 The first item of business is general questions. As ever, I would appreciate short and succinct questions and responses to match. Question number one, I call Maurice Golden. To ask the Scottish Government how it is improving data gathering in relation to health outcomes. Cabinet Secretary, Michael Matheson. The Scottish Government gathers all supports the gathering of data in a number of ways in relation to health outcomes. Mae ychwaneg ac yn eu cyflomiau erionaddwyd o'r cyfoesol yn gwybod i gyd, a dyfin i'r cyfnodiaddd rautnodol yn gweithio i gydych chi'n gweithredu hŷnol. Ond mae wedi gwneud drwy gŷlŷ llawrau sydd magylchion ar gyfer gwaith hŷnolau aわydd. Mae hynny mae hollwng ar felly gan gweithredu hŷnol iawn i gaeliaeth yr yaptargau mewn gwirionedd a chaeliaeth i gaeliaeth. Yn unig anffordaeth o gamfael, mae'r gweithredu gweithredu llawrau o'r gweithredu hŷnol, ymlaen i'r roi teimlo i gwaith gweldu'n mwybriddai ar gwaith ymlaen i'r amgylchedd trang, eich ddau o gaelol â'r brosbyn sydd yma, ac i'r drugau'n ddau. Moris Gulton. Mae meddwl pob crafffadau gyda'r ffordd. Felly ei rhaid fod yr aelod o'r cyfrydiau a'r hyn yn iail, ohon i'r ymddangas o'r marchfawr a'r Facturidol. Oما, trefwn i'w cael ei ddiraill i'w gweldu'n credu i'w cyfrydau a chmellee i'r I have spent over six years calling for air quality monitors to be installed at Scottish schools. I was pleased to see a similar call from the Royal College in the recent submission to the net zero committee, calling for air quality monitors to be installed at all urban primary schools for a year, then expanded to secondary schools. Will the cabinet secretary now listen to those experts, make the commitment and install those air quality monitors? The member will be aware that we have been taking forward a range of work in order to help to improve air quality, for example through the introduction of low emission zones, which, as of next month, the first of which will be enforced in Glasgow. We can already see the impact that that is having on air quality as well. I recognise the direct impact that poor air quality can have on an individual's health, particularly the respiratory and cardiovascular health. If there are more actions that we can take in order to address those issues, I am always keen to explore and to look at those issues. I am aware of the issues that have been raised by the Royal College of Physicians. I will give consideration as to whether there are further measures that we can take in order to try to address the concerns and issues that they have raised. Can the cabinet secretary outline, regarding data gathering, how the Scottish Government will ensure that the opportunities that are created by new technology, data and analytical services will be delivered by a sustainable, well-trained and supported workforce? Data can play an important part in helping to support not just the design but the delivery of services. That is why we have the health and social care data strategy, which we published in February in order to set out the actions that we are going to take over the course of the coming years in order to improve data collection and linkage between different parts of our health and social care system. Alongside that, data through the use of other forms of technology can play a really important part in helping to improve health outcomes. Some of the work that we are taking forward through the strategy is to help to ensure that we deploy technology and use data from it as a way of helping to improve the way in which services are delivered across the country and to make sure that we are using that to its absolute maximum. 2. Fulton MacGregor Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the plans for a pilot scheme to provide free school meals in secondary schools. Minister Natalie Dawn All primary school pupils in primaries 1 to 5, children in funded early learning in childcare and eligible pupils in primary 6 through to secondary 6, can already benefit from free meals in Scotland. This is the most generous provision anywhere in the UK, saving parents £400 per eligible child per year. We will go further. Our additional investment, announced on 15 December, will continue to fund the expansion of free school meals for all primary six and seven pupils in receipt of the Scottish child payment. We remain committed to delivering a pilot of free school meals in secondary schools and continue to work closely with key delivery partners on our free school meal expansion programme. I would be happy to provide an update once planning work is further progressed. 2. Fulton MacGregor I thank the minister for that response. I just want to say at the outset that this is an initiative that I really welcome and think that it is making and will continue to make a huge difference across the country. The minister will know that North Lanarkshire, which includes my co-bridge and crisis inconsistency, has high levels of deprivation. Would she consider the council area as part of the pilot scheme, as initiatives such as club 365, which has been run by North Lanarkshire Council, have shown that there is a real need for it and that it can help a lot of people? Absolutely. It is important that we undertake the necessary planning work that is required for our free school meal expansion programme, so we will further consider which areas will be included in any pilot in due course. I am happy to keep the member updated on that. 3. Stephen Kerr According to the Scottish Government's reports, the take-up of school meals is down. Why? To begin with, Covid certainly did not help with that, but this is a matter for local authorities who are the responsibility to encourage the take-up of free school meals. The budget provided for the extension to primary sixes and sevens in receipt of Scottish child payment, as the minister said. In the absence of the delivery of that, families are paying out over a third of their benefit to Bridget Gap. Does she accept that Government delay is costing families and tell them when she is going to get that sorted out with the data from Social Security Scotland? As I have already mentioned, in Scotland we have the most generous free school meal provision anywhere in the UK, with all primary school pupils and primaries one to five, all pupils in special schools, in ASN schools and eligible pupils in primary six through to S6, able to access a free meal. We are continuing that roll-out with children on the Scottish child payment, and I am happy to provide the member with more update as that progresses. 