 That concludes general questions. We move on to First Minister's questions. At question number one, Douglas Ross. First Minister, do you believe that it is a hardright policy to support Scotland's oil and gas industry? First Minister, I believe that supporting a just transition away from fossil fuels to renewable and low-carbon sources of energy is a policy that all of us should support. ei ddalfwng i Lywethaf, os roi'w cιwb arlawn i ddimen nhogel â'i cyntaf measurements, a ddim yn diolch i dymes fodwyr niferhau, a os rydw i'n dakat, os rydw i'n ddatblygu i'r edrych ar gyfer fodwyr oed, byddai gweithio'r ganfrewodau. Mae hyn yn oeddiwch o'r gweithio gyda chi, a wrth gwrs, mae'n gweithio'r chymdeithasol i'n gweithio'r gweithio'r gŷr y gwarthuion ar gyfer amddanynol. I have just come this morning from witnessing the demolition of the chimney at Long Annett. It is not very long ago that we would not have been able to contemplate keeping the lights on in Scotland without Long Annett and certainly we would not have been able to contemplate that co-fired power station closing without causing significant unemployment. We can do just transition and we owe it to the oil and gas sector to support it in that transition too. Last week, when we heard that oil and gas jobs in Scotland could be at risk, the First Minister's coalition partners celebrated. They celebrated. Patrick Harvie, one of our ministers, claimed that supporting Scotland's oil and gas industry was a policy of the hard right. Those statements are an insult to every single worker in the North Sea sector and they should be condemned by the First Minister but, as we have just heard, they will not be. It is because, as the Greens keep on boasting, they forced the SNP into, and I quote, a massive change in direction over oil and gas. Can I ask the First Minister what matters more to her Government, jobs for the Scottish Greens or jobs for north-east workers? It is very clear that references to being right wing are references that Douglas Ross seems to take very personally. I will leave people to judge why that might be the case. Let me also say, just as an aside, that what is putting potentially North Sea oil and gas workers' jobs at risk right now is the UK Government's failure to invest as a priority in the acorn carbon capture project in the north-east. Perhaps a bit less political rhetoric from Douglas Ross and a bit more encouraging his colleagues in the UK Government, if they can find the time from their other pursuits at the moment, to prioritise investments that Scotland badly needs. For my part, I will continue to ensure that the Scottish Government is investing. We do not do anybody in oil and gas any favours if we pretend that the just transition is not necessary or if we pretend that it is not necessary for the sake of the future of the planet to accelerate that just transition. What we must do is ensure that no one is left behind in that transition and we must make sure that our energy needs are met in a renewable and low-carbon way. That is what this Government is focused on and that will be reflected in the budget this afternoon. I am proud of the progress that Scotland has made so far in the journey to net zero, but we have much still to do. As we mark today the definitive end of coal power in Scotland, I think that we should take great confidence in what can be done when we show the leadership, when we plan properly and when we make the investments. That is what this Government is going to do and I will leave the Conservatives to worry about the many things that they have got to worry about right now. Douglas Ross I think that it is disgusting that the First Minister joked and laughed about a comment from one of her ministers that has been so hurtful to people employed in the North Sea sector and is so harmful for such an important industry. Sorry, could you just give me a moment? There is quite a lot of noise in the chamber. I would really like to make sure that we can all hear Mr Ross' question. I would be very grateful if you could begin again, Mr Ross. I will begin again, Presiding Officer, because if SNP and Green members do not like to hear this, I thought that it was very distasteful for the First Minister to laugh and joke about a comment that has been so hurtful to people in the North Sea oil and gas sector. However, now for the first time, we have Scottish Government ministers who want fewer jobs and less investment in Scotland. They are against building any new roads. They want to stop people driving, even though those people cannot get to work without cars. The Greens believe that economic growth is no longer possible, and they have also said that Governments cannot run out of money. Now that those extreme economic views are at the heart of her Government, is it not just a matter of time before the First Minister abandons more Scottish workers in the way that she has abandoned the oil and gas industry? First Minister, we have witnessed and are continuing to witness many disgusting things in politics, but none of them are on the part of this Scottish Government. I almost feel a little bit of sympathy for Douglas Ross today because I know that he must be deeply mortified by the actions and behaviour of his colleagues in the UK Government, but that is no excuse for throwing around unfounded accusations and trying to cause concern on the