 The First Minister's Questions Wann't we take the first question? The First Minister would like to make a statement about the anniversary of the Lockerbie tragedy 30 years ago. I am grateful for my opportunity to reflect briefly on tomorrow's 30th anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing. Tomorrow, the Solicitor General is attending events in the United States. fewn i gael ddarllen, maeth gyda Gofodau Recretaeth, yn Loughyearbyn, a dwi nhw'n gwrthwng mwy o ran i ddwyngurol mwr~)i i ddim yn ei ddod i digwydd o mwy ocynnau. Rwy'n meddwl i ddiddordeb yn ei ddposting ond gan y gael ddegwyrniadau yn y troi wnaeth, yn y ddweud i ddim yn ei ddweud i ddod i ddweud a ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud erioed contracts. Bizhau roi ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud i ddweud 170 oedd unrhyw ddaith o 21 unwyddo. Rydw i ddim yn cymryd arall nad y 4 oes i'r unrhyw ddaith, ac rydych yn cyd-igawad ar oes i ddechrau'r hyn byw yn eu bodi. Rydw i ddim yn cymryd ar bellach i'r syniadau sy'n cyd-igawad ar darmyn amlwadau yn gyfrwyngau a яwn gerfugiau ar gyfer yr anhyghyddiaeth. Rydw i ddim yn cychwyn ar gyfer yr anhygau o'r lyder yn SIM. I e, i diwylliannol golygu ar hyn yn ganodd o'r anhyghydd brought out incredible reserves of solidarity, compassion and love. The bereaved showed immense dignity and resilience. People in Lockerbie and the surrounding area opened their hearts to those who had lost loved ones. Enduring ties and friendships have been created. For example, Syracuse University, which lost 35 of its students in the bombing, now accepts two scholarship pupils every year from Lockerbie academy. That is a powerful example of the way in which people have worked to remember the past in a way that also builds hope for the future. That hope is also now part of the legacy of Lockerbie. That is perhaps something to hold in our hearts tomorrow as we look back on the tragedy, as we think about all those who lost loved ones and as we remember and honour all those who died. I associate myself entirely with the remarks that the First Minister has made and the remarks that the Prime Minister made yesterday. As I was preparing for Christmas that year, so were the Somerville family. Jack Somerville had been the retail vehicle sales manager in our family business for some 20 years before he had retired. I remember him with great affection. Yes, he had a sheepskin coat, like all the best used car sales managers. He was fond of a cigar, he was a big personality. He and his family were in the house in which the plane landed and were obliterated. I know I and many of his former colleagues, along with all those who lost relatives and friends, think fondly of them each year when this anniversary comes around. Punctuality in our train service reaching its worst point for 12 years. Hundreds of trains cancelled and shortages of staff because people are being trained to use the new class of trains, which are also delayed, causing another 100 services to be cut last month. Does not the First Minister think that train passengers across Scotland are owed an apology? Yes, I do, and ScotRail has made very clear that they regret the cancellations and the delays that have been caused as a result. Let me be perfectly clear that the level of cancellations this week in particular has been unacceptable. Of course, those have been due to a combination of factors, not least train crew shortages but also a number of other infrastructure issues such as Monday's signals failure at Perth have accounted for a significant number. Those can not simply be laid at the door of ScotRail. Tragically, we must also recognise that understandable knock-on disruption has followed the loss of life on the railways this week. I am sure that the sympathies of everyone in the chamber go to the families and loved ones of those who have died. That said, I want to be very clear that we have seen a significant and unacceptable number of delays that are clearly the responsibility of ScotRail. I can report to Parliament that cancellations of this type have fallen as the week has progressed from around 144 on Monday to an estimated 40 today. Progress is being made but it is not good enough. We expect, indeed we demand better from the rail operator and the transport secretary continues to work closely with them to ensure that we continue to see improvements in the days to come. Jackson Carlaw. It is interesting because, in fact, we have got new official figures that show that, since 2011, there have been more than 35,000 cancellations or park cancellations caused entirely by ScotRail. That amounts to some 5,000 a year. People want to know why this SNP Government is failing to deliver. Let us just examine their record. Two years ago, the last time that we had problems in the tracks, the then transport minister, Humza Yousaf, played the big man and hauled in ScotRail, threatening, and I quote, serious consequences. They were left in no uncertain terms that I expect improvement, he fumed. Yet what has happened since? Punctuality has fallen and, instead of serious consequences, Mr Yousaf has done a ministerial bunk to the Justice Department, where he is now clearing up the mess that Mr Matheson has left. Mr Matheson has swapped seats to clear up the mess left by Mr Yousaf. Talking tough, cabinet musical chairs failing to deliver improvements, then giving in. Is that not the record of this Government on our rail network? I am not sure that the Tories are on particularly safe ground here, but we will leave that to one side