 I remind members of the Covid-related measures that are in place and that face coverings should be worn when moving around the chamber and across the Holyrood campus. The next item of business is a statement by Kate Forbes on Scottish budget 2022-2023. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end of her statement, and so there should be no interventions or interruptions, and I call on Kate Forbes, cabinet secretary. Today's budget will help tackle the climate emergency, support economic recovery and reduce inequalities. It comes at a crucial moment for Scotland. It's the first budget of this parliamentary term, and it's also the first budget of this partnership government, developed in co-operation with the Scottish Green Party. It delivers on key commitments made in the Bute House agreement from free bus travel for young people to doubling the Scottish child payment. As a result of that partnership, the budget redoubles our efforts to meet our emission reduction targets in a fair and just way that creates economic opportunities, harnessing opportunities for green jobs for prosperity and for greater wellbeing. PwC and Lloyd's banking group both conclude that Scotland is the top-ranked part of the UK for green jobs and green economic prosperity. The budget supports Scotland at a point of transition, balancing our response to the immediate pressures of Covid and the cost of living crisis with longer-term action. If my last two budgets have been shaped by our immediate experiences of Covid, today's budget aims to lift our eyes to the future, while remaining vigilant to the effects of new variants. That is a transitional budget, as people, businesses and services get back on their feet. We can't leave anybody behind in our determination to increase prosperity, so the budget directly contributes to our national mission to end child poverty by doubling the Scottish child payment and investing in employability schemes to get people back into work. Government can never deliver on all of those ambitions alone, so we need to work collaboratively with all areas of Scottish life, public and private, national and local, to build on the renewed approach to partnership that we saw during the pandemic. However, in the absence of Covid-related funding, despite the very real, on-going impacts of the pandemic and combined with the pressures of inflation, that budget is a budget of choices. While the budget lays the groundwork for a green economic recovery from Covid-19, we must be clear that the UK Government's spending review hindered rather than helped us on that mission. In practice, with Covid funding having been removed, our day-to-day funding next year is significantly less compared to the current year, at a time when we undeniably need to invest in the economy and help public services recover. That means that the budget cannot deliver the resources that all of our partners will want, and let me be clear that there are areas where I would have wished to go further. Today, I present a budget that addresses key priorities, targets resources for low-income households and paves the way for future investment over the life of this Parliament. It is a budget of choices, but I believe that we have made the right choices. It is a transitional budget, maximising funding where we can to deliver key priorities now but also paving the way for future fiscal choices. Alongside today's Scottish budget and medium-term financial strategy, I am publishing a framework for the resource spending review, which will be published in May 2022 and set out the Government's multi-year spending plans. The framework sets out our principles and I look forward to contributions from members across the chamber. Let me now update Parliament on the economic and fiscal context and take a moment first to thank the Scottish Fiscal Commission for the forecasts that inform the budget. Supply chain bottlenecks, labour market shortages, inflationary pressures and rising energy prices are all placing extra pressure on businesses and households trying to recover from the impact of the pandemic. The Fiscal Commission forecasts a level of long-term economic damage to the Scottish economy from Covid-19 of around negative 2 per cent, similar to the OBR's forecast for the UK economy. That means that the long-term impact of Brexit on the economy will be worse than that caused by Covid-19, with the OBR attributing a 4 per cent long-term reduction in living standards due to the UK's exit from the EU. The impact of Brexit has not been felt equally across the UK. Latest figures from the ONS show that Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where the economy has recovered nearly to pre-pandemic levels. That is not surprising, given that Northern Ireland has, in effect, remained in the EU's single market for goods due to the Northern Irish protocol. While all other parts of the UK have seen a negative impact as a result of Brexit, the scale of that is three times higher in Scotland than in London. We said that Brexit would be bad for Scotland and that it would have a differential impact on our economy. As is clear, it is, which is having a direct impact on our budget. Be under no illusion, the budget that I am presenting today is smaller than it would have been if it was not for the impact of Brexit on our economy, a Brexit that has been imposed on Scotland against the express wish of the people that live here. Brexit and UK Government policy on immigration continues to affect income tax receipts in Scotland. Based on the latest SFC and OBR forecasts, Scottish income tax receipts are estimated to be £190 million lower than the BOT grant adjustment next year. There are a number of factors to explain that. Both the SFC and OBR state that the continued uncertainty around the pandemic means that the uncertainty around forecasts may be greater than usual. The final position on the performance of income tax revenues next year will only be known once outturned data is published in 2024. Strong earnings growth in London and the south-east, particularly among the highest earners, means that our budget is reduced even while earnings grow in Scotland. That issue is accounted for in the Welsh fiscal framework but not in ours, and we are clear that it must form part of the upcoming fiscal framework review. Rising inequality in England should not see Scotland's budget reduced, but, ultimately, without full control over economic policy and immigration, which the UK Government refuses to give us, we do not have full powers to mitigate the effects of Brexit to secure a green economic recovery from the pandemic and to raise the revenues that our public services need. Despite all that, there are reasons for optimism in the Scottish economy. The Fiscal Commission now forecasts that our economy will recover to pre-pandemic levels by April to June 2022, almost two years earlier than forecast at the previous Scottish budget in January. Although they are expecting a peak unemployment rate of 4.9 per cent at the end of this year, that is far below the 7.6 per cent forecast at the time of the previous Scottish budget. I have taken those forecasts and the overall state of our economy into account when setting tax policies for the year ahead. I am proud of the consultative approach that we take to taxation in Scotland. We consulted widely in advance of the budget and met with a broad range of stakeholders. We will maintain our progressive approach, which we will reinforce when we publish Scotland's first framework for tax. Of course, I recognise the on-going need for stability and certainty for taxpayers at this time, as well as targeted support as a foundation for recovery. For businesses, over the past two years, I have delivered 100 per cent rates relief for the retail, hospitality, leisure and aviation sectors. Unlike in England and Wales, we did not cap the level of support available at any time during that period. We were also the first Government to offer the certainty of our relief in 2021-22 when businesses need it the most. On 1 July 2021, this year, when retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England started paying rates, their equivalents in Scotland continued to reave 100 per cent uncapped relief for a further nine months. Those decisions, along with our unprecedented decision to cut the poundage at the peak of the pandemic, have saved businesses in Scotland around £1.6 billion through the rates system alone since 1 April 2020. Recognising that we have offered the most generous rates relief anywhere in the UK for the last two years and the importance of phasing the return of rates liabilities, rates relief for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors will continue at 50 per cent for the first three months of 2022-23 capped at £27,500 per rate pair. That will prevent a cliff edge for businesses in those sectors. I will also continue to offer the lowest non-domestic rates poundage in the UK at £49.8, delivering a below-inflation uplift for the fourth year in a row in addition to having the UK's most competitive package of annual reliefs worth £745 million. I have heard the calls to support small businesses in particular and our high streets. A small business with a rateable value of less than £15,000 on a Scottish high street will continue to pay no rates for the entirety of next year irrespective of what sector they are in through the small business bonus scheme. A new build in one of our towns will pay no rates for the first 12 months after occupation through the business growth accelerator. Our competitive rates reliefs are directly seeking to revitalise our high streets. On income tax, this Government's priority has been to make the tax system fairer and more progressive and to protect low and middle income taxpayers with increases in the cost of living and rising fuel prices likely to impact lower income families the most. I believe that those principles are more important than ever. I can therefore confirm that income tax rates next year will remain unchanged. The starter and the basic rate bands will increase in line with inflation and the higher and top rates will remain frozen at their current levels. Our progressive income tax policy means that the majority of Scottish taxpayers will continue to play less income tax than if they lived elsewhere in the UK, while those who earn more will pay more. It maintains spending power in