part of oil and gas workers right now. I, as First Minister, am committed to making sure that we have a just transition away from oil and gas in the same way that we have had that transition away from coal power, because the future of our planet demands that. We will make the investment to ensure that that is done justly and fairly. If the UK Government wanted to work with us around carbon capture, for example, that transition would be easier. I am committed to ensuring that we do not leave people behind and that we do not have fewer jobs. Instead, we have clean green jobs for the future. Just as on Friday, I visited NIG to mark a major investment there that will see towers for offshore wind manufactured in the highlands. Those are the kind of investments that we are supporting, and that is the work that we will do to secure a just transition in Scotland for the sake of the future of the planet and generations to come. Douglas Ross, I am sure that the First Minister will welcome the UK Government's investment in the NIG development as well, but the record is very clear. The video will show the First Minister laughing and joking about comments from Pat Hock. Sorry, Mr Ross. I am afraid that there is quite a lot of noise in the chamber at the moment. Can we possibly have the sound elevated? We are going to look into having your sound elevated, but in the meantime, colleagues, I would be very grateful if we could hear Mr Ross speak. We do not need any other voices while Mr Ross is speaking, so thank you. I will repeat my comments again then. I hope that the First Minister will also welcome the UK Government's investment in NIG, but I hope that she will also reflect on her own actions, where the video will show that she laughed and joked about Patrick Harvie's comments regarding the north-east and the north-sea sector. This afternoon, her Government will set out next year's budget. It should be a budget that uses the biggest ever block grant from the UK Government to invest in public services. It should be a budget that delivers record spending to restore Scotland's NHS after what will be one of the worst ever winters. It should be a budget that improves local roads and rebuilds communities by giving local government a fair share. It should be a budget that supports businesses, creates Scottish jobs and provides more opportunities for the next generation. It should be a budget that puts in national interests first, not the narrow interests of this nationalist coalition. Today, there is a real chance to kickstart Scotland's economic recovery from Covid. Is the First Minister going to take that opportunity, or is she going to give in to the Greens again? First of all, when I had the privilege of being in NIG on Friday, I welcomed the investment of the UK Government, alongside considerable investment on the part of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I also lamented, as many people there did, as many people across the energy sector that I speak to right now do, the lack of investment and commitment of the UK Government to carbon capture in the ACORN project. We cannot simply pretend that that is not a real issue. On the budget, the finance secretary will set out the budget to Parliament this afternoon, and it will do all the things that Douglas Ross has just talked about there. Let me tell you one thing that the budget will do that I hope that Douglas Ross will listen to very carefully. I am proud that it is something that we are doing in partnership with the Scottish Greens. After seeing the disgusting—and I will use that word deliberately—move of the UK Government to take £20 a week away from the poorest families across Scotland and, indeed, across the UK, the budget this afternoon will devote the resources to doubling the Scottish child payment. This Government will give £20 a week to the poorest families across Scotland. That is the difference between this Scottish Government and the UK Government, and I am proud of the budget that the finance secretary will present to this Parliament later today. 2. Anna Sarwar Grigorydraig Glasgow and Clyde health board has been in level 4 special measures for over two years since November 2019. An oversight board was set up by the Scottish Government. Can the First Minister tell us when the oversight board last met? The assurance group that flowed from the oversight board is due to meet on 17 November. It is a couple of months since it has met, if I am correct about that. More than 80 per cent of all the recommendations of the oversight board have already been implemented, just as the recommendations coming from the independent review have also been implemented. That is the action that has been taken to address concerns around the Queen Elizabeth hospital. While, of course, we await the work of the independent public inquiry, something that Anna Sarwar previously called for. Anna Sarwar The answer that the First Minister was looking for is that the oversight board that was set up by the Scottish Government last met in March nine months ago. The review group that she referred to has not met for over two months, and she says that it is due to meet in November. Despite everything that has happened in the last month, no meeting of the oversight board for nine months and no meeting of the review group is for two months, and she wants families and staff to believe that