3. Monica Lennon To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a Scottish child payment top up for parents under the age of 25 who are in receipt of universal credit, as called forward by the End Young Parent Poverty Campaign, in light of it reportedly being supported by more than 30 charities and civil society groups. Universal Credit is reserved to Westminster, and the UK Government has deliberately introduced age discrimination within it. We agree with campaigners that it should be paid at the same amount to everyone. We already take action to protect people against the impact of UK Government policies, including the bedroom tax and the benefit cap, but we cannot mitigate against every action on our fixed budget. The Scottish child payment was doubled in April 2022 to £20 per eligible child and increased again to £25 when we extended it to under-16s in November. That is an increase of 150 per cent in less than eight months. 3. Monica Lennon I thank the cabinet secretary for her response. The campaign coalition is led by One Parent Family Scotland, but it now counts 46 organisations, including Barnardo Scotland, the Poverty Alliance, Oxfam Scotland, Engender, Scottish Women's Aid and many more. There are clear asks on both the UK Government and the Scottish Government. More than half of children in Scotland with a mother aged under 25 are living in poverty. I have offered to host a meeting with the campaigners. Will the cabinet secretary join us in that meeting as soon as possible? I am already due, and I am setting up meetings with stakeholders, given that I have just came in to post. I am clearly happy to receive any invites for any other opportunities that are coming up to take those forward. I would just make it clear to Monica Lennon that, of course, we spend £770 million more on social security than we get from the UK Government block grant. That shows that we are very determined to move forward and support families and others who are really suffering from the benefits that are given by Westminster. That includes £442 million on the Scottish child payment this year and other mitigations that we make to support against, for example, the bedroom tax. I simply say to Monica Lennon that it is very difficult to mitigate against everything that the UK Government is doing, because that is a very long list. To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to reverse the reported decline of NHS dentistry. Minister Jenny Minto, the new policy perspective set out by this Government on 18 April commits us to sustained and improved equitable national access to NHS dentistry by 2026. That reaffirms our commitment to the sector and to patients in all parts of Scotland. The previous Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Security recently confirmed the continuation of the bridging payment to 31 October 2023, while we prepare for the implementation of payment reform. Payment reform will comprise of a new modernised system that will provide NHS dental teams with greater clinical discretion and transparency for NHS patients. Wait until 2026 is a very long time and it does not help people who are waiting on a dentist right now. A survey found that there is an exodus of dentists from the NHS. 59 per cent say that they have reduced the amount of NHS work that they undertake since the lockdown, by an average of over a fifth. The old bank dental practice and table, in my constituency, has shut altogether. The survey found that it is only going to get worse. On 20 March, the minister said, we will confirm the negotiation and showcase date as soon as possible. There is concern about further delay, so when will the revised payment system for NHS dentistry be announced? I thank Willie Rennie for his question and recognise the amount of work that he has been doing for his constituents with regard to dentistry. The timeline for dentistry reform was necessarily slightly altered by the process under way to replace the First Minister. We still intend to implement dentistry reform on the agreed date of 1 November 2023. We will confirm the negotiation period and new showcase date as soon as possible. With many people growing old and keeping their teeth longer, many elderly patients who are housebound or in care homes are presenting with untreated tooth decay and advanced gum disease. In fact, recent studies suggest that periodontal disease and the resulting chronic inflammation are associated with the development of vascular dementia. Will the minister explain how she plans to properly resource declining domiciliary dental care promised by Shona Robinson, where she was health secretary, as Scotland's dental profession, at its local dental committee meeting told me is simply not happening? I thank the member for that question. I, too, was at the local dentistry committee meeting and got, as you know, some pretty probing questions as well. The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that we provide a sustainable dental service and I am in discussions just now as to how that is going to go ahead. I take on board the points that he has made with regard to the older care, but I would also note that the Scottish Government is moving on a pathway to ensure that everyone gets the right dental care at the right time in the right place. Stuart McMillan, I continue to receive correspondence from constituents who are finding themselves unable to access non-occurricent dental care as dental practice is number five to remain closed to NHS patients. Can the minister outline what has been done to support dental practices now offering NHS students to take on new NHS patients? I thank Stuart McMillan for his question. We are constantly in dialogue with the dentist to ensure that we are doing this. My officials meet with him very regularly. We have brought out a number of processes, for example funding dentists to £100,000 for additional practices and additional support in areas where there is great patient need and additional funding of up to £25,000. Question 5, Rona Mackay. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the digital prescribing and dispensing pathways programme. Minister Jenny Minto. Oh, I am sorry. I apologise. I did not hear that question. Ms Mackay, if I can ask you to repeat question 5, please. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the digital prescribing and dispensing pathways programme. Minister Jenny Minto. My sincere apologies. The digital prescribing and dispensing pathways programme is on track to replace the current paper prescription in Scotland with a digital approach by the end of this parliamentary team term. The early focus is in our fixed general practice prescribing and community pharmacy dispensing across Scotland with initial user engagement complete and planning underway for the design on an initial prototype approach. I expect to be able to provide more detail later this year subject to on-going work on the business case. Rona Mackay. I thank the minister for that answer. Last week I met a group of local GPs who told me about technical problems they are having using the electronic system, resulting in patients waiting for paper prescriptions which GPs need to print and sign. They also asked about the programme's potential expansion to secondary care patients who need to wait for paper prescriptions from hospital doctors. Can the minister confirm if this is something that can be progressed to alleviate the burden on GP practices and hospitals? I thank Rona Mackay for her supplementary. Digital prescribing is a strategic priority and the DPDP programme will focus on primary care in GPs. That will improve user and patient experience while reducing the use of paper prescriptions. We expect to commence implementation for impracticed GP prescribing and dispensing from 2024-25. With regard to secondary care, hospital electronic prescribing and medicines administration is being rolled out across Scotland and has already been implemented in 13 NHS boards. Question 6, Alexander Stewart. To ask the Scottish Government which victims groups it has consulted with on its proposed victims, witnesses and justice reform Scotland bill. The bill is directly informed by the work of the Victims Task Force and the Lady Dory in review and governance groups, all of which include representation from victims organisations. We have also engaged directly with a range of victims groups as well as victims survivors and their advocates and families through two public consultations and the jury research engagement events that fed into the bill. Ministers and officials regularly meet with victims organisations and directly with individual victims and survivors to discuss a range of issues, many of which are relevant to the content of the bill. Alexander Stewart. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The bill is a victims bill in name only. My colleague Jamie Greene has proposed a true victims law, which will put into interest the heart of the victims within the justice system. In particular, it promises to implement the Michel law, which would prevent criminals from entering local area after the victim was released on licence. That was promised by Hamza Yousaf when he was justice secretary, but it does not appear in the bill so far or measures for it. I simply ask the cabinet secretary why not? Let me reassure Mr Stewart that this bill, when it comes to advancing the rights of victims and witnesses, is indeed one of the most significant pieces of legislation brought forward in the history of this Parliament and will represent transformational change, informed by the very strongest of evidence debate. Building on our engagement with victims and witnesses, we see the statutory automatic rights to anonymity for victims of sexual offences, new specialist courts for sexual offences, abolition of the not proven verdict, and with respect to Michel's law, I again reassure Mr Stewart that the parole board has already readjusted its rules to take appropriate consideration of that very important matter that he raises. We are getting on with the job and representing the needs of victims and witnesses and ensuring that they are indeed at the very heart of our justice system. 7. Sharon Dowie To ask the Scottish Government whether it will increase funding for hospices to ensure that they can manage any rising costs in light of the reported increase in the number of people in need of palliative care. We are considering the issues raised by the hospice sector at their meeting in March with the then cabinet secretary for health and social care and then minister for public health, women's health and sport, including funding and long-term sustainability of the hospice sector. We are aware of Scottish research showing a rise in the number of people with palliative care in need. The Scottish Government is developing a new palliative and end-of-life care strategy to ensure that everyone who needs it can access seamless, timely and high-quality palliative care. 7. Sharon Dowie I welcome the pay uplift for NHS staff under the Agenda for Change in Scotland. Hospices are crying out for funding to help them to match that uplift and ensure that their salaries remain competitive with the NHS. Considering that Ayrshire Hospice is facing the perfect storm of rising staff costs, increasing energy and running costs and a tough fundraising environment, what discussions have ministers had with the sector on a new model of funding to help them to retain staff? Will the minister commit to meeting the CEO of Ayrshire Hospice, Tracey Flynn, to discuss their issues with funding and how their work impacts the people of Ayrshire? I thank Sharon Dowie for her question. We have, as I said, started discussions and met with the hospice sector. I would be happy to meet further to hear about their concerns. We have to recognise and support as best we can the hospice centre, given all the impacts that are happening on that sector. 8. Ayrshire Hospice