 The next item of business is First Minister's Questions, and at question number one I call Douglas Ross. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Will the First Minister remind us what was the promise she made seven years ago about the attainment gap in Scotland schools? First Minister, it was to close the attainment gap over this Parliament. I think at the time I made that commitment, it was referenced as being within a decade. I still remain committed to doing that and happy during the course of this question and to talk about the progress that we are making. Douglas Ross. It was to close the attainment gap, not to keep it where it was, not to narrow it a little, not to make some modest progress. No, Nicola Sturgeon wanted, and I quote, to close the attainment gap completely. Figures published this week confirm that the attainment gap at primary school is even wider than it was three years ago. It's wider for reading, for writing, for literacy and for numeracy. The attainment gap isn't closing. Since Nicola Sturgeon made this pledge, there has been no progress. Hasn't the First Minister failed to keep her promise to young people across Scotland? First Minister? No, and just to be precise, because I always like to be precise, the specific commitment that was made was to substantially eliminate the attainment gap and just for the avoidance of doubt. That was the wording in our manifesto, and I stand by that completely. Pre-pandemic, the poverty-related attainment gap was closing. The negative impact of the pandemic cannot be ignored in Scotland or elsewhere. In fact, the Department for Education south of the border said this about the attainment gap. Disruption to learning during the pandemic has had a greater impact on disadvantaged pupils, so that is something that is not unique to Scotland. However, what we actually see in the statistics published this week is that recovery is now underway and we are starting to see improvements again. The percentage of pupils achieving the expected levels in 2021-22, which is what the latest statistics cover, is higher than the previous year for all primary school ages. In fact, we saw the largest single-year increase in primary school literacy and numeracy since the data collection began. There are also signs that the attainment gap is again narrowing, with the biggest single-year decrease in the gap in primary and literacy levels, again since records began. That is the progress that we are making. Was that interrupted by Covid? Of course it was in countries across the world, but we continue to see that progress and, of course, we remain committed to driving further progress. We also see that progress in exam results. They show the gap between attainment levels, in the least and most deprived areas, narrowing from the 2019 level, which was, of course, the pre-pandemic year. We have also had university application end-of-cycle data in the last few days as well. A record number of 18-year-old Scots securing a university place this year and the number of 18-year-olds from the most deprived areas has also increased by 31 per cent since 2019, again to a record high and again demonstrating the progress that we are making on closing the attainment gap and widening access. It is telling, when I have a short question, the First Minister tells the truth, because she did tell us that she promised to close the attainment gap. When she has time to ruffle through her big folder, she does not actually accept that and she says that promise has been met. It has not, she has failed people across Scotland. Yet again, what we get from the First Minister is the Covid shield coming out to protect her. However, let us look at pre-pandemic, because even in the few areas where there was some very limited progress before the pandemic, the improvement was less than 1 per cent per year. It would have taken over four decades to close the gap at primary school level if we had carried on at that level. At secondary school, the curriculum for excellence attainment gap was not even closing at all and the First Minister still tries to say that this year's results are a positive. However, the fact is that the gap has only just returned to the 2016 levels where the First Minister made the pledge. Basically, she wants us to believe that we are winning the race when, in fact, we have only just got back to the starting line. This year's figures show that at least one in five pupils are still not meeting the expected level for each of the essential core subjects. That is what the First Minister defines as progress—one in five children not reaching the standard that we expect. What makes this even more ridiculous is what the First Minister said in 2015. Those are her words. If you are not, as First Minister, prepared to put your neck on the line over the education of our children, then what are you prepared to do? First Minister, do you still stand by those words? 