households who need our support the most yet also raises crucial revenues for our public services from those who can most afford it. On land and buildings transaction tax, we will maintain both residential and non-residential rates and bands at their current levels next year and will shortly launch a call for evidence and views on changing the additional dwelling supplement. On Scottish landfill tax, we will increase both the standard and lower rates of tax from 1 April to maintain consistency across the UK and support our ambitions for a more circular economy. In sum, with our devolved tax policies, we are delivering a more progressive approach to tax, while also supporting recovery. We are generating the revenues that we need to invest in our NHS recovery plan in our new national care service, a real-terms budget protection for our police to keep us safe and, of course, the doubling of the game-changing Scottish child payment to £20. The continued threat posed by Covid will remain the primary focus of the Government in the immediate term, not least in the face of the risk of further variants. Today I can set out our plans to provide increased funding to respond to the pressures created by the pandemic and ensure that everyone can get the care that they need in a time, in a place and in a way that suits them. We are doing that despite the absence of Covid consequentials from the UK Government, which means that we must absorb those additional Covid costs within our overall budget. In total, that budget provides record funding of £18 billion for health and social care, not only to address the immediate pressures across the NHS, but also to deliver the first step to ensure front-line funding that directly supports patient services increases by at least £2.5 billion by 2026-27. As we set out in our manifesto, we are delivering on our commitment to pass on all health and social care consequentials in full, with additional spend in excess of £1 billion in health and social care. Members will be aware of the staffing difficulties being experienced in the care service, with Brexit and the ending of freedom of movement once again a major factor. The transfer to local government for social care includes an additional £200 million that will deliver the £10.50 minimum wage for all adult social care staff in commissioned services and support the recruitment and retention of care staff that are so vital to the health and care system as we begin the process of creating a new national care service over the course of this Parliament. The overall package provides £1.2 billion for mental health, taking forward our commitment to ensure direct mental health funding increases by 25 per cent and that 10 per cent of all front-line NHS spend goes to mental health by the end of this Parliament. We also reaffirm our commitment to keep the promise, which will see the establishment of an initial £50 million whole family wellbeing fund to provide person-centred holistic support for children and their families. That funding will build during this session as capacity and capability for transformational change builds in the sector. The budget also deepens our partnership with local government. It delivers a settlement for local government that recognises the leadership role that councils play in their communities and their part in delivering a national recovery. It provides increased resources for social care and education, ensuring the continued delivery of vital local services across Scotland while working to increase the fiscal autonomy and power of local government and put more say over how local budgets are raised in local hands. That includes record increased investment in teacher recruitment, supporting the recruitment of at least 3,500 teachers and 500 classroom assistants over this Parliament. Presiding Officer, my investment plans for public services and action across portfolios are directed by three priority themes, tackling inequalities, supporting Scotland's economy and ending Scotland's contribution to climate change. The budget backs our national mission to tackle child poverty and to make Scotland truly a land of opportunity for everybody. The most immediate and direct way to tackle poverty is by putting more money into the pockets of people who need it most, ensuring a decent standard of living, particularly for children. That budget invests in increasing family incomes, driving down the cost of living. It provides £200 million for the Scottish attainment challenge, the next instalment of our commitment to provide £1 billion over this Parliament to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap. Over £4 billion across social security and welfare payments, providing vital support for low-income families, carers and disabled people, including £1.95 billion to start delivery of the adult disability payment next year. £41 million for the Scottish welfare fund, helping people in times of crisis, £80.2 million in discretionary housing payments, and £110 million to provide free bus travel for young people from January, putting more money in their pockets and encouraging more use of public transport. It includes over £72 million for the continued expansion of free school meals, providing lunches for all children in P1 to P5 and special schools, and supporting the infrastructure that is required to roll out lunches to all primary children. It includes £544 million to deliver free, funded early learning and childcare for three and four-year-olds and two-year-olds for lower-income households, while taking forward work to expand that to one-year-olds from low-income households within this Parliament. £831 million for affordable housing, progressing our commitment to deliver 110,000 affordable energy-efficient homes across the next decade, leveraging private sector investment and supporting employment in the construction sector. There is no question but that those measures will make a big difference, but we can and must do more. I know that there is consensus in this Parliament for greater action to tackle child poverty. It is right that Government stretches every sinew to do so, and that means that we have to make hard choices elsewhere in the budget where necessary. We do so in order to fund the most ambitious anti-poverty measures anywhere in the UK and to respond to the UK Government's decision to scrap the £20 uplift to universal credit. The budget delivers not just on the pledge in the programme for government to double the Scottish health payment to £20 per week, but, as the First Minister announced last week, we will bring forward that commitment to April 2022. That is nearly £200 million in next year's budget going directly to lift children across Scotland out of poverty. I know that when our economy is prospering, there is more public revenue to reinvest. We cannot talk about public services without ensuring that we are supporting businesses to recover. The budget invests in Scotland's ambition of being a wellbeing economy, an economy that enables successful and profitable business activity, entrepreneurship and innovation, but is also environmentally sustainable and supports all parts of Scotland to thrive. We know that the biggest challenges facing businesses right now are labour shortages, rising costs and inflationary pressures. Our budget seeks to respond to each of those, to invest in skills and employability, to make catalytic investments that regenerate areas and boost trade and keep costs low. That will be a long-term process, and I will shortly publish the Government's national strategy for economic transformation to provide the vision and the leadership for the longer term. However, it is a process that also starts now with this budget, because today's budget provides more than £205 million in capitalisation for the Scottish National Investment Bank, helping it to deliver against its missions of supporting Scotland's transition to net zero-building communities and promoting equality and harnessing innovation. Scotland's geographical diversity is one of our great economic strengths. I can confirm investment of £51 million in rural services and islands, including activities linked to the national islands plan and introducing a new islands bond fund. There are few challenges as acute as labour shortages, so we will invest over £225 million in Skills Development Scotland to support a range of national training interventions. The budget allocates nearly £2 billion to Scotland's universities and colleges, delivering high-quality education and training. More generally, I am providing more than £370 million to support our enterprise agencies and nearly £50 million to visit Scotland to strengthen key sectors such as tourism to promote innovation and achieve sustained success in new and emerging markets. Those actions, taken together with a package of non-domestic rate measures, provides a strong platform in this budget for Scotland's economy now and long into the future to thrive and prosper. I turn now to the climate crisis, which is also an enormous economic opportunity for Scotland. Our hosting of COP26 showcased what we are already doing in Scotland and the depth of commitment that exists to go further. I have worked closely with colleagues in the Scottish Green Party to shape those commitments, and I welcome their support and their constructive challenge. Through this budget, we will lay the groundwork to protect and restore our natural environment, to decarbonise our homes, our industries and transport and to position ourselves as a global leader in renewable energy and in green and digital tech. Meeting our ambitious emissions reduction targets will require transformational activity across all sectors of the economy and across society. It is not an easy task, but we are up for the challenge. The just transition to net zero needs investment now, and today's budget sets out almost £2 billion of low-carbon capital investment in Scotland's public infrastructure. Supporting the decarbonisation of our homes and buildings, our transport and industry, we will also continue to work with the private sector to mobilise investment behind the low-carbon transition. The budget will lay the groundwork to secure a green recovery and follow through on our commitment to implement the recommendations of the Just Transition Commission across this Parliament. Today, I can confirm that the first £20 million of our 