for the moment. Of course, when Humza Yousaf then the transport minister took that action with ScotRail, we did see improvements. While I am not standing here and saying that performance of ScotRail is good enough, because it is not, in terms of punctuality in particular, the performance of ScotRail is usually better than the performance of other large train operators elsewhere in the UK. Our responsibility, though, is to continue to work with ScotRail to deliver improvements. In the past few weeks, there have been issues with shortages of train crews. As ScotRail has set out, those are largely down to issues as they have introduced the new timetable. The introduction of that has been impacted by, yes, the late delivery of the Hitachi trains. There are not the number quite of the Hitachi trains yet in service, as were expected. There also was the industrial action, which I am glad to say is now resolved. ScotRail is working hard to resolve those issues, as I have said. Again, I am not saying that this is good enough, and I absolutely recognise the frustration of the travelling public. However, over the course of this week, we have seen the number of cancellations reduced, and I expect to see that number continue to reduce and expect to see continued improvement over the next few days, particularly as we go into the holiday period and then into the new year period. The transport secretary discusses those issues regularly with ScotRail. He spoke to both the managing directors of ScotRail and Abellio earlier this week and made clear the urgent need for improvement. Jackson Carlaw Right. Let's recall something else from two years ago. Then the transport minister came forward and handed out £3 million-worth of discounted fares following the disruption. This, he said, was to thank passengers for their patience. Two years on, it's not passengers who are getting a break, it's the train operator because the current transport minister decided to waive sanctions that they were facing for missing targets. Why? Because they would have breached the franchise agreement had the targets been kept in place. Support for passengers one year are bailout for train operators the next. Who is getting the better deal here, First Minister? Scotland's hard-pressed commuters or the owners of the rail franchise. First Minister Tough sanctions in place for failure to deliver, and it's right and proper that that is the case. Of course passengers make a contribution towards the cost of running the railway through rail fares. Again, I absolutely understand the frustration of passengers when they are paying through rail fares and not getting the performance that they deserve. However, in Scotland it's important to stress that it's the Scottish Government that meets the majority of the cost of rail passenger services in Scotland. We've taken action to minimise the impact on passengers by capping increases for regulated ScotRail peak fares at the level of RPI. Regulated off-peak fare increases are capped at 1 per cent lower than inflation, and that means that in Scotland average rail fares increases are actually lower than they are in England and Wales. We will continue to do what we can to keep the level of rail fares as reasonable as possible, and we will continue the work to invest in our railways to improve the number and the quality of services, and yes, to ensure that ScotRail is taking the action that it needs to take to resolve the difficulties that have been experienced in recent weeks. Jackson Carlaw That was so downbeat. I don't think that it will be going faster than the slowest train. I mean, I'm afraid it's classic SNP. One minute they're talking tough, telling everyone they're going to sort things out. Two years down the line when things have actually got worse, it's all somebody else's fault, and while passengers are still waiting, trains are late and millions of pounds are lost at the Scottish economy. Ministers do have a role to play to hold management to account and to stand up for hard-pressed passengers. As well as having, I hope, a very merry Christmas, what will she and her ministers do to ensure that in 2019 we have a railway network in Scotland that is fit for purpose? First Minister To do the hard work to make sure that these issues are resolved, to make sure that ScotRail continues to perform better than other train operators elsewhere in the UK, we will continue to take forward the work to allow a public sector bid for the next rail franchise. Of course, we will do what I would expect the architects of privatisation on the Tory benches will oppose Tooth and Nail. We will continue to argue for full devolution of all powers over the railways, so we are responsible for network rail as well as ScotRail and so that this Parliament does have the opportunity to nationalise our railways and to undo the damage of privatisation caused by the Tories. Richard Leonard I associate my party with the remarks made by the First Minister about the Lockerbie tragedy. I recently visited the Drive Steel Cemetery in the Garden of Remembrance to pay my respects and I found it to be a very moving experience. I turn to a question that is very topical, because today our schools are getting ready to break up for the Christmas holidays. Can I remind the chamber that, back in October, the First Minister encouraged Scotland's teachers to write to her with any concerns that they had about Scotland's schools? Here is a comment addressed directly to the First Minister just last week from a school teacher in North Lanarkshire. She wrote, Despite