this is a Government that has a grip of this crisis. Last week, the First Minister told us that there had been two Hyatt red warnings and one amber in the past year. I learned yesterday from the health board that none of those were cases that I have raised in the past month, not Andrew Sloan's death with Aspergillus, not the case of the child with Stenotrophilmonus in the past few months and not the case that I raised last week of a child who died with Suresia. All high-risk bacteria linked to water and the hospital environment. None of them triggered a Hyatt red warning, despite everything that has happened and despite them all meeting the criteria. If that is not the definition of cover-up and denial, what is? I will come on to that point directly. I think that people who had listened to our exchange—I thought that a quick constructive exchange last week would have heard me set out exactly the trigger point for a notification to the Scottish Government. On the issues of the oversight group, it is not about meetings, it is about actions. To be precise, 88 per cent of the oversight board's recommendations have already been completed. Actually, the remaining actions that are outstanding do not relate directly to patient safety. The advice, assurance and review group will meet next week on Friday, 17 December. That will be chaired by the interim chief nursing officer. It is about making sure that recommendations that are made are implemented and that is what has happened. In terms of the notifications to Government under the Hyatt procedure, as I set out at some length, as the Presiding Officer will recall last week, that happens when there are two or more linked cases of infection. I set out the number in the adult hospital that had happened there, but let me also say this. That is about triggering a notification to the Scottish Government. When that does not happen, that does not mean that no action is taken. Health boards will have problem assessment groups or other actions that address any issues relating to infections. It is simply not the case to say that infections are not taken seriously. As I said last weekend, as Anna Sarwar conceded and agreed with, despite the best efforts, it will never be possible in any hospital anywhere to eradicate and avoid all cases of infection. However, all cases of infection are taken seriously at the Queen Elizabeth and at every other hospital, and that is what I would expect. The First Minister was wrong last week on the criteria for Hyatt red, and she is wrong this week. I have the criteria for Hyatt red right in front of me. Frankly, as a former health secretary, I would expect her to know better. The criteria is very clear. Any of the major criteria mean that it is a Hyatt red, so any one of those risk of transmission requires a major clinical intervention, risk to life, rare infection, associate mortality or public interest. At least one. Only one of them needs to be met, I think, more than one of them has been met, if not all of them met in each of those three cases, yet none of them being a Hyatt red warning. Perhaps the health secretary and the First Minister can review the Hyatt document and actually understand how the procedure works. Given all the revelations of the past month, given everything that has happened over the past two years, given the demands of families and staff for openness and given the calls for the First Minister to get a grip of this crisis, the oversight board has not met for nine months, the review group has not met for over two months and the health board is still not reporting deadly infections in the hospital. I met with the chair and the chief executive for the health board yesterday. First Minister, how can you still have confidence in them? Their complacent and belligerant attitude demonstrates everything that is wrong with the culture at the top of this health board. Why, after everything that we have learnt, do you continue to take their word over the word of staff, families and patients who surely deserve better? First Minister, just an utter mischaracterisation of my position. I know how the framework operates very well. What I have set out is the case. The oversight board, as I said a moment ago, 88 per cent of its recommendations already implemented a process of scrutiny in the form of the independent public inquiry already underway. We take seriously and have taken seriously any and all concerns that are raised about the Queen Elizabeth. As I said last week, Anasarwar wants to suggest to people that somehow the Queen Elizabeth is a hospital that is less safe than other hospitals. The evidence does not bear that out. I am unable to comment on individual cases because of patient confidentiality, but all concerns that are raised are taken extremely seriously. I know that that will have been discussed with Anasarwar yesterday. I have made very clear that any member of staff who has concerns and feels that those concerns are not being taken seriously or that they are not being somehow allowed to speak out should feel free to come to me or to the health secretary about that. We will continue to make sure that all actions are taken to deliver high-quality patient care in the Queen Elizabeth, which clinicians do already. It is also important that Anasarwar or other members come to this chamber and raise concerns, but let us not undermine