 AOM-LEALL We will start this afternoon with portfolio questions and question number one is from Ian Grey We ask the Scottish Government what the impact could be on Scotland's future ability to develop and promote its culture of the reported reduction in funding for music tuition in schools The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the role that music culture and creativity play in people's lives across Scotland roedd gan gy получилось. Wrestling shoes? mae'r rygwiant am dda Fund���ing yng不好意思 oечь, neu rwyddan yn rhan? Mae'r rygwiant enthusiastic i'r guldas ymd lích, awn ei bod해� analyst Ar cuanto allunwedd tolwyddon mommyll – arall, dderbyn bwysig invitedes iawn mae gyfosiarau oligodd ddechrau i gyfosiarau lleolol aelodiaeth. Aelodiaeth y lleolol wedi'i cynnig, ddydw i lŵr i unrwy o'i jywiol, â i'n gweithio ei bwysig aelodiaeth i gael penderfynol i gaelu amddangosol yn gyfosiarau nobl sydd yn gyfosiarau lleolol ei ddarparu oeddennig. a chydegwydr all measure 190. Rydyn ni yw'r panfê cancelled villig hwnnw ac yw bai nhw I disloc snapn i'w parmily запис cymdeithas i gydag ein byddii astuig a'u συrch ac yn ei ddweud hynny os ym ymwyffref for the sake of Scotland's cultural future. Astrall? I agree about the importance of music tuition in schools. I have to point out that he mentions that the figure is 7 per cent. 7 per cent is, of course, the real term that this Government, which this Parliament has received from the UK Government since 2010-11. Councils, as I have mentioned, are, despite that, receiving a real terms increase in the share of the budget that we are able to give to them. However, it is important to say that some councils, and I can think of some, I could name some, not least, for instance, the council in West Lothian, which has a bigger part in Midlothian, which has increased its fees from nil to £205. There are some councils who will wish to take a look at their action in terms of what we I hope would agree on, which is that free or music tuition should be available in an accessible form and should not prejudice its availability to anyone on grounds of their income. Liz Smith, could I ask the minister whether he would give Parliament a guarantee that, within the Scottish Government's working group on music tuition just now, that it will look at the private partnerships deal with public partnership? Obviously, if it is a question of finding additional money, which it seems to be, then that partnership deal could be very important. The Scottish Government always works on partnership with different agencies. It is worth saying in the context of music tuition that there has long been an agreement since the days of the working group on music tuition and schools, instrumental tuition, that any course that is leading to an SQA qualification should be provided free, and it would certainly concern me if there were evidence of that not happening around the country. On the subject of music tuition, will the minister join me in wishing system of Scotland chairman Richard Holloway all the best in his recently announced retirement? The minister might be aware that Richard Holloway spoke recently to a reception here in Hollywood that I hosted for the 10th anniversary of the Systema Scotland's big-noise orchestras. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that one of Richard Holloway's legacies is transforming the lives of children, young people and communities through an intensive and immersive musical experience, thus significantly improving the potential of people from disadvantaged areas to live a more enriched and fulfilled lives? Richard Holloway certainly deserves congratulations on that count. His vision and drive have been fundamental to creating and extending Systema Scotland's outstanding work in our communities, which has benefited so many children in the past 10 years. Systema Scotland has been a huge success in the member's constituency and elsewhere and is making a real and positive impact in our communities. Systema Scotland now reaches 2,500 children weekly and independent evaluation has highlighted that, as well as increasing the confidence, aspirations and self-esteem in the children and young people involved, Systema Scotland is making a real and positive difference to communities across Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote tourism in areas that are served by the M74. Transport Scotland has recently introduced signs to the M74 that signposts its nearby towns such as Dumfries, Lockerbie, Gretna and Echelfechan. Visit Scotland currently has a £130,000 memorandum of agreement with Dumfries and Galloway Council to promote the region. Visit Scotland will also receive £500,000 for marketing the south of Scotland region in 2018-19. I welcome the fact that towns across my constituency are finally on the motorway signs. Will the minister undertake to put pressure on Transport Scotland to reconsider its rules around brown signs for tourist attractions? Many of the smaller tourist attractions and tourist businesses across Dumfries and Galloway are struggling to make their way through the bureaucracy. I cannot claim to speak for Transport Scotland directly on that matter. I will make sure that the member has a response on that. It is suffice to say that the pressure that has been put on this issue from a number of members in the south of Scotland has been helpful in ensuring that the places that I mentioned are highlighted on those signs. However, we should certainly be open to all ideas to make sure that Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders are made much more clearly advertised and that the beauty of that region is more clearly advertised to all who visit Scotland. Emma Harper Thank you, Presiding Officer. The cabinet secretary is aware of my on-going campaign to encourage people to visit south west Scotland, and now the minister is aware. I echo Oliver Mundell's comments. Current signage on the M74 from the central belt going south gives the impression that there is nothing for 90 miles until you reach Carlisle. Will the minister agree to meet me to explore options for adapting M74 signposts to feature Bonnie Dumfries and Galloway and the beautiful Scottish Borders with the aim of encouraging further tourism, which will, in turn, give the local economy a much-needed boost? Mr Mundell, as someone who originally is a native of the Borders, I would similarly take offence to the idea that there is nothing between Glasgow and Carlisle if that is at all being suggested by anyone. I can certainly also pay credit to the fact that the member has raised the issue with the Government and Transport Scotland, and I believe that he has had some results, as we mentioned, on the issue of naming individual towns and villages. Her comments about naming regions and the wider south of Scotland borders and the Mfries and Galloway region are now on the record, and I hope that we will be noted by all concern. Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the promotion of Scotland as a destination for film, television and other productions is best achieved through Creative Scotland. We backed the screen sector with an additional £10 million of funding this year and approved the joint proposal from Creative Scotland and its partner skills and enterprise agencies to set up a dedicated screen unit within Creative Scotland. That unit, which will be led by a new executive director with screen industry expertise, will bring increased focus and coherence to public sector support for the film and television industry. Plans for its delivery are well underway and the promotion of film and television, which is already carried out by Creative Scotland, will, I believe, sit best within the unit. Parliament's culture committee agreed unanimously and on a cross-party basis to support the promotion of Scotland as a film and television location as a separate, standard-owned organisation. Given the overwhelming evidence that we heard from industry supporting that position, why does the Government not accept it as well? The report certainly recognised the contribution of the screen unit for the work that it does, and I welcome the fact that it acknowledged that. I believe that the method that has been set out and that has been identified by supporting screen is the best one, rather than creating new agencies. Since 2007, record public investment has gone into the screen. However, on the issues that the member raises around structures, it is important to say that there are three industry reps on the advisory committee on screen and that we are recruiting three new members on to the Creative Scotland board, specifically to represent expertise in film 2. I do not agree with the member's view about a standalone agency, but I am sure that we are agreed on the importance of supporting the industry. The question from Tavish Scott talks about the promotion of Scotland for film production. Back in 2013, Fiona Hyslop said that what we need is a film studio, particularly with a very effective sound studio, is part of that complex. We still do not have a film studio in Scotland. The new screen unit's action plans include finalising a business case for studio capacity and securing new space within 12 months. Is the minister confident that the screen unit can deliver that? We share the sector's ambition to see the creation of additional film and TV infrastructure working with Creative Scotland and Scottish Enterprise. We continue to actively encourage proposals from developers and to stand ready to assist in any way appropriate to aid their delivery. We have welcomed and we continue to welcome proposals from developers and we are, as I say, willing to assist in any way appropriate to aid progress on that front. The Scottish ministers have granted planning permission and principle to develop a mixed-use studio development at Pentland on the outskirts of Edinburgh, which is one example of our commitment in this area. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support community groups to ensure that they leave a cultural legacy from the year of young people activities. A great deal of activity is currently under way to make this year a catalyst for new ways of working with young people at a local level. Through our Create 18 fund, the Government is supporting young people to work with community groups throughout Scotland to plan and deliver high-quality community events, helping young people to showcase their talents and contributions to their local communities and helping to change attitudes and perceptions of young people. We are also working with local authorities to give young people the opportunity to have their voices heard and to create a lasting cultural change by putting young people at the heart of local decision making and the co-design of the services that they use. I thank the minister for his answer. Groups such as Universal Connections in Rutherglen and Cambaslang and Terminal 1 in Blantyre have events planned throughout the year to mark the year of young people. From the