what you have said on many occasions, it is becoming clear that education is not a priority for this Government. Is this teacher wrong? The First Minister To demonstrate to her that that is not the case, education is a priority for this Government. That is why we are continuing to ensure investment in our schools. For the last couple of years, as we have narrated in this chamber before, we have seen investment in our schools increase. We have also seen the action taken by this Government through the pupil equity fund to get more resources direct to head teachers. We have seen in the statistics published last week the rising number of teachers in our schools. We are also seeing evidence that the attainment gap in our schools is starting to close, as is the attainment gap in terms of access to universities. We see standards in our schools generally continue to improve. We will continue to do the hard work to continue that progress and to persuade that teacher and all the other teachers across the whole of the country that we value what they do and that we consider education to be the top priority that it rightly is. The letter that I quoted is from a teacher called Esther. It was published in the Scottish Educational Journal. Esther is not only a lifelong SNP voter, she is also an SNP member and a local activist. However, her concern about workload and the pressure on Scotland's teachers is now so grave that she writes of, and I quote, a crisis where schools are understaffed and asks you directly, First Minister, how can we close the attainment gap when our schools do not have enough teachers? And she is not alone. Dean, another teacher and another SNP member wrote in the same journal, I hear the rhetoric that Scottish education is at the forefront of the Scottish Government's priorities, but see little evidence of this. Presiding Officer, when we raise concerns about education on behalf of teachers and parents, the First Minister chooses not to listen. Will she at least listen now to the grave concerns being openly expressed by members of her own party? I listen very carefully every time Richard Leonard rises to his feet in this chamber. Of course, we listen carefully to the views of teachers and parents and young people across the country. If we take teacher numbers in particular, we saw just last week a rise of almost 500 in the numbers of teachers in our schools. That follows a rise in the year before and the year before that as well. Since I became First Minister, teacher numbers have increased by more than 1,000. The numbers of teachers working in our primary schools right now is at the highest level since I was at primary school in 1980. The investment that we are ensuring in our schools is delivering those numbers of teachers. It is also delivering resources for head teachers to target the attainment gap and see that attainment gap start to narrow. We will continue to support teachers as best we can. Of course, we have an on-going negotiation around a revised pay offer to teachers, as I say under negotiation just now. I would simply note in passing that Labour councillors at COSLA voted against last week making a revised pay offer to teachers. We want to support teachers by resources in the classroom, by numbers of teachers in the classroom and by making sure that they are fairly and properly rewarded for the excellent job that they do as well. We will continue as we go into the new year in getting on with that job. All that I am asking the First Minister to do is to listen to members of her own party. There are 3,000 fewer teachers in our classrooms than when the SNP came to power. No progress has been made in closing the attainment gap, and Scotland is facing its first teacher strike since Margaret Thatcher was in Downing Street. The First Minister tells us again that she said this morning that education is her top priority, but parents do not believe that, teachers do not believe that, and now even her own party members do not believe that either. Can the First Minister tell us why anybody in Scotland should believe that education is her top priority? As I have just said, teacher numbers are rising. Richard Leonard cannot deny that, because the figures speak very clearly from themselves. As I said a moment ago, the number of teachers in our primary schools is at the highest level since 1980. I think that the number of teachers overall is at the highest level since around 2010, so teacher numbers are rising. We are seeing the attainment gap starting to close. It is simply not true for Richard Leonard to say that that is not the case. The comment that Richard Leonard just made about the prospect of industrial action in our schools is that I do not want to see that happen, and I will work as hard as I possibly can to avoid that. That is why, thanks to SNP councillors and others at COSLA on Friday, a revised offer on pay has been made to teachers. I say again, and I ask Richard Leonard to reflect on this very carefully, that Labour councillors at COSLA voted against a revised offer being made. If it had been down to Labour councillors at COSLA last week, there would be no revised offer to teachers on the table. As a result of that, it would be the case that industrial action was closest. Perhaps Richard Leonard needs to reflect on the actions of his party, just as I will continue to listen to members of mine and to teachers across the country. We have some constituency questions supplementaries. The First Minister from Clare Baker. Presiding Officer, many people will have been shocked by