 Iebeith sydd rwm wrth dさいio amddangos? Ofsiau ddiolch nawr iaisseinol h draws yn yr cynnaldia ar ôl eu bynnwys, sgwrdd yr ystyried o gyfteid lessero u那就. Os bydd y bynnwys y Aberty, stheil o gychwyn i registeru gyda rex bredffinus Llywodraeth Cymru. Robert-atory Fyrddng knife yn fêm ei defnyddio Marwaraeth o gyfteid envelopeeryndau ond, ond rwy'n credu i gael ysgolwyddiant, ond mae'n gweithio'r ddweud, rydw i'n gweithio'r parlymynd, i gael y rhodaeth ddau o'r Pethau i Gael, yn fawr yn gystafillad. Felly, rydyn ni'n gallu gweld eich ddweud o'r ysgolwyddiant, rydyn ni'n gallu gweithio'r ddweud i'r ddweud o'r ddweud o'r ysgolwyddiant i'r ddweud i'r eu gennych. is unacceptable for precious time to be wasted by internal conservative party faction fighting rather than accepting the urgent need for a second EU referendum with the option to remain. Llorine Wharton, I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. As he said, given the complete disarray and chaos that is ripping the Tory party apart and the fact that they can't even work with themselves, let alone anyone else, it is encouraging that, in yesterday's yesterday, cabinet secretary, you signalled the Scottish Government's willingness to work with other parties opposed to Brexit. Can you outline what steps you are taking to that end? I indicated to the chamber yesterday that the invitation to take part in cross-party talks is open. I am glad that the Labour Party and the Scottish Green Party have accepted that invitation. I have not had an acceptance from the Conservative Party or the Liberal Democrats, but I would like to have that. My intention is to appoint an interlocutor who will talk to each of the parties to discover their views and what they would like the agenda to be and where their positioning is. The key issue here is if they accept the thesis that there is a problem, what are the solutions to the problem that they are proposing? I am very interested to hear those solutions. That is being done without prejudice, as I said, and without precondition. I would urge the other parties to accept that and to start on the process with ourselves. We are trying to do it in a way that is least threatening and most likely to produce some progress. To ask the Scottish Government how it is seeking to support people in Scotland to have been impacted by the Easter terror attacks in Sri Lanka. My thoughts remain with all those that have been affected, both in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. We condemn all incidents of religious prejudice, hatred and targeting of people based on their beliefs. Following the attacks, I sent letters to a number of church leaders across Scotland, offering condolences and solidarity. In addition, as part of a regular engagement with Scotland's Christian communities, I will be meeting with church leaders next week, where I will offer again our continued support. Bob Doris. I am very pleased to hear that. I am hoping to meet Fiona Hyslop soon with constituents who lost loved ones in terror attacks in Sri Lanka to see how Scotland can support Sri Lanka at this difficult time. However, some of my Muslim constituents informed me of attacks and intimidation on their family and friends who remain in Sri Lanka following the terror attacks. Can I ask the cabinet secretary to offer her support and solidarity to them and their loved ones at this hugely difficult time and to join my call and the Sri Lankan Government to do all that it can to bring communities together following the terror attacks? I really recognise and appreciate the real interest that Bob Doris takes on this issue. I have discussed previously with him some of his ideas about how he intends to mark what has happened in Sri Lanka. Of course, we will continue to stand in solidarity with Muslim communities across the world and our thoughts and condolences remain with any victim or family or community affected by dreadful acts of terror. Of course, we continue to stand united against Islamophobia and all hate. Everybody should feel safe as they go about their daily lives. I understand that Bob Doris has written to Fiona Hyslop and I understand that there will be an offer of a meeting with Mr McPherson, who will be best placed to address some of the issues that Mr Doris articulates and his capacity as Minister for Europe, Migration and International Development. Nonetheless, with my portfolio of responsibility for faith, I will be more than willing to continue to engage with Mr Doris and, of course, continue to take a real interest in the pursuit of making sure that people feel respected and supported here in Scotland and, of course, across the world. Bill Bowman, to ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the talks between the Confederation of Passengers Transport and Transport Scotland regarding the national concessionary travel scheme cap. Bus operators have long held that the concessionary travel scheme cap is inconsistent with the principle of fair and robustment. Our view remains that the cap is needed to safeguard taxpayers' interests. Without it, there would be no way to control expenditure and what is a demand-led scheme. My officials and I have met with CPT to discuss operators' concerns and I have asked my officials to work with them to further improve how we forecast