 Hynny. SAD. wir pryd gweithredu o gyrwמiddag mewn bwysigur, ребwysigwch, a phobl yn nrw, ond arom mor gw worryn i nôl i niol Findly yn ddigon i fy modd yr unigfainter. Mewn bwysigwch yn ddigon i gyd yn ddigon i fy modd rwyf ogwysigwch gweithredu i'r defnyddwyr yn ddigon i fy modd yn fwy o arwein, ac mae ddigon i'n ddigon i rwyf ogwysigwch i gyd yn ddigon i fy modd yn ddigon i fy modd yn ddigon i fy modd, a hynny yn ddigon i I've also recently met with the family of Mrs Baxter. Neil Findlay. It's my understanding that neither the cabinet secretary nor the First Minister has met with any of the Scottish mesh survivors. Given this is the biggest health care scandal since the lydame aid, it's now affecting thousands of women and now men too. Will the cabinet secretary and the First Minister agree to meet me and a delegation of Scottish meshMoment. Llyr Gruffydd Cymru yn meddwlol iawn i'r cychwyn iawn i canffordd rhagwm dda i oni i sylfaenol o fynd i fynd i ymgylchedd phrygau am gyhoeddaeth ddes, ac yn gadael â'i gyrhau ddoch ynghylch yn gwyllgor. Rwyf yn ei cysylltu i gael eich rheolau, mae яr gyrhau gwir i'r cychwyn iawn i gael eich rhaiceidol. Op Gateul i'r gyrhau gwir i'r cychwyn iawn i'r cyffredinid i'r cychwyn iawn i'r gyrhau I should make the point in passing that Professor Britton's report is primarily about how the Government organises, sets up and oversees independent enquiries and therefore is not exclusively for me. However, I have written to John Wilkinson, who is director of devices at the MHRA, asking him to provide me with his evidence on which that body has judged that mesh products are safe for use in clinical practice, and the CMO has written in similar terms to the chief executive of the MHRA. When we receive that response, we will be able to take a decision on other matters concerning the use of mesh in clinical practice across Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government how many vessels are in its marine and fisheries protection fleet. Marine Scotland compliance owns and operates three ships, which provide a dedicated enforcement capacity. Those are Dura, Hertha and Minna, the last of which I visited in June this year in Oben. We have also got access to five rigid hulled inflatable boats on a daily basis to enhance the enforcement activity. I think that the cabinet secretary for that reply. I wonder whether the cabinet secretary provided an update to Parliament on the findings of the review, which the cabinet secretary told me was on-going in a letter dated April 16, 2018, into which the cabinet secretary for the rural economy alluded to at the rural economy and connectivity committee in the sixth of June 2018. There is a challenge with the growing number of NPAs in Brexit, and there is a comparator of one way. It is the case that the Welsh Government, who are responsible for a considerably smaller marine area, has recently commissioned and are building five marine compliance vessels in Wales. Does the cabinet secretary believe that it is right that Wales has a bigger fleet than Scotland? There are a number of things that I could take up there. First of all, the review that my colleague Fagas Ewing and I refer to is the constant review under which we keep issues such as that. The member will also recall in my reply that we have two surveillance aircraft and also make regular use of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, which adds considerably to our surveillance capacity. With respect to the Welsh Government position, as I understand it, yes indeed the Welsh are in the process of buying new boats, but they are considerably smaller than the boats that are in the Marine Scotland fleet and are of a very different order of technology, so I do not think that he can really compare like-to-like. Question 3, Bill Kidd. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to encourage local sourcing across public sector catering. The Scottish Government is committed to encouraging and increasing local sourcing of food and drink across the public sector. Good progress has been made and we know that around 48 per cent of food and drink sourced in the public sector is Scottish. A 41 per cent increase since 2007. We believe that we can do more and we have put in place a range of measures and support to try and increase levels further. Bill Kidd. I thank the minister for that response and I welcome all movement towards local sourcing. Does the minister agree that consumption shifts such as buying locally and seasonally are important in moving Scotland along a sustainable path? Yes, I do and I would welcome the progress made by 11 local authorities on the Food for Life programme. I very much believe that local procurement is something that is desirable both for our schools, hospitals, prisons and our whole public sector, but also for our food producers, farmers and suppliers. We are doing very many things in order to increase that yet further. Brian Whittle I thank the minister for that response and I welcome all movement towards local sourcing of food. I think that somewhere in the region of over 75 per cent of their food is sourced locally. Does the cabinet secretary recognise that the Scottish Government could use the central excel contract to ensure that all of Scotland's school children get the same opportunity to access quality, locally produced food? Yes, I am very much aware of the good work that the council does. I know that, for example, Corrie Main's farm in East Ayrshire supplies all the eggs to primary schools. We are actually a wee bit ahead of the member, I am very pleased to say, because we are already doing what he has urged me to do today. We have been for some time and I am very pleased to say that following the good work in 11 local authorities in Scotland, we are now expanding the programme to reach more schools by investing £400,000 for the next three years to target all 32 local authorities. I am sure that the member will be delighted to hear that positive news. Stewart Stevenson To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Technologies Group's advice statement regarding the use of freestyle libra flash glucose monitoring system. Jeane Freeman We welcome the advice statement from the Scottish