the content of the BBC documentary on the death of Shekou Bayou in police custody. The programme highlighted concerns over the police's response, the perk investigation and how the family was treated. I appreciate that this is currently a live case, and the First Minister may feel restricted in her response. However, does she recognise that the BBC programme shone a light on serious concerns over death and custody in Scotland that the Government has to deal with? Will the First Minister commit today to holding a comprehensive inquiry into death and custody in Scotland? Thank Clare Baker for raising an extremely important issue. I also thank her for recognising that what I can say in response is restricted by the fact that this is an on-going live case. Although I recognise the concerns that would have been and have been raised by the BBC documentary, although I cannot go into the detail of those concerns. However, in terms of the Shekou Bayou case, I want to say a couple of things. I have said these things before in the chamber. I am sure that I speak for everybody in the chamber when I say that my thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Mr Bayou as we approach Christmas at what will be an extremely difficult time for them. In terms of a public inquiry into that case and the more general issues raised by that case, as I have said before, that is absolutely not being ruled out by the Government. However, as Clare Baker is aware, the process to decide whether or not there will be a criminal prosecution in this case, which is a process that is governed by the Lord Advocate completely independently of ministers, is not yet concluded. When that process has concluded, obviously the Government will consider very carefully next steps at that point. As I have said before, one of the options that is open to the Government is a full public inquiry, and that is certainly not something that has been ruled out at all by the Government. Tom Mason is followed by Jackie Baillie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am sure that the First Minister will be aware of the reports this morning that the mechanical project services firm Richard Irvine, based in Aberdeen, has gone into administration with the expected loss of 110 jobs. This is clearly a distressing time for all involved. Therefore, can I ask what assistance to the Scottish Government is able to provide so that staff are not struggling with Christmas just around the corner? I thank the member for raising the issue. Yes, this will be an extremely difficult and stressful time for the employees of this company. In those circumstances, as the member will be aware, the Government's PACE initiative offers assistance to employees to look for alternative employment, but before that, or often simultaneously with that, the Government is always keen to talk to companies to see whether there is any action that we can take to help to avoid redundancy situations. I will ask the employment economy to correspond with the member about the actions that the Government is taking, and we will do everything that we possibly can, not just in the run-up to Christmas but after that, to provide all possible assistance to those affected. Jackie Baillie is followed by Jamie Greene. The First Minister will be aware of the decision by Vertex to resubmit Orkambi to the Scottish Medicines Consortium and to submit Simkevy for the first time. It is a very welcome agreement with the Scottish Government about access to Orkambi now for individual patients as part of the PACE 2 process. I want to place on record my thanks to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Her Officials, the cross-party group of MSPs, including Alex Neil, Anas Sarwar and Miles Breggs, and, of course, the daily record for their tireless support. I know that the Gallicas and all the families are delighted to see this as a wonderful Christmas present. Will the First Minister ensure that PACE 2 requests are considered quickly and that there is no delay in health boards for people with cystic fibrosis to access the drug? I am pleased to confirm to Parliament that Vertex Pharmaceuticals has agreed to make submissions for their cystic fibrosis medicines to the Scottish Medicines Consortium. That follows constructive discussions between the Scottish Government and the company to ensure that our new medicines appraisal process is as flexible as possible while ensuring rigor in its assessment. The company has also confirmed that each of its applications will be submitted with a patient access scheme to improve the cost-effectiveness of its proposals. Of course, the decisions as to whether those medicines will be made available are, of course, taken by the SNP independently of government. However, I want to also recognise the very hard work of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Scottish Government officials to get to this point, including Jackie Baillie, who has campaigned to make progress on that as well. It is important to say that, in the meantime, while those considerations are on-going after the submissions are made, where those medicines are prescribed through the new peer-approved clinical system for individual patient access to medicines, Vertex has agreed to make those available to the NHS with a discount. That is a process that is available to clinicians and to patients, and it is one that I would expect all health boards to operate as quickly as possible. However, I hope that that is good news that will be welcomed across the chamber, and that, in particular, I