10-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North Eastern Murray, £336 million for energy efficiency and low-carbon and renewable heat, cutting emissions, making homes warmer, tackling fuel poverty and creating jobs across Scotland, including £60 million for large-scale heat decarbonisation projects. £53 million across a range of energy transition and industrial decarbonisation projects, which in turn include £20 million for energy transition fund projects in the north-east. £23.5 million for our green jobs fund, helping businesses to create green employment through investment, and a record investment of £150 million in infrastructure to make walking, wheeling and cycling safer. £1.4 billion to maintain and improve and decarbonise Scotland's rail network, £43 million to drive forward Scotland's circular economy, £53 million to restore Scotland's precious natural environment, including our internationally important peatlands, addressing the twin crises of climate change and nature loss. That is £25 million this year to start work on transforming farming and food production in Scotland to be world-leading in sustainable and regenerative agriculture, and a further £69.5 million to be invested in woodland creation and sustainable management of Scotland's woodlands, enabling an increase of our woodland creation target to 15,000 hectares. Climate change requires global action, driven by local and national commitments, to ensure that we deliver the changes that are needed, and today's budget demonstrates that that commitment exists here. Let no one be in any doubt that this Government, working in partnership with the Scottish Greens, is absolutely committed to meeting our statutory climate change targets and delivering the net zero society that we not only want but need to see. I want to lastly turn to the issue of pay. The principle of fair work is a cornerstone of this Government's economic approach, and I have placed that principle at the centre of my decisions about public sector pay. I recognise the challenges that are presented by inflation and rising living costs and the huge effort that the public sector has made in responding to the pandemic. Our pay policy for next year therefore focuses on those on low incomes, continuing our progressive approach in guaranteeing an inflationary uplift of at least £775 to those earning up to £25,000, £700 to those earning between £25,000 and £40,000, and £500 to those earning above £40,000. In October, the Government announced an uplift in pay for social care workers to £10 to £2 per hour. Today, I can announce a minimum wage floor of £10.50 per hour across all bodies covered by the pay policy, with specific funding to apply that for adult social care staff. Targeted support for many of our lowest paid staff across the public sector is hugely important, and that budget delivers that. As I come to a close, today's budget is a budget of choices. We have chosen to tackle child poverty, to invest in the transition to net zero and to boost economic prosperity. It delivers on our manifesto promises, more teachers, more funding for our police and record investment in our health and social care service, as we stand united against the impacts of Covid-19. It is a budget for households facing a cost of living crisis, targeting resources at low-income families and making bold choices to address the devastating impact of child poverty. It is a budget for our businesses and our workers, with further financial support for enterprises now and a clear plan to achieve longer-term prosperity. It is a budget for a net zero future that, once again, shows Scotland leading from the front in the defining mission of our generation. I commend this budget to Parliament and to the people of Scotland. The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 60 minutes for questions, after which we will move on to the next item of business. I will be grateful to members who wish to ask a question where to press their request to speak buttons now. I call Liz Smith. The cabinet secretary is a fair-minded person, but I have to say that I am absolutely astonished that, for this budget, she has not been able to at least acknowledge that she has at her disposal record block grant funding from the UK Government. Up by 10.6 per cent, in proving the benefits of Scotland being part of a strong United Kingdom, needed now more than ever as we battle our way out of the prolonged pandemic. The Scottish Conservatives were very clear that the focus of this budget should be twofold, on supporting our public services coming out of Covid-19 and accelerating our economic recovery. Those two goals are not separate. Each relies on the other and, achieved together, they will secure the wellbeing of Scottish jobs, Scottish companies and Scottish families into the future. In that respect, we welcome the doubling of the child payment, which is something that we had called for. Presiding Officer, we understand that budgets are about choices, and they lead up to today's statement that we made choices that show that it is possible to balance support for public services and the move to net zero with the protection of jobs and stimulating economic growth. Such is that concern, and on the back of what businesses were telling us, we wanted the SNP to extend 75 per cent rates relief to customer-facing businesses in the next financial year, a measure that would be worth £631 million to businesses. We think that businesses will be disappointed by today's budget statement. Can I ask why there is no commitment to a clear programme for long-awaited structural reforms to the Scottish economy, most especially to the reform of non-domestic rates that is called for by Liz Cameron and Scottish Chambers of Commerce, as well as greater investment in skills and the digital infrastructure, which has been called by our business organisations and by our colleges and universities, which all will play a leading role in securing Scotland's future economic success? Secondly, we wanted to ensure that money goes to front-line health services in the care sector, where it is very clear that there are significant resource issues. Scotland is set to receive £2.1 billion in healthcare consequentials, and while there is £1.2 billion of consequentials coming to local government, there is clearly a real-term cut to local government in this budget, so perhaps the cabinet secretary could explain what that choice means, and if she could explain that the money that goes to local government, whether those local authorities will have the autonomy to spend that money as they choose. Thirdly, we will reject any attempt by the SNP whether now or in later budgets to backtrack on its £2.2 billion of commitments to upgrade the road network, including the dualling of the A9 and A96, which are not only important for connectivity and economic growth, but provide a much-needed lifeline for our rural communities, many of which have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic. After all the confusion that we have seen in recent weeks and the absence of clarity in today's statement, can the cabinet secretary tell us exactly when those two upgrades will be completed? Presiding Officer, we will measure all the announcements in this budget against the essential test of whether they will assist the efforts to project jobs and families and safeguard our economy. The budget process is a chance for the Scottish Government to put aside party political priorities and act in the national interest. That will be the test of whether the budget delivers for Scotland. Let's start with the block grant funding, because you cannot, by any calculations, come to any other conclusion but that. Next year's budget is a reduction on this year's budget. Why? Because the Tories have wished Covid away. They have stripped out all Covid consequentials. That is funding to tackle the impact of Covid on our health service, on our justice system, on our transport system. The people of Scotland know that Covid continues to have an impact, so to wish away and strip out all Covid consequentials completely disregards the risks that our public services and our people are facing right now. On the specific asks that Liz Smith has identified, I will start with rates relief. Let's remember that retail hospitality and leisure businesses under a Conservative Government started playing rates last July. In Scotland they are still not paying rates, so in terms of dealing with the on-going pressures that businesses face there is a far bigger cushion here in Scotland and we know what businesses are raising as primary concerns with us. Labour market shortages, the rising costs of materials as well as the impact of inflation, many of those issues have been inflicted by a Tory Government itself. In terms of the structural reform to non-domestic rates, we have just seen the Chancellor announce his big reforms to the non-domestic rate systems. Interestingly, what he did was to take our best ideas and reform the non-domestic rate system in England according to measures that were already in place in Scotland. However, my last point to the Conservatives is that if you want to deliver the many choices and the many options that you have set out today, you will need to tell the Parliament how you are going to do that. What will you cut or what taxes will you hike? At the end of the day, if we are to deliver the health and social care funding, if we are to protect businesses with the pressures that they face and, most importantly, if we are to absorb all the Covid costs within our budget because there is no additional Covid funding, then there are very stark choices facing this Parliament. I think that every party, including the Tories, needs to be clear what will cut or what tax rates will rise. Paul Daniel Johnson Thank you. Perhaps I should begin in terms of advance sight of the statement, rather than saying thank you is say you're welcome. However, the real question that the people of Scotland are wondering is not just when will we get back to normal, but when will we move beyond the crisis? Unfortunately, the budget fails to answer that question. Challenging times require bold action, but rather than rising to the challenge, the budget is just more managed decline under the SNP. There are, of course, things that we welcome in the budget. It is right that the NHS gets the bulk of new funding, but we know that there are more people stuck