Health Technologies Group with regard to the flash glucose monitoring system. The advice statement has provided information on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of this technology and supported NHS boards in determining the place of this technology for local use. Stewart Stevenson I welcome the decision of NHS Grampian in particular to act on this advice and wonder whether the statement has had any further impact on the uptake of this life-transforming technology by other health boards across Scotland. Gabbryr Segal I am grateful to Mr Stevenson for that supplementary question. It is important to note that the device is used for self-monituring of glucose levels via a sensor warn, but it is, as with many other drugs and devices, not suitable for all patients and requires to have that clinical judgment performed. Freestyle Libra Sensor is now available for prescription in 13 out of the 14 NHS board areas, and NHS Highland is currently working with the local diabetes service to become the 14th board. I am delighted about that. Mr Stevenson's point on life-transforming technologies is well made. As our leading clinicians and clinical researchers work with companies involved in precision medicine, technology and so on, we are very mindful of the new demands that will come in terms of how we determine what is clinically suitable, either in drugs or in devices such as this, in terms of technologies, and look to adapt our processes accordingly. David Stewart Thank you, Presiding Officer. As co-chair of the Cross-party Group on Diabetes, I have had very positive feedback about Freestyle Libra, particularly the benefit of reducing the need for frequent finger-prick blood tests, and well-maintained HBA1C levels—the blood glucose levels. Can the cabinet secretary please confirm that technology has been dispensed throughout Scotland according to the prescribed guidelines without caveats? Shona Robison I am grateful to Mr Stewart for that question and indeed for the work of the Cross-party Group, as he chairs it. My expectation is that the device will be prescribed according to the guidance. That is my absolute expectation from all the health boards' concerns, so that is all of our territorial boards. I would certainly want to know if that was not the case, so that I could take action accordingly. Aster Allen To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in securing work for the Arnish fabrication yard on the Isle of Lewis. Derek Mackay We continue to press developers to use Scottish contractors when building projects off our coastline, and we encourage our supply chain to be as competitive as possible when bidding for those contracts. We have confidence that the new owners of BiFab are doing everything possible to secure new contracts and restore employment to the yard at Arnish, as well as Bun Island and Methil. Aster Allen I thank the cabinet secretary for his reply and welcome that progress. Given his obvious interest in the matter, will the cabinet secretary undertake to keep representatives of the former workforce at Arnish updated directly, particularly around any news around new contracts? Derek Mackay Yes, I will commit to that. I have engaged with the trade unions and there is good partnership working with the local authority as well. I am engaging with DF Barnes and BiFab, and it is really important that we have a united Team Scotland approach to try and secure work for those yards. In addition to that, I will arrange a briefing for elected members who will be interested so that we can discuss further actions to secure work for the yards and ensure that people can return to that fruitful employment. Rhoda Grant Can I ask the cabinet secretary if the equipment in the yard is being kept up-to-date and maintained because it is owned by high, very expensive equipment and crucial to the yards future? Derek Mackay I do not have that detail to hand. I am happy to supply further information to the member, but there has been substantial investment in the technology. The important thing right now is to secure those contracts and to work those benefits to the supply chain. That is absolutely what I am focused on in working with the new owners. Of course, there is a financial support package as well to try and preserve the ability there to secure work. We are working very hard to get those contracts, and therefore every element that ensures that the yards are attractive, including the infrastructure, is absolutely vital and important. However, the key critical issue right now is the ability to win contracts, and on that, I am absolutely focused. Again, I am happy to have a private briefing with interested elected members to see the efforts that we are undertaking to achieve that outcome. Miles Briggs To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to help to grow the life sciences sector. Ivan McKee Life science is a growth sector for the Scottish economy. We are increasing innovation in the sector through the procurement of public services. The chief science office is investing £3 million from 2018 to 2019 to support collaborative working between the NHS industry and academia. Another reason that investment includes £15 million contribution to the new medicines manufacturing innovation centre, which will support the production of new medicines efficiently and safely. We are also working with Life Sciences Scotland, the industry leadership group, to ensure that we have the right policy environment to support sectoral growth. Miles Briggs Can the minister confirm that the Scottish Government is not on course to meet its original target set in 2011 to double the turnover of the life science sector in Scotland to £6.2 billion by 2020 and that the Government has now extended that target to 2025? Does the minister agree with me that Scotland's dynamic pharmaceutical sector, whose importance was demonstrated this week in the Fraser Valenda report, is key to meeting that future target? What specific action will the Scottish Government take to improve data capturing capabilities and to link primary and secondary care data to allow more investment in clinical trials to realise the potential of Scotland's life sector? Miles Briggs The target for