 Llywodraeth Cymru. To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to people who want to train as educational psychologists. Cabinet Secretary Michael Russell. The University of Dundee and the University of Strathclyde offer in alternate years a two-year master of science in educational psychology. Educational psychology students are eligible to apply to the Student Awards agency Scotland for a £3,400 postgraduate tuition free loan for each year. backing to this new year.306 diãyWSF Mirasawd, in addition from 2015-16, Scottish Demosild students undertaking the course will be eligible to apply for an additional loan of up to £4,500 each year to help with living costs. I met with students at the university of Strath's Clyde cohort on the 1st of May this year to discuss their experience of the course, the levels that werent available and the work they wanted to do as educational psychologists going forward. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Last year, a report from the National Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists highlighted in stark terms that the number of trained educational psychologists in Scotland, and I quote, are dangerously low, whilst at the same time demand for services are soaring. What words of comfort could the cabinet secretary give to the young trainee educational psychologist I met recently who spent a lot of time and effort to get the place on her course, but is at risk of being unable to complete it, as she tells me that the 49,000 anniversary was removed by the Scottish Government in 2012. Presiding Officer, there are two issues that need to be considered here. Mr Stewart is addressing both of them, and I say helpfully because I think he is. We have rehearsed these in the chamber before, but if I can briefly explain the two issues. The first issue is educational psychologists and the recruitment and retention of educational psychologists. The workforce planning that is taken for that indicates that the numbers being trained are adequate for the jobs available, and as long as it does that, then clearly it would be foolish to increase the number in training. If at any stage the workforce planning indicated more were required at something that I would take very seriously, there is also no shortage of students replying for those courses. There are very, very high-quality postgraduate courses and very high quality students who go into it, but of course I am happy to meet students and MSPs to discuss individual cases. The second point is the issue of postgraduate support. There was a varied map of postgraduate support, and there are two problems with it. One is that there were many inconsistencies in it that arose from previous shortages that money put in to try to address those. The second one is that there is a decline in the number of Scottish students undertaking postgraduate students. Yesterday, I announced a review to be undertaken by Brian McGregor, the vice principal of Aberdeen University, to look at the whole map of postgraduate provision and support for postgraduate provision and to see whether the prescribed list—there is a prescribed list of courses for support—should be changed or altered in any way, and how we would do that. We will welcome input from MSPs about that matter. To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the proposal to reconsider the Aberdeen Western peripheral route, fastlink a 90-junction design. The design of the Stonehaven junction, along with the suggested alternative, was debated at length during the public local inquiry in 2008. To reconsider that alternative design when the project is approaching financial close would cause significant delay to the spring 2018 completion date and incur a substantial, but is yet unspecified, extra cost. I'm grateful to the minister for his response. We've had quite a bit of discussion about this. I'm wondering whether the minister can confirm that changing the Stonehaven junction, as suggested, which would be a relatively small variation of contract, could not possibly be undertaken without the planning considerations that might build in the delays that nobody wants to see. I'm not as constituency MSP suggesting that there should be any further delay at all. I understand, of course, that there were and there remain competing views on the best option for this proposal. However, there were, as I've said already, exhaustively examined by ministers and by the public local inquiry. The Scottish Government is determined to achieve the spurious possible completion of the AWPR moving now, as I've said, towards financial close, and we would not want to risk in any circumstances the potentially huge costs and disruption in the necessity of a further public process of consultation and possibly even a further public local inquiry, all of which should be inevitably associated with changing the route at this very late stage. Neil Findlay. Can I ask the minister what leverage he is using in this £1.5 billion contract to get the successful contractors, including Balfour, Beattie and Carillion, to own up, apologise and pay up to the workers that they systematically prevented from gaining employment through their practice of blacklisting? Minister, it is about the junction design of the Aberdeen-Wesson peripheral route, but you may wish to answer that. On that note, as we have said many times before, we have made sure that the companies bidding for those contracts and others are not involved in the practices that Neil Findlay has mentioned, and that is our responsibility. We have taken that seriously and we have made sure that we have discharged that. To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the use of subordinated debt in procurement projects by the hubcoes and the Scottish Futures Trust. Cabinet Secretary John Swinney. Subordinated debt is invested in hub projects through Scottish Futures Trust and Investments Ltd, a subsidiary of the Scottish Futures Trust that is established for that purpose. Investment decisions are made and investments are monitored by the investment committee of the board. Scottish Futures Trust and Investments Ltd accounts showing investments made are published annually. John Wilson. I thank the cabinet secretary for his response. What discussions has he had with the Scottish Futures Trust about its prudent use of high-risk, high-yield financial instruments, namely low-grade junk bonds, and how widely are those instruments used by hubcoes for financing Scottish Government and local government procurement contracts? I cannot give Mr Wilson a specific answer