know that it is news that will be welcomed by the many families that are affected by cystic fibrosis. Jamie Greene The First Minister will be aware of the news today that Ferguson Marine in Port of Glasgow posted a loss of £60 million in 2016. The yard blames, and I quote, interference and disruption from the Scottish Government for this loss. Does the First Minister recognise that assertion? The First Minister Far from interference and disruption, the Scottish Government, as has been debated in this chamber, I think on many occasions, worked very hard to help and support Ferguson Marine to deliver the ferries that they are currently contracted to deliver and, of course, to diversify their business. It was, of course, action by this Government when it was under previous ownership that stopped the shipyard from closing, and it will continue to be action by this Government in support of those who own, operate and run the shipyard that I hope will see it continue to have a very bright future. Willie Rennie The Prime Minister is indulging in a form of psychological no-deal warfare in a desperate gamble to revive her dead deal. The Scottish National Party has been on a journey and are now giving wholehearted support for a people's vote. Hallelujah! The Conservative councillors in Perth backed a people's vote this week. Amber Rudd indicated possible support yesterday, and Sarah Williston said that she would quit the Conservatives if they backed a no-deal Brexit. Momentum is with us. What can the First Minister do to get the leadership of the Labour Party on board? The First Minister I am sorry, Presiding Officer. The noise in the chamber, which I am not sure whether that was people laughing with Willie Rennie, or otherwise obscured the end of his questions, so my apologies. I think that I can't quite catch what you were asking me, but I think that I have got the gist of the question. Momentum is building. I would agree with Willie Rennie. I am not sure that it is building for the Liberal Democrats, but I think that it is building in support of a second EU referendum that gives people across the UK the opportunity to change their minds. Of course, people in Scotland do not need to change their minds, because we voted to remain the first time round. That vote has been ignored, and I hope that Willie Rennie will agree with me that, if there is another referendum, the vote of the people of Scotland should be recognised and should be respected. I have to say right now that the biggest barrier to making decisive progress in this direction is the Labour Party at Westminster. It is inexplicable to me why they have not thus far supported the SNP, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Plaid Cymru in bringing a vote of no confidence in this incompetent, sorry, Tory Government. If that motion passes, we get rid of that incompetent Government, and if it does not pass, it forces Jeremy Corbyn to take a decision on a second EU referendum. Perhaps instead of constantly asking me about this, Willie Rennie, outside the chamber can put a bit more pressure, as I am doing, on the Labour Party to try to get them off the fence into a supporting position, and then we perhaps in the new year can see the momentum towards a second referendum becoming unstoppable. Willie Rennie With great force right, the First Minister has anticipated my question. The Labour Party was once a beacon of hope in the world. Now the Labour Party isn't even a beacon of hope for the Labour Party. Chuka Munna, Kezia Dugdale, Daniel Johnson and Ian Murray all back a people's vote. 86 per cent of Labour members back a people's vote. I am sure that the First Minister will be as frustrated as me with a Labour leadership that does everything that it possibly can to avoid backing a people's vote. How many Labour supporters have to lose their jobs before the Labour leadership stands and understands that there is no such thing as a jobs first Brexit? How chaotic does Brexit have to get before Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard get off their backsides and stand up to stop it? So what words can the First Minister find to encourage Labour to live up to their responsibilities? First Minister, you may ask briefly, but can I suggest to Willie Rennie that the First Minister is not responsible for answering questions on behalf of the Labour Party? I am always happy to offer my services to the Labour Party if they are looking for some real leadership, which they certainly desperately need right now. I think that I am getting to like this new-style Willie Rennie at FMQ, so we will see if it continues into 2019. I am slightly struggling to remember the days of Labour as a beacon of hope. It certainly has not been within my lifetime, so I may have to pause on that. There is a serious issue. I do not think that we should fall and this is advice to myself here as much as it is to anybody else. I do not think that we should fall into the same trap that the House of Commons did yesterday when, faced with the biggest crisis, the UK has faced for a long, long, long time to become some kind of pantomime exercise. There is a serious issue here. It is obvious to me that the Prime Minister's tactics are to run down the clock so that it gets to a point where it is either her deal or no deal. I think that that is a dreadful approach to be taken when there are alternatives. It also seems to me that that is Jeremy Corbyn's tactic to try to run down the clock so that he does not have to take a decision on a second referendum. I know that he is not in this chamber, but I would appeal to Jeremy Corbyn, over the Christmas break, to reflect on the views of his party and the views of many of his MPs. Above all else, the interests of people the length and breadth of the UK and to come back in the new year supporting a second EU referendum so that people across the UK can get the opportunity at long last to reverse Brexit and find a way out of this sorry mess. I think that that would be good news for the new year if Jeremy Corbyn found it within himself to show that kind of leadership. Some further supplementary is the first from Angela Constance. Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, there are currently 22 child refugees, boys between the age of 14 and 17, not that much older than my son, who have been accepted under the dub scheme and are currently stuck at Calais waiting for a local authority placement. The organisation's safe passage is lasing with the Home Office, but there is a bottleneck in source and placements, and they have reached out to Scotland and Scottish local authorities who have been so generous in the past. I know that the Scottish Government has been in contact with both COSLA and the Home Office, but our care system is currently at capacity. This is an impossible situation—a heartbreaking one—but not one that we can accept. Therefore, I simply ask the First Minister what more can be done by her, her Government and all of us here today to really get behind and galvanise efforts to find a solution for all of our children this Christmas. I thank Angela Constance for raising this hugely important issue. She is absolutely right to identify that issue as a heartbreaking situation, and it is one that the Scottish Government is very aware of. We have been clear and we will continue to be clear about the need to welcome unaccompanied children into the United Kingdom and to support their recovery from the trauma that they have endured. The Scottish Government, as Angela Constance has already indicated, has been in touch with both COSLA and the Home Office, and we appreciate the urgency of the situation. Although I gather that there are physically no placements to offer those children in Scotland at the present time, COSLA continues to work with the Home Office and Scottish local authorities to identify appropriate placements for unaccompanied children when they are available. I will give Angela Constance and the Chamber the assurance that the Scottish Government will continue to do all that we possibly can to work with COSLA with the Home Office and to offer the practical support that those young people so desperately need. We will continue to monitor the situation over the holiday period and we will offer any help and support that we possibly can. James Kelly, to be followed by Liam Kerr. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The FFERRAT online blog reported at the weekend that Government ministers had held 14 meetings with representatives of the airline industry who were lobbying for a cut in the proposed airport departure tax. Can the First Minister explain why, when trade unionists lobbied this Parliament last week, no Government minister was available to meet the lobby and yet Government ministers are falling over themselves to meet members of the airport executives lobbying for a cut that would take money from the Scottish Government's future budgets? First of all, all of ministers' engagements are published online, so there is no secrecy about that at all. Ministers meet with a whole range of interests. I meet with almost countless numbers of individuals and organisations over any given year. I would hazard a guess that, if we were not doing that, James Kelly would be one of the first to get to his feet and criticise us for not getting out there and meeting different interests. I meet with trade unions. All ministers meet with trade unions regularly. I do the biannual meeting with the STUC. We have a very good relationship with the STUC. We have a very good relationship with individual trade unions. At times, of course, that will be a relationship with tension in it, as it is with all Governments, as there are issues that we are trying to resolve. The Government values and respects trade unions. We put fair work at the heart of our agenda, and we will continue to make sure that the views and values of trade unions run strongly through everything that the Government does. I hope that we have the support, certainly from that side of the chamber—I am not sure whether the support is from the other side of the chamber—as we do that. We will also meet with businesses, those who run our airports, interests in every corner of the country, because that is what an open, accessible listening, engaging Government does, and I am proud that that is exactly what this Government is. Liam Kerr Thank you, Presiding Officer. A fortnight ago, I warned the education secretary that schools in the north-east are at breaking point. Now, new Scottish Government statistics show that, in the most deprived areas of Aberdeenshire, four out of every five S3 pupils are not reaching required levels of literacy. Fourteen years old, and they cannot read and write to the expected level. The First Minister is not giving our kids a chance. After more than a decade of SNP Government, will she apologise for failing so many Scottish children? The First Minister I think that there is a huge amount of misrepresentation in the way that question was asked. Of course, the figures that we saw last week show improvement in many of those areas of literacy