100 per cent. There are fewer things, if anything, more important than the opportunities that we give our children and young people. Of course, when we talk about the attainment gap, we, to be accurate, should talk about the poverty-related attainment gap, because it is poverty that drives that. Of course, one of the measures of our commitment to tackling that is putting money into the pockets of the poorest families in the country. At the same time, as Douglas Ross's party takes money out of the pockets of the poorest families in our country. Now, just to go back to the specifics. Firstly, I do accept and did accept the premise of his first question. I then went on simply to give the precise language that we use so that there is no dubiety. Secondly, Douglas Ross, if he likes accuracy, should perhaps start to practice it. I did not say that the target had been met. That is a target for 2026. What I said and backed up with lots of evidence is that progress is being made. Thirdly, I was not using Covid as a shield. I was citing the evidence of the impact of Covid the same way that the Department of Education south of the border does. Disruption to learning during the pandemic has had a greater impact on disadvantaged pupils. If he does not want to take the word of a Government run by his own party, how about the CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation? The findings add to a heavy body of evidence telling us that socioeconomic inequality in education is already entrenched before the pandemic has grown. Again, we are seeing progress in narrowing the attainment gap. We see it in the figures published this week. We see it in exam results. We see it in access to university. It is not yet job done, which is why I stand by everything I said that it is one of the most important things that this Government is doing, and that is why we will continue to take the action to achieve it. Douglas Ross, progress, First Minister. Just look at the percentage of S3 pupils achieving third level or better in literacy. The attainment gap in 2016-17 is 13.6 per cent. In 2021-22 is 16.3 per cent. That is not progress, First Minister, a First Minister who told everyone to judge her on her record on education. It was to be her number one priority, the big test in her time in office. She has failed on the attainment gap, failed on class sizes, failed on standards, failed on violence in schools, and failed on teacher numbers. Nicola Sturgeon wanted us to judge her on education. She said that her neck was on the line. If that is the case, if the First Minister wants to be judged on education, if her job is on the line, if, as she said, there are fewer things more important than education, then why does Nicola Sturgeon not ditch the de facto referendum and make the next election all about her record on Scotland schools? The judge of how long I stay in this job is not Douglas Ross. The judge of that is the people of Scotland. On all evidence, the people of Scotland think that, when it comes to a choice between me and any of the other leaders in this chamber, they want me to be First Minister. I take that responsibility very seriously and I will continue to do the job to the very best of my ability. We will continue to take the action. He talks about teacher numbers. There are more teachers per head of pupil population in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK, including where the Conservatives are in power. Spending on education in Scotland is higher than it is where the Conservatives are in power. Of course, as I have already demonstrated, while there is considerable work to do, we are making progress in narrowing the attainment gap. We are seeing that in the figures this week. We are seeing any exam results and we are seeing it in the fact that a record number of 18-year-olds from deprived areas are now going to university. Something that I am proud of and everybody across Scotland should be proud of as well. Everybody in our country has been touched by cancer, either directly or through a family member or friend. Cancer remains Scotland's biggest killer. We have treatment waiting standards for a reason because we know the faster you are diagnosed, the faster you start treatment, the more likely you are to survive. However, the Government has not met the 62-day standard for 10 years and now not even the 31-day standard. It is now the worst it has ever been. So when will our cancer treatment standards be met? On the 31-day standard, performance has dipped very marginally this quarter below 95 per cent. Of course, we will work with health boards to get that back up. The 62-day urgent suspicion of cancer referral to first treatment is not being met, but we are taking a range of actions to secure improvement there. One thing that is important is that these are percentage targets and we set those targets. I am not suggesting for a minute that they are not important. However, when we look at the numbers treated on both of those pathways, what we see is a significant increase. More patients were treated on both the 62-day and 31-day pathways in the latest quarter compared to the previous quarter, but also in the latest quarter compared to the same time last year and indeed to the last full quarter before the Covid pandemic. Indeed, we are treating 35 per cent more on the 62-day pathway now than 10 years ago and just under 16 per cent more on the 31-day pathway compared to 10 years ago. That is evidencing the fact that more patients are going through and being treated on those pathways, which is important, because the premise of Anna Sarwar's question is absolutely correct. We