 Ysafoddiad i Mthuermosti 1884 yn ymgweld George Adam i gwleidio'r Siblo Siom's ynghylch-feyddiau hynny, pan efo'r cydych chi'n gweithblogi at yn ddeithas diwrnod ym ni, rywbodaeth stryds i ddim yn ddifu mwynt nhw pan roi mig yna, George Adam i ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim. Iam am i ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim yn ddim. If we all agreed, the motion is therefore agreed. A question number one, Monica Lennon. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of NHS Lanarkshire moving to the highest risk level and cancelling elective care, including some cancer procedures. Our health and care system is under extreme pressure due to the direct and indirect consequences of the pandemic. In NHS Lanarkshire, like all health boards, is experiencing significant pressures, including workforce challenges. We have deployed military assistance to support emergency care and to minimise delays for patients waiting for elective care and cymdeithasol a cymdeithasol. The board is maximising theatre capacity and support from other boards to provide greater access for patients. We expect and are planning for this winter to be the most challenging in the history of the NHS to help to alleviate those pressures over and above the £300 million package of winter pressures. I also announced earlier today an additional £10 million to help patients avoid a hospital stay wherever possible and to speed up the discharge for those in hospital, which of course will free up capacity for patient care. I thank the cabinet secretary for his response and I thank the entire NHS Lanarkshire workforce for their exceptional efforts. Today Cancer Research UK in Scotland has described a situation in NHS Lanarkshire as deeply concerning, warning us that for people with cancer every day counts. Can the cabinet secretary confirm how many cancer procedures in Lanarkshire have been cancelled so far and whether he expects more cancer procedures to be cancelled or delayed in the weeks ahead? I can't confirm only because the number is so few that it would risk identifying the individuals, but I can say that those numbers that have been postponed are very, very small. What I can also say, having spoken to NHS Lanarkshire, is that they are working extremely, extremely hard in terms of their theatre allocation space to ensure that they can re-prioritise those procedures and those treatments as quickly as possible. I know that Monica Lennon and I will have various exchanges on health over the course of this winter, but I am sure that she would agree and understand that decisions particularly around cancer, any patient care, particularly around cancer, are never ever taken lightly. I can also provide Monica Lennon written form, if she wishes, as some of the updates on what we are doing to try to recover some of those cancer diagnostics that we know were affected because of the pause in screening that we took at the early days of the pandemic. Monica Lennon, I am pleased to hear that other theatres and boards have some capacity to assist NHS Lanarkshire. Is she aware of any other health board having to cancel cancer procedures? Can he advise us whether any other health board in Scotland is warning that they too could declare a code black or to give it its correct term, the highest risk level, which is black? Decisions on what procedures and treatments can take place are taken by an individual health board level. I speak to health board chairs and chief execs on a very, very regular basis. They are all at a significant level of escalation. It is in my last conversation with chairs yesterday that there was no indication that anybody else, any other chair or chief exec or health board was going to declare the highest level of escalation that Lanarkshire has done, but that is, of course, a matter that is kept under review. In terms of Lanarkshire, I should say to Monica Lennon that the highest level of escalation, the black level of escalation is kept under daily review and will not be in place for a moment longer than it has to be. I congratulate Monica Lennon for securing this question. There is no doubt that there are serious pressures across all aspects of our health and also our social care services, exacerbated by the pandemic. I thank NHS Lanarkshire staff for all they are doing in these difficult times to serve my constituents in air-drain shots. Can the cabinet secretary outline again what additional support has been given to NHS Lanarkshire and, in particular, our GP services? As my constituents are reporting to me that some surgeries, most certainly not all, are referring patients directly to A&E, probably for understandable reasons, but this will be having an impact on the pressures being faced on the three accident emergency units and, by extension, the hospitals in Lanarkshire. Cabinet secretary. In the interest of brevity, it will be easier for me to write to Neil Gray in relation to the additional funding that we have given NHS Lanarkshire includes Covid and non-Covid funding, and the First Minister, in her statement, will outline some further funding that will go to health boards. In the interest of brevity on that point, I will write to Neil Gray with the details. In terms of a second point, which I think is incredibly important, we have given additional funding to GPs. Indeed, in my winter package, I announced additional £28 million for primary care services to which a portion of course will go to GPs. I should say that I met the BMA earlier this week and the BMA and I wrote jointly to every GP practice in the country. Of course, I thank them for their incredible service throughout the course of the pandemic, but saying in black and white that our expectation is with the change in guidance that we would expect to see an increase in face-to-face appointments, which will hopefully help in relation to that pressure that we are seeing at the front door of A&E departments. Since NHS Lanarkshire entered code black, I have received emails from constituents who have raised serious concerns over the advice that they receive from NHS 24. One constituent who emailed me was advised that no consultant was available, despite her family member having a repetitive cough, high temperature and sickness. The Scottish Government was aware of the critical level facing NHS Lanarkshire and other health boards, so why did it not address the staffing issues to ensure that those who were phoning 111 did not have to present themselves at A&E? If there are any constituent cases that Ms Gallagher wishes to raise with me, she can do that. I will contact the health board to see what more