and monitor reimbursement claims under the scheme and to report to me regularly during the year on trends and the likelihood of the cap being exceeded. Bill Bowman. I thank the cabinet secretary for his response. Last week, I was made aware of the situation in Dundee whereby public transport operators carried concession customers free of charge for what was initially 11 days but now reduced to six days in March, a weakened effect of no payment, the reason being that Transport Scotland's original under-budgeting of the national concessionary travel scheme. Will the cabinet secretary look at what measures can be implemented to ensure that Dundee bus operators are treated fairly under the scheme without disadvantaging those who rely on it most if your scheme again does not cover payment for the whole year? The rate of repayment that is made to bus operators is agreed with CPT and their members at the beginning of the financial year, as was the case for the existing financial year. I agree with CPT to review the existing economic model that is used in order to assess what the potential costs could be to operators in the next financial year and to consider what further improvements can be undertaken to monitor the scheme to ensure that we have as accurate a picture as possible about the cost to bus operators across the country. Gail Ross Can the cabinet secretary tell the chamber how much has been invested in the scheme since it was first started in 2006? How many people have benefited from it and how many more passengers stand to benefit from the extension of the scheme? The demands on the concessionary travel scheme continue to increase. It is proven to be a popular scheme that is being used increasingly by members of the public who qualify for it. For example, last year, we invested more than £202 million in the concessionary travel scheme. In this financial year, we are investing a further £213 million in the scheme to ensure that we continue to support those who make use of the concessionary travel programme. James Dornan To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with Police Scotland. Scottish Government meets Police Scotland on a regular basis to discuss a wide variety of issues that I often meet with senior officers. I last met with the chief constable on the 4th of April alongside the First Minister and I will be meeting him later today. James Dornan I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, but does the cabinet secretary agree with me that Police Scotland should ensure that all accusations of sexual abuse, including in football clubs, are investigated thoroughly and those found guilty are held to account to the full force of the law? James Dornan Yes, of course. I agree with that. I will probably go a step further and say that it is not a case that Police Scotland should, but it does absolutely investigate any allegations of sexual abuse, be it historical or more recent. The Scottish Government obviously takes its responsibilities to ensure that children are safe and can enjoy taking part in sport, as well as giving parents confidence over the safety. We take that extremely seriously, but we have seen from recent cases of individuals who have been tried in the courts and found guilty that Police Scotland takes that matter very seriously. They investigate regardless of whether it is at a football club or coming from anywhere else. I hope that that gives the member some element of confidence. Clare Baker To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent reports concerning the awarding of contracts to and the future of BiFab. Minister Paul Wheelhouse As we understand it, the contract for the Narsden Agriow offshore wind project has not yet been awarded and, as such, it would be inappropriate to speculate on potential future contract awards that relate to commercial matters for the parties involved. I reiterate that the Scottish Government fully supports efforts by the industry, trade unions and campaigners to increase the number and value of contracts awarded to Scotland's supply chain, and we will continue to do what we can to ensure that a greater share of the work for offshore wind projects stays in Scotland. Clare Baker Does the minister agree with me that, following yesterday's passionate speeches and from MSPs from all across the chamber, that EDF can be in no doubt about the strength of feeling in Scotland, which is evident in the Fife Ready for Renew campaign, that BiFab must benefit from the awarding of contracts for the NNG project? Will he agree to take action on areas that are within his powers, on the weaknesses in the current procurement and contracting system that was identified by members yesterday that are disadvantaging Scottish companies? Minister Clare Baker Certainly, in terms of the latter point that Clare Baker makes, as Mr Mackay and myself made clear yesterday, we are committed to using the powers that we have in the Scottish Government to try to maximise the opportunities. We are not prepared to tolerate the position that has emerged in recent years of contracts happening with limited content from the Scottish supply chain. We will use, potentially, as the cabinet secretary set out yesterday, powers around decommissioning liabilities and leasing round for the next Crown State