in hospital because we can't recruit enough care workers to look after them than there are people in hospital with Covid. That's why care workers deserve a fair pay increase to £15 now, not a meager, barely 50p pay rise. That is an insult to those hard-working workers. High streets and local shops are the heart of our communities, but they face a bleak new year, with teleports springing up across Scotland. It is not enough to write off retail and manage decline and just resetting that cliff edge three months into the summer. On action on child poverty, that will always be welcome, but the Government's own targets are not just doubling the child payment but increasing it to £40 by April 2023. As we consider the prospect of new restrictions, every parent is wondering whether this winter will bring more disruption to their schooling. Recovery means implementing the same ventilation systems and standards that we demand in our offices in our children's classrooms, not just asking them to open the window and hope for the best. Over recent weeks, the cabinet secretary has repeated today that she has attempted to dampen expectations, claiming that she has no money, but that is not true. The block grant this year will increase by £3.9 billion—7.7 per cent in real terms. That is the largest increase in the block grant since 2001. The cabinet secretary has choices to use those funds to be bold, to deliver recovery or to continue SNP-managed decline, and Scottish Labour makes no apologies for pushing her to be bold, to make recovery real, not just a political posture or a name check. Let me ask the cabinet secretary how she is going to entice more people into social care work when she is only offering £48 increase on their wages, just not 0.6 per cent above inflation. How many retail businesses does she think will go to the wall three months after the new financial year begins, and how many businesses pay rates at all if their rateable value is below £15,000? Finally, how far short of the Government's own child poverty targets will they be at the end of the next financial year? It is really unfortunate to hear the Labour party parroting the Conservatives' press release. In terms of the funding available, will parrot that line, Labour should get behind the headlines and recognise the fact that we have got to absorb all the Covid costs within our budget. However, one of the advantages in seeing what Labour's asks were ahead of time was that I did some calculations, and their overall asks we calculate comes to approximately £3 billion of additional funding. Assuming that the Labour Party does not want us to cut anything within the budget that has been published, can I check if they want every taxpayer in Scotland to be paying £1,000 more per year in order to deliver that? Coming on to the specifics, I think that we should be paying our carers more. That is why we have confirmed a wage floor today of £10.50 per oar. That is higher than the national minimum wage, it is higher than the real living wage, and we are fully funding local government to do that. That uplift is taking pay for social care workers significantly higher than the national living wage of £8.91, which applies to many social care workers elsewhere in the UK, including in Wales, under the Labour Party. It is also higher than the £10 per oar that the UK Labour Party is calling for carers to be paid in England. Two other points, if I might, on high streets and local shops. We agree that we need to invest in our high streets and ensure that local enterprises can thrive. That is why we have taken 110,000 small businesses out of rates altogether. However, the member will know, as well as I do, that it is more than rates that will invest in our high streets and ensure that our local towns are thriving. My last point, because Labour has previously called for £20 per week per child with the social care child payment. As soon as we deliver, they obviously increase that figure. However, I have a question for them. Is it whether they will vote in this budget to put £20 per week for every child in Scotland that is eligible, or will they vote at the end of the day against an additional £20 per week per child? The Scottish Liberal Democrats seem to be at disruption here. I thank you for your contribution, but I will cheer this meeting of Parliament, and we will hear Mr Cole-Hamilton. The Scottish Liberal Democrats will always engage constructively in negotiations around the Scottish budget, particularly in a year when the budget carries such importance. Last year, it is why, with an additional £120 million afforded to mental ill health, we backed the Scottish Government's budget before the election. However, we will need to do a lot more on mental ill health, given the hidden pandemic of mental ill health that has been caused by Covid-19. It is a dismay to our party that we are witnessing in this budget a real-terms pay cut to teachers, nurses and many thousands of public sector workers in the face of a rise to national insurance contributions and rising costs of living. I also agree with Labour that the derisory pay increase offered to social care staff is not going to be the transformational injection that we need to make this a profession of choice and attract people into the profession. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance describes this as a budget of choices, yet it is concerning that she has, on page 103, chosen to put preparations before another independence referendum, yet nowhere in the pages of the budget document does she make reference to the 100,000 people in Scotland currently suffering from long Covid. It is an event that has been characterised as perhaps being the biggest mass-disabling event since the First World War, and yet those 100,000 Scots are nowhere in the pages of this document. Can I ask the Cabinet Secretary for Finance if this is an oversight? If it is, can we meet together to discuss how best we can extend long Covid care? If it is not an oversight, what does she have to do to those many tens of thousands of Scots suffering at home from this debilitating condition? On the contrary, the policy that we have set out today is progressive, it is fair and it focuses our efforts on the lowest paid. I remind the member again that we did that last year without any co-consequential funding because the UK Government froze the majority of salaries under the public sector pay policy. Again, this year, we are still slightly in the dark about what they are going to do. Despite that, we have moved ahead to ensure that our public sector pay policy is affordable and it is fair. In terms of long Covid, he will know that we have published our approach paper to set out 16 commitments to improve care and support for people with long Covid in Scotland, backed by £10 million long Covid support fund. In terms of the document with record spending on health and social care, we will ensure that, as part of that £18 billion, there is a focus on people who are suffering from long Covid, which is a hugely important issue. I will make my last point to the Lib Dem, the same point that I have made to other parties. I have allocated every penny on the face of the budget. I have done that, having absorbed all the on-going Covid costs within the reducing budget that we compared with last year. Therefore, if we are going to increase any budget line, my question is how. Where does it come from and how do we fund it? At the moment, every penny is accounted for. I thank the cabinet secretary for bringing forward her budget by a week to allow the Finance and Public Administration Committee to undertake greater scrutiny. I appreciate her difficulties, given that resources that are available to her were declined further in the two years following the budget. Given fiscal constraints, as this Parliament has no powers over excise and fuel duty, inheritance tax, VAT, national insurance and so on, all of which are available to the UK Government, by which the Opposition seeks to continue denying us, how much extra would each Scottish taxpayer have to fund Tory, Lib Dem and Labour spending demands? It is not easy to answer, but I appreciate that, given that many are completely uncosted. I thank the member for that question. It is, of course, for Opposition parties to explain the detail of their policy proposals, precisely what they want to fund and how it would be funded. I have shared my estimation of the costs of the requests of the Labour Party, which I reckon to be in the range of £3 billion. As a general illustration, that would cost every Scottish income taxpayer around £1,000 a year on average, if funded through income tax rates alone. However, we also know that household and businesses across Scotland are facing the challenges of an increase in the cost of living, rising energy costs, rising inflation and also a rising tax burden. At the end of the day, having allocated every penny on the face of the budget, it is for others to determine how additional asks are funded. Table 5.01, on page 39 of the budget document, shows local government spending, excluding Covid funding, increasing only marginally from £11.124 billion to £11.145 billion. That represents a substantial real terms cut. Does that make it inevitable that we will see substantial council tax increases for hard-pressed households as a result of the finance secretary's choices? In terms of local government finance settlement, it delivers real terms growth to the settlement. It protects the core budget and cash terms and ensures that local government is getting a fair share of the health and social care consequentials, which is something that they have long called for. That additional £200 million will directly support investment in health and social care, knowing as we do how important it is to invest in the preventive side of health and social care, so as to reduce the pressure in acute services. Michelle Thomson, to be followed by Jackie Baillie. I congratulate the cabinet secretary on such an outstanding budget statement, given the severe challenges that are created by a frankly incompetent UK Government. The cabinet secretary rightly puts economic recovery at the heart of her budget. There is the first-ever female to hold her post. I want to ask her about issues of concern for many women in business. What can be done to ensure that there is increased granularity of the economic impact on women across