can be done for constituents. On her characterisation, I do not agree with the fact that we requested military assistance as a demonstration of how seriously we took the situation in NHS Lanarkshire. I want to thank the armed forces for again responding in typically quick fashion to our request in NHS Lanarkshire's request in that regard. In terms of NHS 24, there are additional resources in the workforce that are going into NHS 24 with a new call centre opening up in Dundee, which will be helpful right across the entire country. Question 2, Evelyn Tweed. To ask the Scottish Government what work is being undertaken to address reports of recent increases in drink spiking and spiking by injection in our nightclubs and bars? Anyone who is found to spike a person will be arrested and may be prosecuted. Police Scotland are pursuing every single report of spiking and are in daily contact with my officials so that we can better understand the prevalence of this activity. A gold command has been established and led by an assistant chief constable and that command is reaching out to universities and to licence premises. I would like to make it absolutely clear that no one case of this is one case or rather one case of this is one too many. The act of spiking is an absolutely despicable activity and these harmful behaviours cannot be tolerated in our society. We are working with our partners to ensure the right balance of targeted and universal interventions. This is alongside our wider work to tackle misogynistic conduct and to ensure that men take responsibility for their behaviours. Evelyn Tweed. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. Those reports are troubling and while I know that there is no simple solution to the abhorrent act of spiking, I am determined to work with organisations like Rape Crisis Scotland, Engender, the Scottish Licence Trade Association, Police Scotland and the cabinet secretary to see what more can be done. Will the cabinet secretary agree to meet with me to discuss the concerning issue? Of course I'd be more than happy to meet with Evelyn Tweed and key partners to understand what more could be done to address this very concerning issue. The act of spiking, as I've said, is absolutely abhorrent and I'm absolutely committed to working with partners to tackle this unacceptable behaviour. Evelyn Tweed. Will the cabinet secretary join me in doing everything he can to encourage anyone who has witnessed someone being spiked to contact the police as soon as possible so that they can investigate the instances as quickly as possible, especially since the evidence they need is time sensitive and also in highlighting that people can reach Rape Crisis Scotland for support via their helpline, which is 080810302. The member makes a very important point about the time sensitive nature of the evidence that is crucial for the police. It is the case that Police Scotland is taking every report of spiking seriously and I would encourage anyone who has witnessed someone being spiked to report this to the police as soon as possible. Support is available from Rape Crisis Scotland for anyone who needs it and there will be no harm in repeating the number, which is 0808010302. Paul Russell Findlay. The Scottish Government has a new policy of non-prosecution for drugs possession. Will the cabinet secretary back our calls for an exemption to this policy for those caught with drugs intended for the purpose of spiking? The member misunderstands the fact that it is not a Scottish Government policy that has declared guidance from the Lord Advocate. That issue would be one for the Lord Advocate, although it takes on more the suggestion that it has made and will give it further consideration. As to prosecutions, he should be aware that those decisions are for the Lord Advocate and the Lord Advocate alone. Willie Rennie. It is important that we all stand up against this spiking. On Wednesday I will be addressing a protest in St Andrew's University and I do want to report to them that this Parliament is taking action. There has been a successful testing strip promotion scheme already in place in Lincolnshire. It provides free test strips for all venues. Is that something that the Government will be prepared to roll out in Scotland as well as fund it? Cabinet secretary. I think it is a very constructive suggestion from Willie Rennie and I would undertake to have a look at the particular initiative that he has mentioned, but I should say as well that both the police and other partners, so the nightclub industry and other partners, as he has mentioned in St Andrew's, are universities and colleges. A number of the incidents have been happening around students, bar students, pubs and universities. I am more than happy to look at both that suggestion and any others that have come forward. I would say that there is quite a number of actions being looked at just now by Police Scotland and within the Scottish Government. Audrey Nicholl. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Like other members, I am completely horrified by recent disclosures of spiking that have willfully and recklessly targeted young women. In my constituency, the Robert Gordon University has put the safety of students front and centre of its equally safe strategy. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what more can be done to support students within and beyond the campus to ensure that they are safe? Cabinet secretary. I should say, as I have mentioned already, that the gold command group that has been established and led by an assistant chief council in Police Scotland is rooting out to universities and licensed premises. I hope that that would give some reassurance to the member. Members of the equally safe group in colleges and universities core leadership group, which includes University of Scotland, NUS Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council, have been asked to share the important Police Scotland information on issues through their networks. One final point to make is that one thing we cannot do is let this be the responsibility of those that are victims of this activity. It is largely, as we know, down to men. Four-fifths of the victims are women. This is a bigger challenge for society and one where men have to take on responsibility for their actions. While it might be well-intentioned to tell victims what they should do to avoid this, it really is our responsibility, along with the police, various institutions and the nightclub industry, to make sure that we can do what we can to make those premises safe for everyone concerned. That concludes topical questions.