and numeracy. It is also one of the sources of evidence that shows the beginning of a narrowing of the attainment gap. That is because of the efforts that have been placed on that, some of the initiatives and progress that I spoke about in response to Richard Leonard earlier. We will continue to do that job to make progress and to support all those who work in our education system. Again, we hear in the chamber calls to be fair to the member who did not call for more money for education, but I am sure that that is what he would do. It is what his colleagues do all the time. However, let us remember that the Tories are the party who prioritise tax cuts for the richest in society over investment in our public services. While that continues to be the case, not very many people, if anybody, are going to take the Tories at all seriously. The entirely predictable reaction of the EU 27 countries to the Prime Minister's position at last week's summit demonstrates clearly that the UK Government must now stop wasting time. We are now just over three months away from the date that the UK is currently due to leave the EU, and it seems clear that, as things stand right now, the Prime Minister's deal will be rejected by the House of Commons and will not be renegotiated by the EU. The best outcome in line with the views of the people of Scotland is to retain EU membership, which is why we support another referendum, as I have just been talking about to Willie Rennie, and it would be outrageous if the Prime Minister's plan was instead to run down the clock to no deal. That simply must not be allowed to happen. Joe McAlpine I thank the First Minister for that answer. Yesterday, the EU commission released a number of papers on no deal and said that, in the event of a no deal scenario, only basic connectivity would be maintained between Scotland's airports and the continent. Does the First Minister agree with me that, in such circumstances, we should revoke article 50 to prevent a no deal? Joe McAlpine is absolutely right. My position and view is very clear, and I made this view clear to the Prime Minister yesterday in London. The Government should, at this stage, request an extension of article 50. An extension would have to be agreed by the EU 27, but it should do that to allow time for a second EU referendum. If the result of that referendum, as I hope it would be, is remained not just in Scotland but across the UK, then article 50 can be revoked. We know from the recent ECJ court judgment that it is possible for the UK to retain membership on current terms, contrary to the false choice that is being offered by the Prime Minister. She seems to me to have given up trying to make any positive case for her bad deal and, instead, extraordinarily for a Government leader, is threatening to impose the disaster of a no deal outcome on people that she is supposed to serve. Following the ECJ judgment, that is not a tenable position and it is certainly not a necessary position. I would call on the UK Government to start acting in the interests of the people that it serves. I ask for that extension to allow people to look at this again. If people change their minds to revoke article 50 and end this sorry mess once and for all. 5. Graham Simpson Thank you. To ask the First Minister by how much council's core budgets will change under the draft budget. The context of a Scottish Government budget that is being cut in real terms across this decade by the Conservative Government at Westminster, this Government continues to treat local government fairly with a total funding package of £11.1 billion. The local government settlement for the coming year provides an increase in local government day-to-day spending for revenue services of £197.5 million, which is 2 per cent, and provides an increase in investment for capital spending of £207.6 million, which is a 23.7 per cent increase. Local authorities also have the ability to raise an additional £80 million to support essential services should they choose to use the power to increase council tax by 3 per cent. Taken together, the total funding settlement delivers an increase in the overall resources to support local services of £495 million. That is a real-terms increase of 2.7 per cent. Graham Simpson The First Minister has avoided answering the question as usual. She will have seen the figures that we all saw from SPICE this week, which provide the actual answer that she should have given. Once she is stripped away ring-fenced money, then councils face a real-terms cut of £319 million. That is £43 million in Glasgow, £22 million in Edinburgh, £19.8 million in North Lanarkshire and £9.8 million in Dundee. No council escapes. If the First Minister really believes councils are getting a fair funding settlement, perhaps she could name a single one that will not either have to increase council tax, cut services or a combination of both. Name one. First of all, the totality of the money that local government has to spend is what matters, but let me quote the SPICE report. Once revenue funding within other portfolios, but still from the Scottish Government to local authorities, is included, the total is a cash increase of 3.8 per cent or 2 per cent in real terms. That is the reality. It is for councils to set their own budgets, but I make the same offer to the Conservatives as I made to Labour last week. If the Conservatives want more money to go to local government in the budget, we will listen, but they need to come to us and tell us where in the budget they want that money to come