forever young event in Cambaslang to the musical showcase featuring children from across my constituency of Rutherglen, it is good to see local groups fully on board with this great initiative. Can the minister advise on whether a legacy evaluation will be undertaken to measure the success of this year's year of young people in order to learn from the positive lessons for the next theme year in 2020? Yes, we are developing an evaluation framework for the year of young people, which will ensure that the aims and objectives and outcomes of that year are met. That will measure the success of co-designing Scottish Government policies 2 in order to create a lasting legacy beyond 2018. All that complements the evaluation that young scots are leading, and they are doing so looking at the overall co-design element of the year. The Scottish Government is certainly committed to ensuring that the programme of themed years engages with young people and will continue to invite representatives from children and young people's organisations to join with us directly to ensure that their interests are fully represented. One community group is already doing invaluable work in supporting young people in the islands. I represent the Orkney youth cafe. Unfortunately, funding difficulties mean that, if not resolved by the autumn, the doors of the youth cafe could close. I ask the minister to ask his officials to engage directly with the board of the youth cafe to ensure that one of the legacies of the year of young people is not the closure of this vital facility. Although I have not been involved personally with that particular organisation, I am very happy to accede to the member's request to ensure that officials meet him and the board to see if there are any opportunities for a conversation that would be helpful. Thank you for saying that. Is the cabinet secretary aware that for community groups to deliver invaluable cultural benefits, support from qualified youth workers is needed, but evidence given by Unison Scotland to the local government communities committee last year stated that youth worker jobs have been substantially cut across Scotland. Does the minister agree with me that job losses and services will leave a negative legacy in communities who have suffered the brunt of these austerity cuts? Clearly, the contribution of youth workers is very important to a number of the programmes that we are mentioning. In some cases, those will be employees of local authorities, and I do not wish to repeat the points that I made earlier. However, the Scottish Government is always willing to work with all who seek to promote not just youth workers but also the people that they work with. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on organisations in the culture and tourism industries that discriminate on the basis of ethnicity operating in Scotland. The quality is at the heart of the Scottish Government's ambitions for a prosperous and fairer Scotland, and it is critical to how we meet the challenges and seize the opportunities that will allow us to thrive in the 21st century. We published the race equality action plan in December 2017, outlining more than 120 actions that we will take over the course of this Parliament to secure better outcomes for ethnic minorities in Scotland. Ivan McKee Thank you. The minister may be aware that Israeli airline Israel is commencing flights from Edinburgh to Tel Aviv shortly. Unfortunately, millions living in the area itself will be unable to board these flights in the Edinburgh airport solely on the basis of their ethnicity, as Palestinians living in the west bank are not allowed to fly through Ben Gurion airport, unlike Jewish Israelis living in settlements next door. Does the minister agree with me that such discrimination on the basis of ethnicity has no place in modern Scotland? The Scottish Government would clearly deplore and condemn any institution or business for that matter, which discriminated against its customers on the basis of their ethnicity, religion or nationality. It is up to the UK Government to decide which airlines fly to the UK, but the Scottish Government's views about the rights of the people of Palestine are a matter of record, and the ones that are widely shared across this Parliament. The minister confirmed that the Scottish Government, through, for example, its enterprise agency or Visit Scotland, will not support financially or otherwise businesses or organisations that operate within a system of apartheid, such as Ivan McKee's outline. Visit Scotland does not have a relationship with the airline in question. As I understand, the flights in question are inbound charter flights weekly. They are not a service that is promoted directly to customers within Scotland. Visit Scotland, as I said, does not have an on-going relationship with it. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its talks with the EU following the First Minister's recent meeting with Michelle Barnier. The First Minister visited Brussels on 28 May for a series of engagements that included a meeting with Michelle Barnier. Michelle Barnier showed an openness to listen to the Scottish Government's views on the Brexit negotiations. The First Minister outlined key issues of concern for Scotland, including the need for urgent clarity on the future EU-UK relationship, and the strongly held Scottish Government position that Scotland and the UK as a whole should remain within the EU's single market and customs union. Would the minister agree with me that a no deal Brexit would be catastrophic for Scotland and its economy? Would he also share my concerns that the UK Government having allocated less than a day to debate and vote on all those amendments to the EU withdrawal bill? As the member clearly appreciates and many other members will appreciate, it is important to understand just how helplessly confused the UK Government's present position is. I noticed on my way here just watching Prime Minister's questions where the Prime Minister seemed more willing and able to give an account of the House of Lords versus House of Commons pigeon race, which is important, although I am sure that the cause represented there was. She was able to offer any explanation of how either the Lords or the Commons would reach a conclusion about the hurried bill in question. I also think that it is quite a situation for us all to have reached where we are debating some of the most dire consequences of a no deal Brexit, and we should all work together to ensure such a thing never happens. Thank you very much and that concludes our cultural tourism and external affairs questions. We turn now to questions for the justice and the law officers. We start with question number one from Julian Martin. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the divisional commander for the north-east division of Police Scotland. I regularly meet the deputy chief constable of Police Scotland, Ian Livingstone, who has responsibility for operational policing across Scotland. I understand that DCC Livingstone met representatives from Aberdeenshire Council and Murray Council on 29 May to discuss a range of issues that are relevant to policing in the north-east of Scotland. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The north-east area can struggle to recruit people into public service as it has to compete with a relatively high-wage labour market and a housing market that is stubbornly expensive. Can the cabinet secretary outline what has been done to make policing an attractive career proposition, and can he point to any discussions that he has had with the divisional commander on specific training and professional development initiatives in the north-east division, and what has been done to enhance policing skills, particularly in a changing landscape where crime moves off the streets and goes online? There have been a number of challenges with recruitment in the north-east, which is due to the particular economic situation in that region. There has been concerted efforts made in the part of Police Scotland in order to enhance the recruitment approach. I am pleased to say to the member that that has resulted in Police Scotland confirming that there is a full complement being met in the north-east as a result of those actions. The member may also be interested to know that police officer pay for new recruits to Police Scotland is the highest in the UK. New recruits into Police Scotland receive a salary of over £24,000 a year, while in England and Wales new officers could currently receive just under £20,000 on starting. I understand that there are proposals to drop that further to £18,000 for apprentice police officers. Police Scotland's recruitment, training and development work is continuing, and that has been taken forward by the interim chief constable. I know that a new leadership and talent team in Police Scotland is currently taking forward a leadership strategy, and that will provide leadership development at all levels and will take forward new options for talent management and career development, including for those in the north-east of Scotland. In relation to the member's point about cybercrime and cyber capabilities, which are key priorities in the 2026 strategy, Police Scotland is committed to recruiting suitably cyber-skilled specialists to counter the threat of cybercrime, and a new cyber hub in Aberdeen has recently opened, where cyber officers and staff are co-located with appropriate technology and equipment that will bring their overall investment over the course of the five cyber hubs to some £5 million in order to help to ensure that they can address the increasing threat coming from cybercrime. In the north-east, anti-social behaviour has skyrocketed. It is up 41 per cent in Aberdeen, 34 per cent in the Shire and 20 per cent in Angus. Perhaps due to the issues that Gillian Martin highlights, the number of local divisional officers is falling. The number of special constables is near enough to have since the formation of Police Scotland, and the Crime and Justice Survey tells us that fewer people than ever are aware of a regular police patrol in their area. Does the cabinet secretary accept that there is a link between less visible policing and increased anti-social behaviour? As ever, the member tends to take a rather simplistic approach to those matters. He recognises that, in tackling anti-social behaviour, it is important that a range of different avenge agencies work in co-operation to deal with that. Police Scotland is an important element of that, alongside local authorities and other voluntary organisations and community-based organisations. It is important that the local authorities in the north-east of Scotland work in partnership with Police Scotland in addressing issues relating to anti-social behaviour. I hope that the member will be realistic and honest in the approach that he takes to that. He encourages local authorities in the north-east to make sure that they are working in a co-operation with Police Scotland to address those issues in an effective and responsible manner. Question 2 has not been lodged. Question 3, John Finnie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government how the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service ensures that the anonymity of rape complainers is protected during and subsequent to trial. So, Minister of General, Alison Derrolo. Thank you. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is absolutely committed to supporting rape complainers in giving their evidence at trial. Section 92.3 of the Criminal Procedure Scotland Act 1995 enables the court to clear and close the courtroom during the evidence of the complainer in a rape or similar sexual offence case. Prosecutors routinely make this application to the court to support the complainer in giving her best evidence and to protect her identity. The decision to clear the courtroom is for the court, but represents an important and appropriate departure from the general principles of open justice and that criminal proceedings are held in public. At the same time, the established practice of the Scottish media is that the identities of those making sexual complaints will be protected. Guidance is provided to the media in the published independent press standards organisation editor's code of practice. John Finnie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I thank the Solicitor General for that comprehensive and reassuring response. The Solicitor General will understand concerns that exist about victims of rape being identified online, particularly on social media, and the use of autocomplete functions by search engines such as Google can result in people who are searching for information on a case being presented with details of the complainer. Has the Crown Office, Procurator Fiscal Service, held any discussions with Google, Facebook, Twitter or any other such companies regarding the issue? Can the Solicitor General indicate if there has been any convictions as a result of a person's anonymity being breached? The internet and social media, in particular, undoubtedly present a set of challenges for the administration of justice and, indeed, all other aspects of civilised society in Scotland. So far as rape complainers and protection of their identity is concerned, COPFS would encourage any rape complainer to bring any matters of concern to the attention of the authorities. Certainly, for our part, the Crown would consider the facts and circumstances of both the individual case and the related posting or publication in order to decide whether any prosecutorial action was available and in the public interest. Fear of unwanted publicity is a natural and legitimate concern among rape complainers, and the views, interests and welfare of those complainers are at the heart of the work that we as prosecutors do in bringing sexual offenders to justice. Equally, the Scottish Government is committed to supporting the needs of witnesses to help to ensure that they can give their best evidence with the minimum anxiety about the process, including anxiety about anonymity not being protected throughout their lifetime. So it is a wider issue than simply the prosecution of crime. Cases will be examined to see whether individual criminal offences have been committed, but there is a bigger picture, a wider set of issues, and I am confident that the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, who would be responsible for wider legislation in this area, would be interested to hear and give careful consideration to evidence about particular concerns and the way that the system currently operates at present. To ask the Scottish Government when it will report on the consultation on its review of the regulation of legal services. The member will be aware that the review of the regulation of legal services is independent of the Scottish Government and is chaired by Esther Robertson. I am aware that the review under 2K called for evidence earlier this year and I understand that the chair intends to publish the consultation responses shortly. I expect the final report in the autumn. May I ask the minister to take careful cognisance of anything that is written in that report about the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission and the ability of citizens to be able to take complaints about solicitors and cases further on appeal? At the moment, I have constituents who are finding themselves disenfranchised, as they do not have the ability to appeal anywhere other than the court of session, which of course is prohibitively expensive. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I should just, in light of that particular question, perhaps refer members to my entry in the register of interests, where they will find that I am a member of the Law Society of Scotland. I do hold your practicing certificate, albeit I am not currently practicing. What I would say to the member is that the independent review of the regulation of legal services is also considering how to improve the complaints process. I feel quite confident that we will see recommendations along those lines when the Esther Robertson presents her report. However, I can also say to the member that, in the meantime, the Scottish Government is working with the Law Society of Scotland and the SLCC to identify improvements that can be made in the shorter term. Those improvements will require secondary legislation, which we will bring forward to the Parliament after the