government, both of Covid and Brexit and so on? What can be done to ensure that women are not discriminated against in seeking business funding for start-up companies? Cabinet secretary, it is an excellent question. One of the pieces of work that we are doing right now, particularly after the Covid grants, drew attention to the fact that fewer women had received some of those business support grants, is to use the women's business centre, which will be established over the course of this Parliament, and work with the enterprise agencies to ensure that funding is being shared equally, and to ensure that women have an equal opportunity to participate in not just the labour market but in growing and founding businesses. We are working collaboratively with a number of organisations, including Women's Enterprise Scotland, to achieve a better equal playing field when it comes to participation and pay. Jackie Baillie, to be followed by John Mason. There is a huge and growing workforce crisis in social care because of endemic low pay, and that has a direct impact on the crisis currently in the NHS. In that context, an increase of £48 is derisory for the work that social care workers do. Those were the people on the front line of the pandemic. Those were the people caring for our loved ones. Those were the people who we clapped for every Thursday evening. Why have the SNP and the Greens who put that in their manifesto not listened to the trade unions, the social care employers and those who received care that there needs to be an uplift immediately of £12 per hour from next year? That is the second budget in a row that we have asked for this. It is costed, it is affordable without raising a single penny in income tax, or is the truth that the SNP and the Greens simply do not believe that social care workers are worth it? Jackie Baillie will know that it has been costed, and what the Labour Party has been calling for is £15 per hour, which will cost £1.8 billion. We have chosen, over the course of this year, to increase the social care pay to £10 to £2 per hour as a priority, and now to increase it to £10.50 per hour. That is £40 per hour per week towards social care workers. It is a priority that we have. It is higher than the national minimum wage, it is higher than the real living wage, because we believe in the importance of our carers, not just as part of ensuring that the health service can continue with the challenges that it faces, but also to ensure that we recognise and value the work that our social care workers do. John Mason to be followed by Ross Greer. I think that the cabinet secretary knows that the finance committee has been keen that we move to more preventive spending. If we take something like health and social care, can she say anything about how much of the budget will be considered preventive spending and if there has been any change over recent years? The budget does underpin our commitment to shift the balance of spend towards mental health, to primary social and community care. It delivers over 50 per cent of front-line spend directed towards community health services and progresses our commitment to increase primary care funding by 25 per cent over the Parliament. Those are examples of where we have tried to increase preventive spending so as to reduce pressure in acute areas. £1.6 billion investment in social care and integration lays the groundwork for our national care service. There are other examples that I can point to where we have tried to shift the balance of spend. Ross Greer to be followed by Christine Grahame. Thank you. The budget is historic for a number of reasons, including the fact that it is the first to be co-produced by a Green Party anywhere in the UK. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, inflation and cuts from Westminster's Tory government, it prioritises tackling child poverty and the climate emergency. For example, there is record investment in making homes and buildings warmer and easier to heat, lifting families out of fuel poverty and reducing emissions. It will fund the first full year of free bus travel for everyone under 22. Can I ask the cabinet secretary if she can confirm how many young people will benefit from this transformational policy? Over 930,000 children and young people will be eligible for free bus travel when the young person's free bus scheme is introduced. I refer to the £200 million additional funding directly to local government to fund the increase to £10.50 per hour as a minimum to adult social care staff. That, for me, is to be welcomed. However, to increase recruitment, we have to look beyond that to there being career progression for those in the care sector. Can I ask if that will form part of the consideration of the national care service? It will certainly form part of the consideration of the national care service, but we are not waiting until the national care service to start that work right now. I have talked about the £200 million directly for pay, but there are other initiatives that we are directly funding to increase capacity—for example, £25 million for social work capacity, £50 million of investment to progress fair work, £40 million of investment in multidisciplinary teams, and £5 million as well to support the right to respite for unpaid carers. It is a much bigger picture of our investment in social care over and above our commitments to increase adult social care staffing. This is not a green budget for farmers. It is not a net zero budget for the future of agricultural transformation. The SNP green coalition of cuts has slashed the agricultural transformation fund from £45 million to £25 million per annum. Cuts will affect reducing emission targets, agricultural productivity and transforming food and farming production. Cabinet Secretary, why are you cutting this vital environmental funding for hard-working farmers who are part of the solution to net zero? Farmers are asking what kind of confirmation and commitment they have to replacement of EU funding for the agricultural sector here in Scotland. We have set out when it comes to investment in farming and in agriculture more generally, is continued support, but also support to help farmers and crofters in those who work in the agriculture sector to transition to net zero. We know that it is not going to be simple and straightforward and easy and, quite clearly, there is investment in this budget to support farmers to do that. I commend the finance secretary for what has been a challenging budget for prioritising child poverty, our greatest area of preventative spend and the way that she is engaged on the issue. In particular, can she outline her estimate of the impact of the £200 million doubling of the Scottish child payment on child poverty in Scotland and to what extent that will mitigate against the disgraceful cut of £20 per week to universal credit that has been made by the Tory UK Government? Once rolled out in full to under 16s, around 400,000 children will be eligible for the Scottish child payment and 40,000 are estimated to be lifted out of poverty in 2023-24. I know that, as a finance secretary, I frequently used figures like this, but yesterday I had the opportunity to meet some of the families who will directly benefit. Their children were there hearing about the impact that that will have to the challenges that they face, meaning that those numbers—400,000 children—are far more than just statistics. Michael Marra, followed by Rona Mackay. There is nothing in the budget to keep schools safe and open. Nothing at all on vital ventilation. There is nothing in the budget to help when schools close. No action on those promised laptops and nothing to make good the losses that have already suffered. This is badged as a budget for everyone, but it cuts 12 per cent from the Scottish attainment challenge, meaning cuts to staff working with the poorest pupils. The nine poorest communities will see that funding cut by 60 per cent by the end of this Parliament. It is not really for everyone, is it? On the contrary, I make a point that somewhat agrees with the premise of Michael Marra's question. That is that the on-going impact of Covid, which is very real in our schools and in our education system, has had to be absorbed in our overall budget because there are no Covid consequentials for those issues. However, having said that, we have prioritised spending on our schools, we are making the biggest increase in funding to support teacher recruitment since 2007. We have funding in this budget of over £70 million for P4, P5 and special school lunches. There is £15 million in this budget towards providing a digital device to every school-aged child. We are focused on ensuring that our teachers and our schools have the resources that they need within a very challenging budget. Government has delivered nearly 106,000 affordable homes since 2007. Can the cabinet secretary outline how the 2223 budget will support the new ambitious target to deliver a further 110,000 affordable homes by 2032? We have led the way in the delivery of affordable housing across the UK with spending per head on affordable housing already three times higher than the UK Government. As a result, in the past four years, we have delivered over nine times more social rented properties per head of population than in England. The budget increases the funding available for affordable housing by a further £174 million next year, so we are able to continue the important work that we started in 2007 of ensuring that everyone in Scotland has a warm, safe and affordable place to live. At the finance committee, we have been hearing the importance of spending in early intervention and prevention, as the cabinet secretary mentioned earlier. Our local councils can make a huge difference when it comes to prevention, but the derisory uplift to the local government core budget is a slap in the face to those authorities who have done so much over the last year. When will the Scottish Government put its money where its mouth is and properly fund our local councils? As I said to Douglas Lumsden's colleague, this is a real-terms growth settlement, and it protects the core budget in cash terms. There is significant investment in education and social care within the local government finance settle bit, but taking a step back, as I understand it, the Conservative asks for this budget to ensure that health and