on the point that he has raised about the quality and category of investment finance that is acquired. Other than to say that the Scottish Futures Trust has been very successful in obtaining the necessary private capital that has been required to support a number of strategic developments. In relation to the points that have just been covered and the answer that Mr Brown has just given on the Aberdeen Western peripheral route, it is involved in the procurement of the necessary finance to support that particular project. I can say to Mr Wilson that the Scottish Futures Trust has a very strong and robust framework for assessing the attraction of capital investment into those projects. That will be sustained by the scrutiny of the Scottish Futures Trust investment, limited and also by the Scottish Futures Trust as a whole. The Scottish Government has taken significant action to reform the private rented sector since launching our strategy for the sector in May last year. The 2014 Housing Act includes provisions to regulate the letting agent industry, to introduce a new private rented housing tribunal and to provide local authorities with further powers to tackle poor property condition. We are now consulting on proposals for a new private tenancy that will improve security for tenants while providing safeguards for landlords, lenders and investors. Shilter Scotland's Making Renting Right campaign has highlighted that a chronic shortage of affordable housing has driven more people into the private rented centre. Throughout my own region, there are over 20,000 private renters, many of whom are trapped renting and unable to access social housing or get on the property ladder. Does the minister therefore support Shilter Scotland's campaign, which is calling for a private rented sector that is modern, stable, flexible, predictable and fair for both the people who live in rented housing and the landlords who let out their properties? The Scottish Government has been working with Shilter and other stakeholders in developing our proposals for a new private rented tenancy. Shilter Scotland's campaign is to support the Scottish Government in making renting right across Scotland. That is because we have already put forward proposals that seek to improve security of tenure for tenants. In addition, we are working with the house building industry and have funded a private rented sector champion who will drive forward initiatives to boost the supply of new homes that are purpose-built for private rented tenants and will unlock new sources of housing investment. Security of tenure and increasing rent costs are key issues within the private rented sector. Does the minister agree that by introducing a standard three-year tenancy and introducing caps on rent rises would vastly improve confidence in the sector? As the member will be aware, we have been monitoring rent levels in Scotland and, only last week, we published a comprehensive rent statistics. The statistics show that most avaried rents have increased at below the rate of inflation with some rents falling. However, we are aware that rents are rising faster in some areas and in some household types, and that is why we are inviting views on the issue as part of our consultation on the new private rented sector tenancy system. That is what we are consulting on just now, and I would encourage the member to put her views into the consultation. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the power to set the penalties for drink driving being devolved. The Scottish Government has set out in more powers for the Scottish Parliament that we consider that full responsibility for the law and road traffic offences should be devolved to the Parliament. That would allow decisions to be made in Scotland about how best to improve the safety of Scotland's roads within Scotland's road safety framework to 2020 document. The devolution of powers would include drink driving penalties, so consideration could be given to whether changes should be made in this area. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. In light of the debate on Tuesday with the Conservative amendment and the support, the welcome support of Labour members for the devolution of more powers, we will write to the UK Government to highlight the cross-party support in this Parliament for the devolution of more powers and the issue. I am happy to consider doing that. The member raises an important point. We did debate the proposal to lower the limit that has now been passed. I think that there was a great deal of support across the chamber, certainly from Labour benches Dave Stewart in particular, as well as elsewhere. Indeed, the Conservative amendment alluded to that, that there are further steps that could be taken, whether it is in terms of graduated licence, whether it is in terms of a further lowering, but those would require some other considerations and indeed powers over the penalties that would apply. It does appear to me that we should go further than simply having the power as a Parliament to lower the limit, but to have further powers that would make Scotland safer. We have gone as far as we can with the current limits, and I am certainly prepared to consider taking on board the point that the member correctly makes. Question 6, from Dave Thompson, has not been lodged. I do have an explanation. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Highland Council regarding the A890 stone ferry bypass. On 20 May, I met the leader of the Highland Council to discuss a number of issues, including potential funding options for Stromferry. My officials at Transport Scotland continue to offer support and liaison with the Highland Council on this matter. Rhoda Grant. I thank the minister for that response. He will know about the recent landslide, which has been one of many, many, many years, going back indeed when I went to high school in the area. He will also know that that is the access road for the high school and the local hospital, as well as a well-used tourist street. The only diverse and available when there is a landslide is 130 miles long, which is not really a diverse and at all. The price of rerouting the road is high, but the economic benefit, not only for the area but the rest of Scotland, would also be enormous. Will he consider helping Highland Council with the funding of that, maybe jointly Highland Council and Scottish Government funding, so that we can bring that to pass as quickly as possible and cease that disruption? As I have just mentioned, we have had that discussion at least twice now, I