to try to maximise opportunities. In terms of actions that others have to take, as we said yesterday, the UK Government must review the CFD process, a contract for a different process, and ensure that it is doing everything in its powers to maximise the chance for the supply chain. Clearly, we can be left in no doubt yesterday the view of this chamber about the strength of feeling there is that Scotland needs to get a fairer share of the activity in those projects. Mark Ruskell I thought that the cabinet secretary, Derek Mackay, was quite clear yesterday that he intends to use his powers under the Crown Estate Act to influence the leasing to ensure that wind farms on the coast of Scotland are being built and manufactured here as well, supporting communities in Fife and elsewhere. However, will that be too late now for the national girth wind farm and others that are currently in the pipeline that BiFab desperately needs to have contracts for in order to retain jobs at Methil and Enarnash? Mark Ruskell As I said, my original answer, there is some sensitivity around the contracting process involved with the EDF and its supply chain at this moment in time, so we cannot intervene directly in commercial matters. The chamber left all developers in absolutely no doubt the strength of feeling there was across the Parliament yesterday. Certainly, Mark Ruskell is absolutely correct that the cabinet secretary is looking closely at how we use the resisting Crown Estate powers that have come to us through the establishment of Crown Estate Scotland to look at the leasing round and ensure that we avoid the situation where the supply chain misses out on that work. However, as regards existing projects, we have to try and work very closely with the developers to identify challenges for particular supply chain companies, maximise their chance of winning work and make them as competitive as possible, but clearly the Parliament has left everybody in no doubt exactly how strongly we all feel. Margaret Mitchell To ask the Scottish Government what measures it can take to ensure that customers pay a fair tariff for their home energy bills, including older people. Paul Wheelhouse The Scottish Government funds Home Energy Scotland to give people advice on how to reduce their energy bills. Since December 2015, almost 15,000 vulnerable citizens, including older people, have been helped to switch to a better deal. As well as this, the Scottish Government's new energy consumer action plan sets out how we will deliver a fair energy market for all, even though energy prices remain reserved to UK Government. Through a new, improving consumers' outcomes fund, we will explore how to set up collective switches to ensure that consumers pay a fair price for their energy. Margaret Mitchell The minister for that response is clearly logging on to help to reduce energy consumption in bills. However, accessing information on how to reduce energy bills is usually online and includes information about how to change suppliers. Given that, what specific measures is the Government taking to ensure that elderly people, many of whom do not have access to the internet, can take advantage of the help that is available? Paul Wheelhouse Margaret Mitchell makes a fair point, and it is reasonable that we know that, from the work of the Scottish annual household survey, older people—especially those aged 60 and older—were significantly less likely to use internet, which means that older population tends to have less access to price comparison websites, which can direct them to the best tariff. As a result, the service offered by Home Energy Scotland and we put £5.1 million to the Energy Saving Trust to deliver the service is particularly valuable for older customers who have been encouraged by members across the chamber to ensure that their constituents are aware of the opportunities there and to use that service as fully as they can. Pauline McNeill There is currently no requirement for energy providers to contact customers, particularly on the priority services register to offer them the best deal, so that would include older people, disabled people and chronically sick people and many others. Will the Scottish Government support the idea that the energy companies should be more proactive, particularly older people and people on the priority services register? There is a case for saying that it should go wider than that. The energy providers should be required to contact people directly and offer them the best deals they have. Pauline McNeill makes some very fair points. Again, I point out that the matters are unfortunately not the powers that this Parliament holds, but we are working with the big six energy providers and more generally the energy sector through the summits that we have held. The Scottish Government has chaired to try to encourage suppliers to work proactively with vulnerable customers and the priority services list. I am pleased to say that many of the companies are doing that proactively now to try to move people off of standard variable tariffs, to try to make sure that they are on the fairest tariff that is available to them, and to also contact those who they are hearing very little from. There are obviously more passive customers that perhaps are not aware of the opportunity