social care money is passed on for health and social care needs. That means that if you take out the fact that there are no Covid consequentials in this budget and the uplift is largely due to health and social care funding, where is the additional funding for our local government? We have gone as far as we possibly can when it comes to protecting local government in light of the important role that it plays, but at the end of the day it is a stark reflection on the nature of the settlement available to us to then pass on. The Scottish Government's continued focus on addressing inequalities and education is welcome, but can the cabinet secretary provide any further detail about how the budget will support the Scottish Government's work to help to close the poverty-related attainment gap and outline what measures are included to tackle the costs of the school day for my constituents in Greenock and Inverclyde? We are absolutely committed to tackling the impact of poverty on educational experiences and attainment, and the budget includes £200 million for the Scottish attainment challenge, part of a commitment to provide £1 billion over the Parliament to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap. That includes continued investment in pupil equity funding, reaching 97 per cent of schools, and recognising the impact of both poverty and the pandemic on pupils across all of Scotland, it includes the distribution of over £43 million to all 32 local authorities. The Scottish Government will be aware of analysis by the GRF and the Fraser of Allander Institute that makes it clear that doubling the Scottish child payment and other measures set out in today's budget do not go far enough to tackle child poverty and that, without further action on social security, including raising the Scottish child payment to £40 by April 2023, it will miss the child poverty targets that this Parliament unanimously set before the pandemic, before any universal credit uplift was in place and without caveat. Does the Scottish Government accept this analysis and will it admit that it is on course to miss the interim 2023-24 child poverty target? In terms of the member's question, she is right to say that it needs to be a multifaceted approach. The Scottish child payment in isolation will not, in and of itself, ensure that we meet the Scottish child poverty targets. We need to take a much rounder look at how to do that. That includes continued investment, for example, in employability schemes to help parents and ensure that they are paid the real living wage. It includes a reduction of the costs of the school day, including rolling out free school meals, including ensuring that we are supporting children, whether it is through the uniform grants or otherwise. There is a much bigger picture here of the action that we are taking. What I have made clear in my budget statement and in the budget is that tackling child poverty is one of the Government's three top priorities. We are absolutely determined to reach those targets, not because it is politically advantageous to meet targets but because every one of those children in poverty is a blight on this country and requires all of us to step up to the plate to do something about it. Emma Roddick to be followed by Tess White Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am particularly happy to hear about planned investment in affordable housing, which the Cabinet Secretary and my Highlands and Islands colleague will know is absolutely vital. Can I ask her how that budget will address depopulation issues across the Highlands and Islands? That is an issue that is particularly close to my heart and I am delighted that Emma Roddick has raised that question. The budget is a number of things, which I think tackles depopulation in the Highlands and Islands. It supports the delivery of Scotland's first population strategy to set out ambitious sets of actions to address the demographic challenges, but the strategy aligns with our commitments through the national islands plan, in particular to address population decline and ensure a balanced population across all of Scotland. That work is supported by the islands programme, which is investing £30 million of infrastructure investment. Emma Roddick raised an important point, which is that, as part of our overall investment in affordable housing and education in local government, we need to make sure that we are giving our partners the tools and the resources that they need to ensure that the Highlands and Islands are an attractive place to live, work and do business. Tess White to be followed by Stephanie Callaghan Cabinet Secretary, in fact, the number of businesses in Scotland has dropped by almost 20,000 in just one year. That is a devastating blow. Does the Scottish Government accept that it needs to do much more to help businesses and, particularly SMEs, improve their digital capabilities and also significantly expand the support provided for up-skilling and reskilling as the Federation of Small Businesses has called for? It is nice to agree, but I agree on the fact that we need to invest in digital capability in particular. The member may be aware of our commitment to investing in the recommendations of the Logan review, for example, in helping businesses to access digitalisation and to improve the tech capabilities of their business. We have set out commitments of £100 million to invest through the digital boost scheme. To provide support to small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy and certainly the backbone of our villages and towns, we need to give them the resources that they need and to understand the pressures that they face. Continuing the small business bonus scheme also reduces the costs so that it can reinvest in some of those capabilities. On up-skilling, because I missed that part, I agree. The National Transition Training Fund has tried to cater to specific requests and requirements within sectors rather than to be a blanket scheme so that it can be of better use for example to the tourism industry. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the UK Government must play its role in our transition to net zero and urgently reverse its illogical decision to overlook the Scottish carbon capture utilisation and storage custer for track 1 status, which would support over 15,000 green jobs? I am not wholly convinced as to that question's relevance to this statement. Cabinet secretary, if you want to reply in a sentence very briefly. I believe that as energy policy is reserved, we need to see the UK Government investing in Scotland. It is important that that is done alongside the investment that we are making through our budget. I call Mark Griffin to be followed by Emma Harper. In real terms, another £137 million is gone from local bin collections, fixing potholes, keeping libraries open and cutting grass. When will our towns and cities ever get the resources that they need to recover and grow after the pandemic and after over a decade of SNP cuts to our communities? In terms of our investment in local government, I have set out already, but I am happy to set out again that this is a real terms growth to the overall settlement and includes protection for the core budget in cash terms. I could go through the list of areas where we are investing in partnership with local government, particularly in health and social care, which is one of the biggest pressures facing local government alongside education. Ultimately, the budget, as it is—I have tried to push as far as I can to protect local government budgets, and that is what this budget delivers. Emma Harper is to be followed by Jamie Halcro Johnston. I just want to pick up on agriculture also. The cabinet secretary mentioned £25 million for sustainable and regenerative agriculture in her statement. Can the cabinet secretary provide further information as to how that will be allocated to help to support farming and food production in Scotland so that it is more leading as sustainability and a regenerative agricultural approach? Over the next three years, the Scottish Government has committed £51 million to a national test programme that will enable our farmers and land managers to be better able to contribute to our climate targets and biodiversity goals. The industry is already leading the way and there are countless examples of regenerative practices already under way. Our commitment in this budget is to start that process. As the member said, there is £25 million included to transform how farming and food production is supported in Scotland. Jamie Halcro Johnston to be followed by Bob Doris. The cabinet secretary has spoken today about the need to invest to rebuild our economy, but as she will know, infrastructure issues across Scotland and particularly in the Highlands and Islands remain a barrier to growth. Given that she did not answer the question from my colleague Liz Smith, can she confirm the funding outlined in this draft budget will ensure that dualling programmes for the A9 and the A96 are back on track by the end of the budget period and that the Scottish Government will deliver both dualling schemes in full as promised? The cabinet secretary will know that, perhaps like himself, I use that A9 at least twice a week, every week. If anybody knows the importance of delivering on dualling, it is me. I can assure the member that there is no dilution of funding for the A9 in this budget. We have a budget earmarked in the 2022-23 capital spending review to fund the A9 and the A96. The budget allocation for the A9, if he is interested, will allow us to continue to progress with completion of the statutory processes, the procurement and the commencement of the construction of the tomato and tamoy section, which is in his region, but not quite in my constituency, and preparations for procurement of the remaining elements of the programme. I hope that that gives him and our joint constituents some reassurance. Can I ask the finance secretary how this budget will support the introduction of new benefits in the next financial year, including the roll-out of the adult disability payment and the new low-income winter heating assistance funds of thousands of Scots? Social Security Scotland is already successfully delivering 11 benefits, seven of which are brand new and are getting ready to deliver several more. Low-income winter heating assistance will launch