confidence in a hospital that is delivering high-quality care for patients every single day. We will move on to supplementary questions, and I call Jim Fairlie. I would like to ask the First Minister what impact she thinks that there may be on compliance with Covid rules following the party scandal unfolding at Westminster. I hope that there is no impact on compliance with the Covid protections because it is really important that all of us comply with those protections. People can be angry at politicians—all politicians at times—but it is important that people comply with those protections for their own safety, for the safety of loved ones and for the country as a whole. We face right now in the Omicron variant, a very serious challenge. I will brief party leaders further on the nature and scale of that challenge later this afternoon. It is rapidly spreading and poses a real difficulty for us, but one of the ways in which we can help slow transmission is to comply with all those protections, and I would appeal to people across the country to do so. The upgrade to Aberdeen's Hot Again Roundabout, one of Europe's worst, has had its completion date postponed on five separate occasions already. In September, the Government told me that it would be completed by winter. We are there, yet the disruption continues and there is no sign of the vital upgrade being completed. Can the First Minister confirm whether there will be another delay to completion of the project and whether there will be a cost overrun? Of course, we are at the start of winter. I will ask the transport minister to write directly to the member with a full update on both the timing and the cost associated with the Hot Again Roundabout, which I know is incredibly important to commuters in Aberdeen. I was contacted this week by Mr Ron Park, whose cell was being cared for by his mother, when he received advice from NHS 24 to go to Stogpill hospital. Clinicians at NHS 24 thought that Mr Park's son might have bacterial meningitis at a life-threatening condition. However, Stogpill hospital phoned minutes later, saying that they would not see this family, and if they wanted medical attention, they should go to the Royal Alexandra hospital in Paisley 30 minutes away by car. Mr Park's former partner lives in the north-east of Glasgow and can't drive. I was deeply alarmed that the family of a child with a possible life-threatening meningitis condition would be treated in this manner. What does the First Minister have to say to them today? I can absolutely understand the concern and the anxiety that would have been caused. Anybody with a sick child will feel that anxiety and does not want that compounded by getting wrong advice or advice that they believe to be wrong from the national health service. I am always reluctant to comment too much on individual cases. I do not question what I have been told in the chamber, but I obviously want to understand the full details of Paul Swinney's right to me or to the health secretary. I will undertake that we will look into that and come back to him so that he can update his constituents and ensure that patients, particularly those with sick children, are getting the right advice and the advice that they need at what I know are very stressful times for them. Liam McArthur Thank you. Road to equivalent tariff was introduced on the west coast ferry routes almost 14 years ago. It was promised on Pentland first routes four years ago, but there is still no sign. As we approach the end of another year, can the First Minister tell my Orkney constituents when the Government will finally deliver the cheaper ferry fares repeatedly promised year after year? We have taken a range of actions, as Liam McArthur is aware of, to ensure that ferry fares are more affordable and ferry travel is more accessible and more convenient and easier for his constituents. Road to equivalent tariff is obviously something that has been debated and looked at and considered. There are complications, as he will be aware, in terms of some of the unintended consequences of what road equivalent tariff would deliver, but I will ask the transport minister to write to him with an update on the actions that we are taking to address the affordability of ferry travel for his constituents. To ask the First Minister what engagement the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding the waiver on Covid-19 vaccine property rights. I have written to the Prime Minister on this issue. I think that I said in the chamber on Tuesday that I would do so and I made clear my support for those calls. We are being reminded very starkly right now by the Omicron variant of the importance of getting vaccines not just to everybody here in our own country but to everybody across the world as quickly as possible. I think that this is a really important call and I hope that the Prime Minister will treat the letter and the calls more widely that are being made seriously. The Scottish Government stands ready to work with the UK Government to do whatever we can to make sure that vaccines get to people across the world as quickly as possible. Several cancer screening rights in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are amongst the lowest in the country. I have been contacted by many women in my region who are very concerned that they are not able to get an appointment for up