growth of the sector is to grow from £4 million turnover to £8 million turnover. Data will be coming out shortly that I will see, but I would believe that we confirm that we are on target to meet that growth target. In terms of what the sectors are doing, the First Minister recently opened the £54 million GSK Farm cuticle production centre in Montrose. In terms of what is happening with increasing innovation in the sector, the Scottish Government continues to work with the industry leadership group, the SMSIC and the IBOIC to support innovation in the sector. In terms of what is happening specifically with the NHS, the Scottish Government continues to support the health innovation partnerships and to work with the Scottish health innovations limited and the Golden Jubilee to increase the co-operation between the NHS and the life sciences sector to grow innovation in the sector and to increase its turnover and its exports. Question 7 has not been lodged. Question 8 is from Alexander Burnett. Can I ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to encourage doctors to relocate to rural practices? Cabinet Secretary, Jeane Freeman. Our strategy to recruit and retain GPs underpins our commitment to recruit 800 additional practicing GPs by 2027 backed by £7.5 million investment in this financial year. The £2 million invested in a rural package includes Scottish rural medicine collaborative, Golden Hallows and a relocation package. We have also committed an additional £30 million by 2021 to support all GPs with premises-related liabilities, reducing the risk to practices. Finally, I launched the first graduate medicine programme, which will lead to an additional 330 medical graduates by 2028, primarily focused on remote and rural GPs practices. Can I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer? I, as well as GPs in my constituency, are well aware of those programmes. However, they are simply not working for the rural community. Can I ask the Government to look to review them to ensure that they can effectively encourage GPs to relocate to rural practices? I am grateful to Mr Burnett for that additional question. I would be very interested to see on what evidence he bases such a widespread and wide-ranging assertion. That is certainly not the experience that I have or, indeed, the evidence of our remote and rural working group or the rural collaborative organisation. Of course, I am made up of GPs with experience in remote and rural areas. None of us said that that would be easy and none of us said that it was without challenge, but I have yet to hear of any additional constructive suggestions from the member or any of the other opposition groups as to what we might do more of to add to the successful work of the actions that I have outlined. Gail Ross Can the cabinet secretary provide an update on what progress has been made by the remote and rural general practice working group on how the new GP contract will work for rural areas? I am grateful to Ms Ross for that additional question. The remote and rural working group has commenced a programme of engagement with GPs, multidisciplinary clinicians and healthcare service providers to listen to their concerns and to hear from them what more they believe on the basis of their experience and their evidence we can do. One of the additional propositions that is going to come our way is to include a dispensing practice training proposal. This morning, I had a very productive discussion with one of our rural colleges looking at how we can add to the multidisciplinary teams, not only in our acute setting, but also in primary care and in particular in those practices. Devron medical practice in Banff will close shortly as it has been impossible to recruit a new GP. This critical shortage of GPs is due to workforce planning mismanagement and an underfund of £658 million to the GP service over the last four years. This will be the 11th practice to close in the past 11 years in Grampian, and will leave nearly 6,300 patients without a GP practice. When will the SNP Government act to solve this desperate crisis in the NHS? As I have made consistently clear, I do not underestimate the challenges and as a MSP from a rural constituency myself, I am well aware of the challenges of GP numbers and GP practices in those rural constituencies. However, I have to say that I find it beyond impertinence that the member from those benches should argue with us about underfunding when they are part of a UK Government that has shortchanged this NHS by failing to meet their promises, the promises that they made in June and a few short months later, they have undercut us yet again. To ask the Scottish Government how it supports culture and tourism in Renfisher and East Renfisher. Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Tourism, Fiona Hyslop. The Scottish Government continues to support cultural activities across Scotland with an increase of almost 10 per cent culture funding this year despite UK Government cuts. Creative Scotland is the lead public body if it is supporting the arts and funding a range of cultural activity across Renfisher and East Renfisher. Through our funding of visits to Scotland, we continue to market the fantastic tourism assets there and, of course, the youth music initiative and the cashback for creativity also supports culture and for young people in communities there. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. My constituency of Renfisher South is home to Eldersley, the birthplace of Sir William Wallace to my SNP local government colleagues, Councillor Andy Steele and Councillor Jacqueline Cameron, who have recently secured support from the council to explore ways in which Eldersley can capitalise on those status. Will the cabinet secretary be willing to meet with me, Councillor Steele and Councillor Cameron, to discuss how the Scottish Government can support the project? I understand the Renfisher visitor plan 2018-21 looks at marketing the region in lots of different ways, including promoting its rich historical past, not least the Wallace connections to Eldersley. I am more than happy to find out more about what that tourism offer is and to meet with the member to discuss that further.