the south-west transport study as well. Of course, if he has specific parts of the route, he should feed that into the south-west transport study. I take exception to his categorisation of a trunk road network. Audit Scotland, who, of course, are never shy to criticise the Government day in their Audit Scotland report in 2016 on the state of our trunk road, said that 87 per cent of the trunk road was in an acceptable condition. There is still work to do, of course, and we want it to be better. That is why we have increased the roads maintenance budget last year by £65 million between 2017-18 and 2018-19. However, if he has suggestions of where we can do further improvement, then, of course, we will feed that back to the operating company. Thank you. That concludes topical questions.