from. They need to tell us how that is possible when they are proposing to take half a billion pounds out of the budget for public services and give it to people in tax cuts for higher-rate taxpayers. The Tories simply have no credibility on this issue, so we will wait with baby breath. The Tories are free to bring forward proposals, funding proposals. Let's see over the next few weeks whether the Tories step up to the plate and do that or not. To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the capacity of NHS 24 to deal with demand over the Christmas period. All health boards, including NHS 24, submit winter plans every year to the Government. Those plans are stringently reviewed to ensure that each board has the capacity and the contingency measures in place to deal with increased pressures, which winter and the festive period bring. NHS 24 submitted its final winter plan on 31 October. That was assessed and signed off on 16 November. Last Christmas saw unprecedented burdens on our hard-pressed front-line NHS staff, but for many Scots who are elderly, have chronic health problems or a disability and have little family support, the festive season is a time for anxiety and concern, not celebration. Can the First Minister reassure Parliament today that vulnerable people shouldn't have to wait hours for response for NHS 24? Can they rely on a festive gift of timely support? They deserve nothing less. I agree with that. It is important to note that NHS 24 continues to provide a very highly effective and safe triage system. The answer is almost 1.6 million calls in 2017-18, and the important point to stress is that around 70 per cent of those calls are handled by NHS 24 without any requirement for a callback to the patient. Where there is a callback required, clinical priority very much determines the time frame in which that callback takes place. We recognise that the demands on all health boards, but particularly on a health board such as NHS 24, increase over the winter and the festive period. That is why we are ensuring that there are higher numbers of staff working in NHS 24 over the peak festive period this year than last year. I can tell the chamber that the number of call handlers and nurses that will be working on Boxing Day, for example, this year, will be 458 compared to 397 last year and 373 the year before. We will continue to work with NHS 24 to make sure that it provides the service that people demand and expect. Clare Adamson Thank you, Presiding Officer. One of the pressures on the end-day departments at this time of year is the result of an increase in trips, slips and falls. Can I ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government promotes safety, particularly to older people, during snowy and icy conditions? A very good question. I can tell Clare Adamson in the chamber that we always advise people, particularly the elderly, to take extra care at this time of year. We encourage people to take sensible measures to prepare and to look out for their neighbours who might need an extra hand during periods of severe weather. The Ready Scotland website is a source of very useful advice on what to do to prepare for icy weather conditions. We can all play our part in giving the right advice to people but also looking out for people who might need extra help over the winter period. 7. Edward Mountain To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will acknowledge the people from across the country who will be working over the festive period to keep Scotland going. I am very happy not just to acknowledge but also to take the opportunity to thank on behalf of the Scottish Government. I am sure that the Scottish people, all those who will be working over the festive period, such as those in our emergency services, those who keep our transport moving and people in the hospitality sector, to name just a few. We value very highly the contribution that they make throughout the year. However, at this time of year, it is particularly important to recognise their efforts in keeping Scotland going. I am sure that the whole chamber will wish to join with me to say a very big thank you to everyone who is working over the festive period, and although they may be working nevertheless to wish them a very happy Christmas. Edward Mountain I thank the First Minister for that answer. I would also like to pay tribute to the emergency services and public services that are working over the Christmas period, including NHS Fire Police. I would also like to mention the voluntary groups that are working over the Christmas period, such as Mountain Rescue Service, the Coast Guard, RNNI and Samaritans. I would be grateful if the First Minister could acknowledge the extra work that she will be putting in over the festive period as well. I am certainly very happy to do that. Volunteers, the length and breadth of our country make a huge contribution all year round, but it is important, particularly at this time of year, to recognise what they do. Some of the organisations that Edward Mountain has mentioned, the Mountain Rescue, the Coast Guard all do an absolutely exemplary job. Let me take the opportunity to thank everybody who will be working hard to keep the rest of us safe over this period. Since this may be my last answer, although that is entirely up to you, of course, I will take the opportunity to wish you and everybody across the chamber a very happy Christmas. Thank you very much, and that key re-note concludes First Minister's Questions. I wish you a merry Christmas and I close this meeting.