to six months at their local GP for this vital check-up. Given that it takes just one mistest to miss a diagnosis and potentially save someone's life, I can ask the First Minister how to ensure that in our earnest efforts to tackle this Covid virus we are not inadvertently creating a legacy of people who will also die of undiagnosed cancers knowing that for some it may already be too late. I think that that is one of the most serious questions that is being posed to all of us right now. Let me say it is something that weighs very heavily on me, the implications of Covid, the unavoidable and inescapable implications of dealing with Covid, what they might mean for health and indeed the much wider impacts across the population. I want to assure the member and I assure the chamber that those considerations are always very high up in my mind and in the mind of the Government. Specifically around cervical screening, it is really important to cancer screening generally. We had to pause the screening programmes for a period during the early part of the pandemic. They are now operational again. It is important that people are able to get appointments for cervical and other cancer screening, but it is also important that we encourage uptake of screening programmes. That is particularly true for women around cervical screening and around breast screening. There is a great deal that we need to do and I want to repeat that assurance that it is an issue of great priority for us. Mark Ruskell Thank you. As the long-gannet chimney was demolished this morning, I am sure that the First Minister felt that it was the moment of history in our journey to net zero. It was also a moment to reflect our gratitude to the workers who kept our lights on for so many decades. Are there lessons for our wider just transition that we can learn from the way that long-gannet was shut back in 2016? Yes, I do think that there are lessons. It was very special to be there today as the chimney came down, but it was very clear that I spoke to people who had worked in long-gannet themselves, but also people who had worked there, whose parents and grandparents had worked there until a few years ago, generating power in Scotland for most of my lifetime for more than 50 years. There were mixed emotions there, clearly a symbolic moment, because it does mark the end of coal power, but people are sad to see it go, not least because it has been a feature of our landscape for these 50 years as well. There are lessons to learn. I talked about some of them earlier on. Not long ago, it would have been unthinkable that we could have kept the lights on or found employment for people who worked there. That has been done, so it should inspire us to know that just transition is possible. What it says is that we need to manage it, we need to plan for it and we need to make the right investments. Yes, I think that amidst the mixed emotions, there are positive lessons there that we must now take the opportunity to learn. Rhoda Grant The First Minister will be aware of the recent appointments to the board of David McBrain group, which includes a chairman, theme for presiding over the ferry fiasco at Seymal, and three non-executive directors, none of whom have island links. Many islanders have seafaring experience, yet the Scottish Government seems to enable to find one to appoint to this board. Can the First Minister explain why islanders are being overlooked by her government? The First Minister Although I can understand the concerns that are being expressed here, I do not think that that is the case. There are rigorous processes that have to be gone through before appointments to boards and we comply with those processes. I would encourage the member, as I am sure she will, because I know that she takes her duties extremely seriously to meet with the new chair, the new board members, and hopefully they will be able to allay her concerns in terms of the attention that they will pay to the needs of island communities as they go about their jobs. I am sure that the Minister for Transport would be willing to have a conversation with her about that as well. Rhoda Grant Before we go on to question 3, let members know that, if we have any time remaining after question 7, I will take more supplementary questions from those who have already pressed, and there is no need to press again. At question 3, I call Rachel Hamilton. Rhoda Grant To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to treat people with heart valve disease. Rhoda Grant Our heart disease action plan sets out the aim that everyone with suspected heart disease, including people with heart valve disease, should have timely and equitable access to diagnosis, treatment and care. An initial investment of £2.2 million has supported progress on the actions in the plan and we are undertaking work to improve access to cardiac diagnostics and developing nationally agreed pathways of care for all cardiac conditions. We have committed more than £1.5 million over five years to support a change in access to and use of data to support improvements in diagnosis, treatment and care for people with all heart conditions in April 2021. We also commissioned Public Health Scotland to deliver the Scottish cardiac audit programme. Significant clinical and patient engagement is currently under way to support its development. Rhoda