in winter 2022 and will provide support to around £400,000 low-income households with a £50 payment every year through an investment of around £21 million. Next year we will launch the adult disability payment, our largest and most technically complex benefit to date, providing to disabled people with a fundamentally different experience when applying for and receiving the support that they are entitled to. Maggie Chapman, to be followed by Jenny Minto. Thank you. With one in four children in Scotland in poverty and with pressing concerns of pandemic fallout and the cruel actions of the UK Government, eradicating child poverty in Scotland is a moral obligation. That is why the Scottish Greens have been clear that the Scottish child's payment should be doubled as soon as possible, and I am pleased that we are delivering this from April. It will make a real difference to those who are struggling most alongside the commitments on paying an investment in a just transition. Can the cabinet secretary confirm how many children are eligible for the Scottish child payment that uplift and, importantly, how will the Government ensure that all those who are entitled to benefit? As the member said, once the Scottish child payment is hugely important and once rolled out in full to under 16s, we estimate that around 400,000 children will be eligible for that payment and 40,000 are estimated to be lifted out of poverty in 2023-24. The Scottish child payment is the most ambitious child poverty reduction measure in the UK. Of course, we are working with other measures, too, in order to reach our targets on child poverty. The cabinet secretary may be aware that I am holding a member's debate next week to highlight the importance of access to defibrillators in communities across Scotland. Access to defibrillators could play a significant role in improving outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests across Scotland. However, for some communities, the cost of purchasing defibrillators and on-going materials continues to be a barrier. While that on defibrillators continues to be a matter that is reserved to the United Kingdom Government, would the cabinet secretary agree that that would be one such area where the Scottish budget could go further if we had the full fiscal levers at our disposal to support community access to this life-saving equipment? I commend the member for raising the important issue about defibrillators and the fact that she is having a debate next week. Perhaps it is an issue that we could raise, and I would always be open to writing to my counterparts in the UK Government about some of the issues that she has identified. I press the cabinet secretary on roads again. There is a slight increase in the total budget for motorways and trunk roads—only slight—but the road-improven budget has been cut. So can she once again have a stab at this question? Will the A96 under this budget be fully dualled? Is the money for that? We have set out in this budget to continue investing in our roads, including the A9 and the A96. In terms of the progress on the A96, the allocation of funding for the A96 will allow us to continue to take forward. The review of the A96 in 2021-22 progressed the preparation stages for dualling between Inverness and Nairn, along with a bypass of Nairn. We are committed to improving the A96 corridor and to improving connectivity between the surrounding towns and to address safety and environmental issues. There is funding in the budget for road improvement, which includes the A9 and the A96. I am not sure how to be more blunt about the issue. I call Eleanor Whitham to be followed by Liam Kerr. Can I refer members to my register of interests? I am a serving councillor at East Ayrshire. Local government has been at the forefront of our response to the pandemic, and it is welcome to see that, despite a challenging budget situation devoid of any Covid consequentials, the Scottish Government is committing to a total funding package of over £12 billion for local government to support their work as we press forward with recovery. As we are all aware, local circumstances and spending priorities can vary significantly, so can the cabinet secretary say any more about the steps that the Scottish Government is taking to maximise the freedom and flexibility that local authorities will have with their spending? Alongside a funding package that provides an additional £853.9 million, or a 7.3 per cent increase, compared to this year, the budget delivers one of COSLA's key asks by providing complete flexibility to set a council tax rate that is appropriate to their local authority area. Every year, in which I have been involved with the budget and have negotiated and engaged with COSLA, that has been one of their primary asks. I am pleased to be able to write to COSLA today to agree not just to that flexibility but to a number of other fiscal flexibilities, including a commitment to collaborative work on a fiscal framework for local government early next year. The budget suggests that £20 million of the Just Transition Fund will be made available. What precisely is that £20 million allocated to? How did the Scottish Government arrive at this figure? Does the money come from the Scottish Government budget, or loan capital, from the Scottish National Investment Bank? I do not follow what the member is saying about loan capital, but it comes from the Scottish Government's budget. It will be used to invest in initiatives in the North East. I know that a number of stakeholders who will know him, as well as know me, have been in touch to ask to have a role in determining the best use for that funding. In terms of the funding overall, we have set out £500 million over 10 years, and it is our estimate that that funding will need to increase year on year. As it were, it is back-loaded to ensure that the funding goes on the big catalytic projects that can most use it and help with that Just Transition. It is obviously not the only investment that has been made in the North East, and it builds on the £62 million for the Energy Transition Fund. Of course, that money would go even further if it was matched by the UK Government. Cabinet Secretary, the Climate Change Committee report entitled Progress in Reducing Emissions in Scotland was published earlier this month, and it states that, "...we have not been able to establish further and how proposals in the climate change plan add up to the required emissions reductions and that the annual target during the 2020s will be very difficult to meet. Ambitious targets are all well and good, but mean little without a route map." I ask the cabinet secretary if the Scottish Government will deliver any finance and transparent policies that can deliver on the Scottish Government targets called for by the climate change committee. The member will know that already we are obliged to update regular climate change plan updates in terms of that route map calls for, because I agree with him that setting targets and, of course, all parties in this Parliament were agreed on the targets, but setting the targets in and of themselves does not make it any easier to meet those targets, and it requires a plan that she will know that we are obliged to update regularly. In terms of the budget, it delivers a step change in investment in our climate change ambitions, particularly when it comes to capital investment in, for example, decarbonisation and in transport. Those are areas that the Committee on Climate Change has identified as key priorities. Obviously, the money that has been invested as part of this budget will deliver a step change that is required. Cabinet Secretary, you claim that you have given councils a fair settlement, but in Edinburgh and indeed across the Lothians, we see massive service pressures every day as a result of historic SNP underfunding and a growing population. In the last year that IGB had to take £7 million out of reserves in Edinburgh to meet the immediate care crisis that we face, but on an almost daily basis constituents are getting in touch who are not getting the urgent care at home support that they need now because of the shortage of care workers. Will the Cabinet Secretary accept that an extra £50 an hour for care workers does not begin to address rising prices and the huge housing cost increases that we have seen in Edinburgh? The member identifies a really important point, which is that one of the biggest pressures that councils are facing is on social care. That is precisely why we have delivered a significant increase in the investment that is going to local government for social care as part of the health and social care consequentials, which has been an ask of COSLA for a number of years. In terms of the second point, quite clearly, pay is a key part of retention and recruitment, and the £10.50 wage floor today will help to deliver that. I think that we all have aspirations to ensure that our care workers are remunerated fairly. What we have seen from this Government is a significant increase over the course of this year to ensure that we not only recognise them rhetorically, but we value them in the choices that we have around our funding. The budget that is published today states in black and white that everyone should have the right to access justice. Finance secretary, I agree entirely, but the reality is that there is a five-year backlog of court cases to tackle. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has made a very specific and modest ask of £13 million to tackle it. Can I therefore ask why in the budget they have only been offered a third of that? How on earth is such a massive shortfall going to help them to deliver the true access to justice that victims of crime deserve? As politely as possible, I suggest that that £13 million is in the budget. If I heard him correctly, we have significantly increased not only the justice portfolio but the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service funding that is required in order to deal with that backlog. There is a significant increase in the spending on justice to try and reduce that backlog. However, can I make the same point that I have already made this afternoon, which is that those additional Covid costs—either the costs of mitigating Covid or tackling the impact of Covid—have to be absorbed within our budget. The absence of Covid consequentials means that those costs have to be absorbed. It is really important that we recognise the on-going pressures on our budget as a result of either mitigating Covid or dealing with the long-term impacts of Covid. Stephen Kerr, to be followed by Katie Clark. I have a straightforward yes or no question for the cabinet secretary. Scotland's employers want transparency about how the apprenticeship levy they pay is being spent in Scotland. Currently, they say that it is far from transparent. Given the vital importance of apprenticeships to the future economy that we must build to achieve net zero, will the cabinet secretary listen to business and agree now to allow the greater transparency that business wants to see? The Scottish Government's budgets have increased over the last 10 years, but local government's budgets have been repeatedly cut. North Ayrshire Council, for example, has had to make over £100 million in cuts. Given the £137 million real-terms cut in this year's budget to councils revenue grants, what does the cabinet secretary expect councils to do to continue to provide services and deliver on her stated aim of reducing inequalities? The first is that we have protected the core budget in cash terms. The second point, however, in terms of the overall shape of the budget, the member will know—I think that she shares it, although she can correct me if that is not true—that most parties in this Parliament have a commitment to pass on health and social care consequentials. Having passed on health and social care consequentials, it means that there has been a cut over the past decade of austerity to the rest of the Scottish Government budget. We have, as far as we possibly can, protected local government, but what I have tried to do in this budget is to recognise local government as a valued deliverer of social care and to ensure that some of the health and social care consequentials go to local government. The challenge there is that it needs to be used for social care. Thank you, Presiding Officer. NHS Lothian has warned MSPs across the Lothian region—SNP and green members in this chamber—that they face £100 million shortfall. Have they raised this with the cabinet secretary? If so, why did she deliver the lowest level of funding per head of population to Lothian yet again? A strange question of, I might say so, considering I have just announced record funding of £18 billion for health and social care in Scotland, including £12.4 billion of investment in our front-line health boards, including NHS Lothian. As the member will know, the health secretary raises with me on a very regular basis the challenges and the financial needs across our health and social care services, and that is why we have been able to deliver record funding for health and social care in this budget. The finance secretary has talked about an economic recovery and a green recovery, yet the green jobs budget is only £23.5 million. How many green jobs will it create? A lot more than if that funding was not there. Members, I call Jeremy Balfour to be followed by Clare Adamson. Apologies for coming thick and fast. As she has just said, health and social care are key to the wellbeing of our constituents during what is still a very pressured pandemic. Can she explain the percentage of the overall budget that is still dedicated to health? Can she give further explanation as to how we can protect vital services, whether it is cancer, whether it is audiology and Lothians, with a very serious report published today, or indeed in other areas? Can we remind people that trying to have growth and attempts at net zero resolution and tackling inequality at the same time as all that funding is still needed for our health and care budget is a stark reminder of the reality of living in a pandemic? The member raises a hugely important issue, which is to reflect on the needs right across the board right now, within our health service as well as in other public services, and at the same time, trying to support our households and businesses through one of the most challenging times on record, not just the impact of the pandemic, but also the impact of inflation. I have mentioned already that £18 billion is earmarked for health and social care as part of an overall budget that is just above £40 billion, so that tells a story. The rest of our budget is seeking to absorb the on-going pressures from Covid, as well as to invest in growth and prosperity. I am sure that the cabinet secretary will agree with me that the third sector has played an immense role in the past two years to support many people in our society. Will she now commit to a three-year funding package rather than making charities apply year in and year out? That is the short answer to that question, because I agree with Jeremy Balfour that multi-year spending is hugely important. We have set out today our framework for the resource spending review, which will allow us to plan spending on a three to four-year basis. I intend to consult with a number of stakeholders, including the third sector and other public bodies, to ensure that the final resource spending review that is published gives them the reassurance of their multi-year position. Cabinet Secretary, we found ourselves in a situation in which we have an unclear path ahead in terms of internal markets and the TCA in terms of our voice as a Parliament and the voice of the Government being heard in negotiations. How will the increase in the international and European relations budget ensure that Scotland's voice is heard and that we have a say in the future of Europe and the future of policymaking that will affect our devolved responsibilities? I think that it is really important, both from my— Can I just be—sorry, just—yes, I just want to remind members of the importance of questions and relevance to this afternoon's statement. Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Well, in terms of the budget itself, I think that it is hugely important for our economic prosperity that we continue to keep trading links alive with countries around the world, not just countries within the European Union. We have, of course, an ambitious export plan that relies on those strong links. A lot of exporters in Scotland, particularly smaller exporters, have struggled as a result of the additional red tape due to Brexit, so keeping those links alive is hugely important. That requires the soft diplomacy of Governments speaking to one another as well as business-to-business links. The budget allocates £350 million to decarbonise the heating of 1 million homes and 50,000 non-domestic buildings by 2030. That is about £330 per building. I am aware of a hotel that recently decarbonised, and it costs around £800,000. Does the finance secretary seriously propose that £330 per building—about the cost of a new hoover—is enough to see that process through? I think that the member raises an important point around the cost of decarbonisation. One of the points that I am committed to is how we leverage private sector investment as part of our ambitions. All of us are clear that public sector investment in isolation will not be able to, on its own merits, get us to our net zero targets or to decarbonise at the rate that we need to. We need to work collaboratively with the private sector to leverage in some of that funding to make sure that public sector funding goes as far as possible. My impression is that most businesses want to do the right thing, and it is up to us to try to make it easier for them. Public sector funding will help, but it will not take us all the way. Yesterday, many of us attended a protest outside this Parliament with our trade unions and listened to the testimony of workers who have been on the front line across the pandemic. In Scotland, many of them are care workers, and they will be interested in this debate today in terms of the pay rise that they are being given by this Government. What does the cabinet secretary have to say to those workers after she has sat here and offered them a derisary £48 in our pay rise? She was very fond, along with all other ministers and MSPs, in clapping care workers last year. Now they sit and they clap a £48 pay rise. That is unacceptable. What does she have to say to those workers? That is the second pay rise in several months because we value the important work that our carers do. The fact that we are committing today to go beyond the national living wage, the real living wage and ensure that carers are paid for their labour is the reason that we have set out this public sector wage floor of £10.50 per hour, which we are fully funding. So what would I say to them? I would say to them that we couldn't have got through the pandemic without you. We enormously value the work that you do, and we are matching our rhetoric with our commitment in this budget to invest in a £10.50 per hour wage increase. Can I put on record my thanks to the cabinet secretary for the groundbreaking child poverty measures that she has announced today? I do not think that there is MD in this chamber should be voting against that budget time. On that basis, I want to ask about school uniforms. The cabinet secretary will be aware that I have done a bit of work pushing for these to be more affordable. I wonder if she could comment how that was taken into the decisions around the budget and what more local authorities will now be able to do, because there is loads of constituents that I have that can afford a £300 per hour wage increase. However, they need to get their school uniforms. It is a hugely important question. The work that we are doing on school uniforms is part of a much wider piece of work to reduce the costs of the school day. That includes significant investment in the expansion of free school meals, the provision of milk and the assurance around funding to provide meals during school holidays, as well as helping families with some of the additional costs of school, whether that is around school trips or elements of the curriculum such as art and home economics. We are providing funding to local government to significantly reduce the costs of the school day as part of our mission to tackle child poverty. That concludes the ministerial statement on the Scottish budget. It is now time to move on to the next item of business. There are no questions to be put as a result of today's business, so that concludes decision time. I close this meeting.