summer recess. I remind those in the chamber of my entry in the register of interests as a practicing advocate. Following on from the question that has been put to the minister, does the minister agree with the current SLCC chair, Jim Martin, who commented that the current legal complaints system is simply not fit for purpose? Will the current system now be overhauled to protect consumers and provide proper regulation? I can say to the member that I have had several conversations with the SLCC and the Law Society of Scotland, and I think that it is fair to say that they do not always take the same view of those matters. However, as I have said to Linda Fabiani, the report that we have commissioned the review rather of the regulation of legal services that the Scottish Government has commissioned Esther Robertson to complete will report soon. As I say, we will reflect carefully on the recommendations that are put forward, and we will then engage in a wide discussion in which I would invite Mr Lindhurst to participate. 5. Kenneth Gibson Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what the level of recorded crime was in 2006-07, and the last year for which figures are available. In 2006-07, there were 419,257 crimes recorded by the police. The latest year for which national statistics are available is 2016-17, when 238,651 crimes were recorded. That represents a 43 per cent decrease, which includes a 49 per cent fall in non-sexual crimes of violence. The national statistics for 2017-18 will be published in September this year. Kenneth Gibson I thank the cabinet secretary for that very positive answer. I am delighted that, thanks to the hard work of our police officers, the policies of the Scottish National Party Government and the fact that people are generally becoming more law-abiding, that crime has fallen so substantially making our streets and communities safer. Does the cabinet secretary agree, though, that there is no room for complacency and that a continued focus on reducing all crimes but specifically domestic violence in those of a sexual nature remains crucial? Cabinet secretary. I agree with the member that, although we should welcome the significant reductions that we have seen in crime, we can never be complacent and we need to maintain our focus on reducing levels further, including areas in relation to domestic violence and sexual crime. The Scottish Government has published its equal safety delivery strategy that sets out a range of actions that we are taking to tackle violence against women and girls. The member will also be aware that we took through the Domestic Abuse Scotland Bill, which introduced a new offence that criminalises a course of abusive behaviour towards a partner or ex-partner and, crucially, includes the issue of psychological abuse alongside that of physical harm. Alongside that sign, we have provided some £30 million between 2017 and 2020 to support a large range of projects to tackle domestic abuse and violence against women. On sexual crime, the Solicitor General and I have established an expert group to look at the prevention of sexual offending involving young people. The group will identify fresh actions that we can take in order to prevent harmful behaviours being conducted by young people and mitigate the effects that they have. Daniel Johnson Thank you, Presiding Officer. One concerning aspect in the most recent statistics on recorded crime was the continuing trend regarding falling detection rates. Detection rates in the capital continue to lag the rest of the country, just a third of crimes being detected compared to around a half for Scotland as a whole. In the context of the most recent plan that is submitted to the SPA board, given that local federation members have told me that police time is stretched more than ever in Edinburgh, does the minister agree with me that, if capacity is created, that should mean more officers on the street rather than fewer? Michael Matheson I recognise the concern that the member has raised. In the past couple of years, for example, in the Edinburgh area, there have been particular problems around housebreakings, which Police Scotland has taken action in relation to specialist operations being mounted in the capital in order to address those types of concerns where they have identified an on-going problem. No doubt local commanders through the executive team within Police Scotland will look at what further measures need to be taken here in the capital and in other parts of the country where there are particular localised issues around detection matters and particular types of crime. The member made reference to the issue about increasing operational capability, which is a key part of what Police Scotland and the SPA have set out with 2026. An important element of that is making sure that they increase their operational capability in supporting front-line policing, something that I support. At a time when the 2026 strategy was published, I believe, and I recall that it was welcomed by Opposition parties as well, what will be important is that Police Scotland and the SPA continue to drive that work forward as they take the implementation of 2026 forward. Liam McArthur I bear in mind what the cabinet secretary said about the welcome fall in the numbers of crime, particularly violent crime. Does he share my surprise and concern at Police Scotland's decision to take forward training of around 50 per cent of the police officers in Orkney in use of tasers for routine deployment? If