think, with the previous Highland Council in relation to a previous rockfall and with the current Highland Council. As I have said, we will continue to offer support and liaison with the Highland Council on this matter. It is the case, though, that Highland Council is the road's authority for this area. In addition to getting demands for every area of Scottish Government activity to expend more resources, we also demand to expend resources on things that the Westminster Government is doing so that we can mitigate them. If we also have demands to do things that are the legitimate responsibility of local government, then it is impossible to see where those resources come from, unless Rhorogram wants to identify exactly where those resources should come from. I think that the approach that we are taking so far, which is to have a discussion with Highland Council to see what, if possible, we can do in tending to offer support, is the right course. However, as I say, the relevant local authority, in this case Highland Council, is the road's authority. It is its responsibility, albeit that we work with it. Rob Gibson Thank you, Presiding Officer. The Highland Council spent many millions of pounds in maintenance and landslope to clear up on this now life-threatening section of the Stromferry bypass. Would the minister agree that the Highland Council should seek the co-operation of the McPherson family at Adelaug State in planning the least expensive route over their land to Glen Oedlan on the bypass to the bypass? The Minister for Transport and the Islands I would say that, as I said to Rhoda Grant, this would be the responsibility of Highland Council to be for them to take forward any of those discussions and to look at the different options. Both members are right to say that it is a very constrained site. You have the railway right next to the road, right next to the water, and it is a very steep incline right next to that. It is a difficult situation, and we will do what we can, but it is right that Highland Council explore all the different options. Question 8, Jack Brodie. Thank you. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with football authorities regarding youth football contracts. This is a matter for the Scottish Football Association and the football clubs. As you will be aware, a petition has been lodged before the Public Petitions Committee on this matter. The Scottish Government has consistently made it clear that the Scottish FFA and the Football Clubs have a duty of care for all young people involved within the Scottish Youth Football Initiative, which must be upheld at all times. I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer. The future Scotland's football resides in the successful development of young male and female footballers. Some recent reports and, as the cabinet secretary said, evidence earlier this year at the Petitions Committee around table on youth football suggest that the contracted employment conditions of those young footballers might be a matter for review. Will the Government at least engage with the authorities to have them consider a further and in-depth review? I am aware that the latest position is that the committee is expecting a review of the current registration process by the commissioner for children and young people to be completed next month. I certainly hope that that helps the committee to take the issue forward, and we are very happy to engage either with the commissioner or with the committee after that. To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to replace the council tax with a local income tax. The Scottish Government is committed to consulting others later in this parliamentary session to develop a fairer, more progressive local tax based on the ability to pay. I thank the cabinet secretary for his response. I also ask the cabinet secretary to congratulate Christina McKelvie for her honesty at the Scottish SNP conference this weekend, where she admitted that the council tax freeze was, although regressive, benefitted wealthy people in her area, is the cabinet secretary going to disappoint Christina McKelvie by changing the system and taking a look at a system that is more progressive than the regressive council tax freeze that she currently has? I was not aware that Mr McMahon had been present at the Scottish National Party conference, but if he was, if this is a gradual journey that Mr McMahon is making to come over to the Scottish National Party, he will, based on the warmth with which he has always questioned me over the years, I will give him a very warm welcome when he comes over here in due course. As Mr McMahon will know, the council tax freeze has delivered real benefits to individuals and families across our country. The council tax had risen significantly before the election of this Government. We committed to freeze the council tax, it will have delivered and benefited to the average Bandy householder in Scotland. 1,200 pounds in benefits during the lifetime of this administration in the last Parliament and in this Parliament. That is welcome support to individuals. For those on low incomes, the council tax freeze has had a disproportionately greater impact on the household income of those on lower incomes. That is why the council tax freeze has given such real benefits to people facing financial challenges in Scotland today. To ask the Scottish Government what analysis has been published of the impact of welfare reform across Scotland? The Scottish Government has published a range of analysis reflecting significant concern about how welfare reform is impacting on people across Scotland. That includes analysis on how women and disabled people are being disproportionately affected by the reforms, how the number of sanctions has been increasing over time, how food aid provision has grown over time, in part because of the impact of sanctions, and how, over the six years to 2015-16, the cumulative impact of all welfare reform changes means reductions in welfare expenditure in Scotland of around £6 billion. All this analysis is available on the Scottish Government website. If welfare and social policy is devolved to this place as indeed it should be under the vow, how will the Government use that to tackle poverty and create a fairer society? Okay. Our proposals will focus on equipping the Scottish Parliament with the powers to create more jobs, tackle inequality and protect public services in order to create a welfare and fairer society. Thank you. That ends General Questions. We just go right on to First Minister's Questions.