to switch services. Question 7 has not been lodged. Question 8, Tom Arthur. To ask the Scottish Government how it supports fair work. Minister Jerry Hepburn. Fair work is central to delivering inclusive growth and remains a flagship policy for this Government. We have published our fair work action plan in February, setting out the action that we will take to achieve the vision for Scotland to be a fair work nation by 2025. For as long as employment powers are reserved, we will use all levels that are available, including attaching fair work first criteria to as many funding streams, business support, grants and public contracts as we can to deliver our ambitions for fair work. I will host a cross-party round table in June to consider what more we might do to drive fair work across Scottish workplaces. Tom Arthur. Can I thank the minister for that answer? With an estimated 270,000 people in Scotland combining work with caring responsibilities, will the minister join me ahead of carers week next month in encouraging more businesses and employers, including MSPs, to become carer-positive employers? Yes, I echo employers who are registered as carer-positive, employ some 330,000 staff, but we want those numbers to continue to grow. In my previous role as the Minister for Sport, Health and Sport and Mental Health, I had responsibility for this area. I was able to see the good work of that scheme. I am able to continue to see that now in my current role. I am registered as a carer-positive employer. Along with the Minister for Public Health, Sport and Well-being, I wrote to all MSPs earlier this year to encourage them to become similarly recognised. I reiterate that call again today. 9. Elaine Smith Thank you. Can I refer members to my register of interests with regard to both Unite and Unison and ask the Scottish Government when it last met the SQA and what was discussed? Presiding Officer, I hold regular meetings with the chair and chief executive of the SQA. I last met them both on 16 April, when a range of matters were discussed. Scottish Government officials are in also in regular contact with SQA officials. Elaine Smith I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. When one of my Labour colleagues asked about potential industrial action at the SQA in 1 May, the cabinet secretary told the chamber and I quote, that some of the trade unions have been in agreement with the restructuring proposals that the Scottish Qualifications Authority has taken forward. However, as confirmed by Labour this morning, the unions at the SQA, Unite and Unison, are not in fact supportive of the restructuring proposals. Can I ask the education secretary if he is not speaking with the staff at the SQA, where is he getting his information? Obviously, the SQA is a self-governing body and I have no employment responsibility with the SQA. The information that I shared with the chamber is information shared with me by the leadership of the SQA on the discussions that it has had. Elaine Smith has provided me this morning with new information. I will explore that information and I will write to her once I have explored and examined the issues that she has raised with me this morning. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to increase low-carbon travel opportunities in the north-east. We have invested in the north-east to promote low-carbon travel opportunities, including almost £3 million to support electric vehicle charging infrastructure, low-carbon vehicles and hydrogen buses since 2017. Over £1.2 million to support bus infrastructure, to encourage more people to use buses in the same time period. Between 2013 and 2016, we have provided almost £2.5 million to promote cycling, walking and safer streets, to promote cycling training in schools as well. In addition to that, the AWPR will reduce journey times across Aberdeen by up to half at periods and free-up roads for more public transport, faster journeys and improved reliability. Gillian Martin Thank you, cabinet secretary. For that answer, many of my constituents would like to be able to enjoy the benefits of rail travel. We have an opportunity to reopen the for Martin Bucking rail line and to tempt the people of Aberdeenshire East and Banff and Bucking out of their cars on which they currently rely for their daily commute into Aberdeen city. In the light of the climate emergency, with the cabinet secretary, consider looking at improved rail infrastructure in those parts of the country who are currently ill-served by rail. Michael Matheson As the member will be aware, we are already making a substantial amount of investment in rail in the north-east of Scotland, with some £330 million being invested in the area at the present time. We are always keen to look at whether there are opportunities to expand our rail network and to help to support local communities. We have the local rail development fund, which allows local communities to start the process of looking at developing rail routes within their area. That may be one of the options that are available to the local community in this instance. Beyond that, it would have to fit into our wider strategic transport projects review, the STPR2 process, which can consider other proposed programmes, including the one that the member has made reference to.