Grant I thank the First Minister for that answer. Patients with serious heart defects in Scotland have been told that hospital appointments cannot go ahead in 2022. Those at risk of heart failure are facing waits of up to seven months, according to an investigation by the charity Heart Valve Voice. Despite the challenges of the pandemic and staff working flat out, this is a treatable condition and can be fatal. We know that under this is SMP Government, A and E waiting times have fallen to their worst level since the SMP came into power. So can the First Minister commit further to looking at the accessibility, diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with serious heart defects before they end up waiting for hours in A and E? Rhoda Grant We are doing all that, and I covered some of that in my initial answer. We know that the numbers of people waiting more than 12 weeks for cardiology outpatient appointments has increased throughout the pandemic. However, there is no current indication that patients with heart valve disease have been told that they cannot have appointments in 2022. Our recovery plan sets out the key actions that we will take to address the backlog in care and meet the on-going healthcare needs for people across Scotland. In total, that is backed by more than £1 billion of targeted investment. I want to take the opportunity to thank Heart Valve Voice for their work and the report that they have produced. We will consider that fully. I am sure that that will have an important contribution to the on-going work that I set out in my initial answer. Stephanie Callaghan To ask the First Minister about the Scottish Government's responses to the Citizens Advice Scotland poll, which found that one-third of respondents could not afford their energy bills. I am deeply concerned about the impact of recent energy prices on households. Given powers related to the energy market are reserved, I am disappointed not to have seen action from the UK Government to support in particular low-income households. The Scottish Government has already taken a number of actions, although building on the support that we provided last winter, our £10 million fuel insecurity fund will ensure direct financial support is available to those at risk of self-disconnecting or self-rationaling. We have allocated over £1 billion since 2009 to tackling fuel poverty and improving energy efficiency. We will also continue to fund Home Energy Scotland, which can provide advice on how to make homes warmer and cheaper to heat. Stephanie Callaghan I thank the First Minister for her answer. With the UK Government's cruel and unnecessary £20 cut to universal credit, meaning that many more families are likely to struggle with rising energy bills, does the First Minister agree with me that families in this predicament should not suffer in silence? Instead, we should seek urgent expert counsel from organisations such as Citizens Advice Scotland and The Wise Group. The First Minister Yes, I agree with that. The UK Government's decision to remove £20 a week from the poorest households, which I have referred to already today, was the biggest overnight cut to welfare in 70 years. It was a callous act at any time, but particularly at a time of rising prices and rising energy bills. It is important that we do not quickly forget that, and that we continue to remember that needless callous act that has been carried out on the poorest in our society. However, I would urge anyone who is concerned about their energy costs to seek support from advice services such as Citizens Advice Bureau. We have launched a marketing campaign to raise awareness of services that are available to people with financial worries, and Home Energy Scotland can also refer families for benefit checks and to support from the fuel insecurity fund. First Minister, rising energy costs particularly hit pensioners, many of whom are housebound, yet at least 123,000 pensioners in Scotland according to Age Scotland have not claimed pension credit. Indeed, it is like in 40 per cent UK-wide to not claim this benefit, which is a gateway to additional benefits. Does the First Minister agree with me that the UK Government should be ashamed and, instead of removing the triple lock and pensions, fund a decent basic state pension in the first place? Yes, the UK has one of the lowest levels of state pension anywhere in Europe, I believe. It is disgraceful and shameful that the triple lock has been removed. It is also important—Christine Graham makes a very good point here—that where benefits are available, there are awareness campaigns to encourage people to take up those benefits. That is a call that is rightly made on us in terms of devolved benefits. We have made repeated calls in the UK Government to take a more strategic approach to promoting their benefits, and we have done that recently in partnership with the Northern Ireland and Welsh Governments. However, those issues would be less severe and less acute if, as Christine Graham said, the UK had a better state pension provision. I do not hold out much hope of that being delivered by a UK Government in the near future, but who knows? Perhaps we can do it in an independent Scotland in the future. To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to provide support to small businesses in light of reports that 20,000 small businesses is