the member will be aware that the reason that the special trained officers were introduced, some 520 of them helped to improve resilience around tackling issues relating to violent crime and crimes that involved a violent instance or a blade weapon in order to provide greater protection to police officers. We have only seen, in the course of last week, the risks that some of our police officers face. Of course, the member will also understand that those risks are equally shared in rural communities, where additional response times to support police officers can be longer than they can be in urban areas. Taser has been one of the tools that could assist in helping to provide greater protection to officers. I support the roll-out of the special trained officers across the country, including in our island communities, that will be used in a proportionate and inappropriate fashion to deal with incidents that do have elements of violence attacks to them and where there are bladed weapons. The special trained officers are being provided with specific training in how to use those devices as and when appropriate. I think that that is about enhancing police officers' safety overall, no matter what part of the country in which they operate. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to amend the entitlement to access legal aid. Despite significant financial pressures, the legal aid system in Scotland is one of the leading jurisdictions in Europe in terms of scope, eligibility and expenditure per capita, with 70 per cent of our citizens eligible to some form of civil legal aid funding in almost all areas of life. As noted in Martin's Evans independence strategic review of legal aid, substantial cuts to legal aid entitlement in England and Wales have dramatically reduced the scope of legal aid available in family, social welfare, debt and housing law cases. The Scottish Government will not follow that approach. Our vision is that Scotland is a global leader in supporting citizens to defend the rights, resolve problems and settle disputes. Richard Lyle. I thank the minister for that answer and can I welcome what she has said today. Could I ask though what plans, if any, the Scottish Government has to review in particular support to those who face additional challenges, including from low-income backgrounds, in order to ensure that they can access the justice that we all rightly wish to see served? The legal aid system in Scotland is already one of the most generous in the world and around 75 per cent of those who apply for legal aid receive that at no cost. The recent independent review that I referred to in my first answer made recommendations that would ensure that the high degree of support continues and those proposals will certainly be a priority in our consideration of how best to proceed with reform of the legal aid system. 7. Pauline McNeill. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on recent changes to the terms and conditions of interpreters used by the Scottish Court Service. The Scottish Government has a framework agreement for interpreting, translation and transcription services that is used by Scottish public sector bodies, including the Scottish Court and Tribunal Service. There are two suppliers on the framework agreement. There has been no recent changes to the framework terms and conditions. The Scottish Government does not contract directly with individual interpreters. Any terms and conditions of employment are a matter between the interpreter and the contractor. Pauline McNeill. Is the cabinet secretary aware that a group of interpreters recently went on strike due to recent terms and conditions by global connections, where they removed their payment for travel time? Will the cabinet secretary not agree that there should be a public interest in this matter, since it is governed by his office? In the case where interpreters have their travel time not paid to them, they would be in effect earning less than the minimum wage. Will the cabinet secretary not concern to us if we had interpreters who all be employed on a self-employed basis, who are earning less than the minimum wage, working in our Scottish courts? Surely that deserves some scrutiny. As I mentioned, the Scottish Procurement is aware of the issue of one of its suppliers having recently changed their terms and conditions with the interpreters in relation to the allocation of work and the rates of travel and expenses that they provide to them. The fixed rates in the framework agreement that the Scottish Government has in place are inclusive of all early rates. Travel up to 70 miles, expenses and management fees. Suppliers are required to bid on the basis at the tender stage on the principle set out within the framework agreement. It was for the bidders in their tendering response to decide what fully inclusive fixed rates were appropriate to cover early travel rates, including travel up to 70 miles, expenses and management fees. However, the Scottish Government does not contract directly with interpreters, and it is for the contractors to agree rates of pay with their own staff. However, if the member wants to write to me with more details on the matter, given that it relates to the Scottish Court and Tribunal Service, I will ensure that the chief executive of the Scottish Court and Tribunal Service responds to the concerns that the member has raised. Thank you very much. That concludes portfolio questions. Thanks to ministers, justice officers, law officers and members.