trading during the pandemic. Since the start of the pandemic, businesses have benefited from more than £4.4 billion of Scottish Government support, including an extension of non-domestic rates relief for all retail, leisure, aviation and hospitality premises in 2021-22. The small business bonus scheme is the most generous of its kind in the UK, offering up to 100 per cent relief to qualifying properties, saving small businesses around £2.5 billion since 2008. The Scottish Government also provides a range of financial support and advice to small businesses through enterprise agencies and the business gateway network. The finance secretary meets business organisations regularly to discuss issues such as economic recovery, and we will set out what further support will be available in the budget this afternoon. Pauline McNeill Many of those businesses have been in Glasgow, and Glasgow having suffered the longest and harshest Covid restrictions in Scotland. In a recent report, just only one in 12 office workers have returned to Glasgow city centre and have already lost 3,000 jobs from Glasgow airport, adding to concerns about the city's long-term recovery. Of course, as a city region, it is a key driver of the Scottish economy and crucially important for west central Scotland. Given that, can the First Minister say whether she agrees with me that Glasgow, as a key driver for the economy, urgently needs a fully resourced recovery plan with something like a specialist team to co-ordinate recovery and investment to ensure that the city's recovery does actually happen out of this pandemic? I absolutely agree with the sentiments behind Pauline McNeill's question, and I know that the leader of the council, and indeed the council administration, is very focused on supporting recovery generally across Glasgow, but economic and business recovery in particular. Obviously, the support that I referred to earlier supports businesses across Glasgow, and the rates relief continued throughout this financial year for retail and aviation will have been particularly important, given the nature of the Glasgow economy. I hope that there will be much in the budget for businesses to welcome in that regard this afternoon. I think that the Scottish Government needs to and will work closely with Glasgow City Council and indeed with other local authorities to make sure that as we come out of Covid, as I referred earlier on, we still have a challenging period ahead, which is why we are asking people right now to work from home where possible. But as we come out of this pandemic, the focus on recovery and supporting businesses will be one that continues to have high priority. When will the next phase of Scottish Government funding for the Scotland Loves local fund occur? The Scottish Loves local campaign is really important to support local businesses and encourage people to shop local. The finance secretary will set out all aspects of our funding commitments later on this afternoon when she sets out the budget, but supporting local businesses and encouraging people to shop local will continue to be a key part of what we do. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is marking International Anti-Corruption Day. The Scottish Government strongly supports the principles underlying International Anti-Corruption Day, as enshrined in the United Nations Convention against Corruption. It is incumbent on all of us in leadership positions to set high standards, and the Scottish Government will endeavour to operate on the basis of openness, candor and transparency in all that we do. I thank the First Minister for her response. Throughout this public health crisis, the Prime Minister has been repeatedly mired in sleaze and corruption. Covid contracts were handed to Conservative party donors, public sector rules and peerages were handed to political cronies, and an ethics adviser was shown the door rather than accepting his verdict of ministerial bullying. Even more galling than that has been the behaviour amid revelations that the UK Government does not respect the rules that it laid down for others. At a time of national crisis, not only did those in his inner circle— Sorry, Ms Mackay. Can I just ask you to pause for a moment while colleagues remember that we all want to hear your question? If you could begin again, thank you. Even more galling than all of that has been the behaviour amid revelations that the UK Government does not respect the rules that it laid down for others. At a time of national crisis, not only did those in his inner circle deliberately breach the very rules that they had set down for the public, they have continually tried to cover it up, and now footage shows them laughing about it while planning their excuses. That is no laughing matter for those of us who have lost a loved one during the pandemic. Boris Johnson has jeopardised public compliance with Covid measures. Ms Mackay, first of all, I do not want to have to ask again in this session for quiet so that we can hear members, but can you please ask a question? Boris Johnson has jeopardised public compliance with Covid measures. Does the First Minister agree with me that it is time for this corrupt Prime Minister to go? Yes, I do, Presiding Officer. Although Gillie Mackay was asking her question there, I had members of the Tory group shouting at me from a sedentary position that these issues had nothing to do with us here in the Scottish Parliament. Will I beg to differ? I think that the principles and the values of openness, integrity and transparency matter to all of us who care about democracy in this country. I think that Boris Johnson has many questions to answer. There are more questions surfacing today around the whole Downing Street wallpaper issue, but I will leave them to one side. I do not think that it is simply a corrupt incumbent of number 10 that has to go. I think that it is time for Scotland to get rid of the whole broken, corrupt Westminster system that is holding us back. We can only do that, Presiding Officer, by becoming an independent country. Question 7, Megan Gallacher. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will withdraw the health and wellbeing census 2021, given reported concerns over school pupils being asked questions relating to sex and relationships? First Minister? Firstly, no, we won't. Secondly, I want to make clear that the questions that have been the focus of much of the commentary around this survey are being asked of 14, 15 or 16-year-olds. Next, the census is not mandatory, neither for local authorities to use in full or for children, given that parents may or may not consent to their child taking part in pupils themselves can also, if they wish to, opt out of the survey. All Governments have a responsibility, and I think that it is a serious responsibility, to ensure that public service delivery is informed by lived experience. We have two choices. Either we can bury our heads in the sand and pretend that young people are not exposed to the issues or the pressures that we know they are exposed to, or we can seek to properly understand the reality that young people face and then provide them with the guidance, the advice and the services that they need to make safe, healthy and positive decisions. The latest information that we have is that 24 local authorities have confirmed that they are taking part in the census, which also features extremely important questions about pupils' experiences of the pressures of schoolwork, bullying and mental health. Parents have contacted me and my colleagues as they are concerned about the explicit nature of some of the questions. One of the questions asks, people have varying degrees of sexual experience, how much, if any, sexual experience have you had, non-small amount, for example kissing, some intimate touching on top of clothes, some experiences but no sexual intercourse, for example touching intimately underneath clothes or without clothes on, or more experiences including oral sex, vaginal or anal sex. There has also been reports that the supposed anonymous questionnaires can be traced back to individual pupils, as they must enter their student candidate number twice that is directly linked to their name. First Minister, would you feel comfortable answering those questions and can you reassure Parliament today that, should a young person complete those forms, they cannot be identified? Firstly, on the issue of confidentiality, the questionnaires have been specially designed so that the information provided by children and young people is used for statistical and research purposes only. That ensures that any results of the research or resulting statistics will not be made available in a form that identifies individual children and young people. Let me repeat what I said earlier on. This is a voluntary survey. It is only for S4, secondary year 4 and upwards. Any parent can refuse to give consent and of course any young person can opt not to take part in the survey or to skip particular questions in the survey. It is not mandatory. I come back to the fundamental point. We can choose to pretend that young people of this age group do not have the experiences that the member has narrated or is not exposed online in the digital world that we live in. We can choose to pretend that young people, girls sometimes in particular, are not subjected to harassment and pressure around sexual matters. We can do that. We can refuse to ask the question so that we do not know the answers or we can get the answers that then allows us to better support young people, to provide the advice and the information and the guidance to young people that supports and enables them to make positive healthy choices for the future. I do choose the latter. I would ask the Conservatives seriously and others to engage in any legitimate concerns around those matters, but do not whip up concern on the part of parents for completely unnecessary reasons. Let us all focus on what really matters supporting our young people to make healthy choices in their own lives. I will take one further supplementary question, and I call Graeme Simpson. Thank you. Does the First Minister think that it is appropriate for the Scottish Government's active travel minister to turn up to a bike ability event for kids and not join them in wearing a cycle helmet? First Minister, I do not know the circumstances of that. There are differences of opinion around the wearing of cycle helmets. I would also always expect my minister to set a good example, but I am happy to look into the particular circumstances and respond in more detail when I have had the opportunity to do so. That concludes First Minister's questions. We will move on to members' business.