need to see urgent treatment for cancer. If we look at the 31-day performance target, the median weight for treatment there is four days on the 62-day standard. The median weight for treatment is 48 days, and we will continue to take action to improve that even further. The First Minister is right that the numbers are important because the situation is stark. It figures out this week's show that, in the last three months alone, over 1,000 people did not start their treatment on time. That has devastating consequences. Cancer was already Scotland's biggest killer, but in the past year, there have been 198 more cancer deaths above the five-year average. That is 198 more families who have lost a loved one. This NHS crisis is costing lives. We were told to expect a catch-up plan, but instead things continue to get worse. Patients worried about their diagnosis, families anxious for treatment to start and people who have lost a loved one. They are watching. I ask again when will our cancer treatment standards be met? I will come in second to the range of actions that we are taking to meet the percentage targets that are important. The numbers that I am talking about here are important for the very reasons that Anas Sarwar talks about, because the numbers do signify individual patients with cancer. I gave the figure in percentage terms 10 years ago on the 62-day pathway in the quarter that we are talking about just now. 3,110 people were seen on that pathway. In the most recent quarter, 4,161 were seen on the other pathway 10 years ago, 5,500 today, almost 6,500. What does that say? Our cancer services are seeing more patients and they are seeing more patients on those urgent pathways. That is important for individuals. However, there is more work to do here. We are investing, for example, £40 million over the next few years to support cancer services and specifically to improve waiting times, particularly focused on urology, colorectal and breast cancer, because those are the pathways under the greatest challenge. We are investing in the endoscopy and urology diagnostic plan. We have six one-stop urology diagnostic hubs, so we are committed to earlier diagnosis through the rapid cancer diagnostic services that are coming on stream. All of that work is important to further improve this performance, but it is important to recognise the volume of work that our cancer services are doing each and every single day. The fact that the First Minister cannot escape from is that treatment standards are not being met, which means that people are not being diagnosed in time, treatment is not starting in time and people are losing their lives. The standard response to the First Minister is not going to comfort those people who cannot get the treatment and are losing a loved one, because there has not been a single day of Nicola Sturgeon's First Minister where she has met the 62-day cancer treatment standard, not a single day. The First Minister might not want to listen to me, but this is what Macmillan cancer support said this week. Cancer waiting times have been getting worse for years, and today's figures show that the worrying trend continues right across the country, even before the added pressure of winter is factored in. They are raising the alarm again about cancer care in Scotland. If doctors suspect that someone has cancer, patients rightly expect to be treated in time. That is costing lives. After 15 years in government, 10 years as First Minister, when the 62-day standard has never been met, it is important that we get a straight answer. When will both cancer treatment standards be met? One year, five years, 10 years, never, when? We will continue to work each and every day to meet not just these targets but all targets across our health service. That is happening right now in the most challenging of circumstances, as I think everybody knows. The fact of the matter is that, because of the investments that are being made, because of the actions that are being taken, the capacity of our cancer services is increasing, and that is demonstrated by the increase in the number of patients being treated on these pathways, which is important. Of course we need to see even more treated there, but I repeat the point that I made earlier on. For the 31-day standard, the median waiting time is not 31 days, it is four days, from a decision to treat a cancer patient to the treatment that is actually starting. For the 62-day standard, which is from urgent referral to treatment, the median waiting time is 48 days, so we will continue to take the action to improve that further. I listen very carefully to what is said in this chamber. I also listen very carefully, and we work very closely with organisations such as Macmillan Cancer, who do such a good job across cancer services. Of course it is because we take all of this so seriously that we have put so much effort into, and we will continue to put so much effort into ensuring that we reward those working in our NHS as well as we possibly can, so that today we are the only part of the UK where there are not strikes within our national health service. The commitment we give to our national health service, which will be demonstrated in the budget this afternoon, is to continue to build capacity so that we continue to improve treatment for patients with cancer and, indeed, patients who present to the NHS for any reason. I will take constituency in general supplementaries after question 6, members who have pressed, have no need to do so again. At question 3, I call Rachel Hamilton. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government plans to address reported shortages of antibiotics in light of the growing number of strip A cases. First Minister. Medicine supply is, of course, a reserved matter. However, the health secretary has discussed the issue with the UK Government to seek assurances about the supply of antibiotics to treat group A strip in response to the sharp increase in demand. It is advised that manufacturers currently have adequate supply of antibiotics in the UK, and wholesalers and manufacturers are working at speed to continually replenish stock. Scottish Government officials have issued a medicine supply alert notice, providing advice to healthcare professionals on prescribing options, including alternative antibiotics, if the first-line option is unavailable. In addition to that, work is under way to further strengthen the resilience of the supply chain, such as releasing antibiotics from medicine stockpiles, increasing manufacturing of antibiotic liquid preparation and where necessary, importing additional supplies. Rachel Hamilton. I thank the First Minister for that answer. Just today, the health secretary claimed that there were no shortages of antibiotics here, and at the same time NHS Scotland said that a medicine supply alert was imminent. Doctors in my constituency in the borders have described the situation as horrendous. Hospital staff and pharmacists have echoed these concerns, and chemists, First Minister, cannot even get hold of liquid penicillin to treat kids with sore throats. Does the First Minister accept that the health secretary needs to be more aware of the seriousness of this situation around the supply of antibiotics in Scotland instead of burying his head in the sand? This is a really serious issue. It involves the health of children, and I do believe that all of us take that seriously. I think that we should treat the issue in that vein. No-one is burying their head in the sand over this. Notwithstanding the fact that, as I said earlier, medicine supply is a reserved matter, it is not within the responsibility of this Parliament and Government. We take our responsibility seriously. The Cabinet had a very lengthy discussion this week on Strepied generally, but the issue of antibiotic supply in particular, the chief pharmaceutical officer, took part in that discussion. We are, of course, aware of some localised supply problems with penicillin and amoxicillin liquid preparations due to the increase in demand across the whole of the UK, but those types of demand shortages are not uncommon. The NHS has robust systems in place to deal with them. The assessment right now is that there is sufficient supply within the UK to meet those needs. That said, where there are shortages of liquid penicillin, for example, that is why notices are put out about the alternatives that can be used. Solid form of the same antibiotics or sometimes alternative antibiotics, and with alternative antibiotics we do have the option of drawing down from medicine stockpiles. Those are issues of the utmost seriousness. I would ask all Members to treat them in that way. Everybody takes that very seriously, and we are all working hard and working together to make sure that there is a good response now in the face of that rising demand. Many parents from my constituency were in touch last week about the lack of antibiotics for their children who were suspected of having Strepied. One mother with a two-year-old child had to contact over 20 pharmacies before their prescription was filled. At the start of last week, Humza Yousaf told this chamber that there was no problem with supply, but unfortunately that is not the reality. He was clearly confused as your Government have just issued an antibiotic shortage alert. Can the First Minister tell us whether Humza Yousaf was wrong? Will she outline what steps she will take to address those supply chain issues and reassure parents? Jackie Baill stood up there and acted as if she was giving information that was somehow new. I said in my original answer that the Scottish Government had issued a medicine supply alert notice, and we do that for a particular reason, and I will come back to that. I have already covered it, but I will come back to that. Humza Yousaf has been and continues to be right in what he says here. There is no overall shortage of antibiotics, but in a case where there is a surge in demand, we will often, and not just in the case of Strepied, but in other situations there will be localised shortages, but there are systems in place within the NHS to deal with that. Of course, where the particular first line antibiotic for any condition may be in shortage, there are alternatives, and that is part of the purpose of the supply notice to advise healthcare practitioners. If liquid penicillin, for example, which is the first line here, is not available, then the alternatives that can be used. This is the proper way of doing this. Everybody is treating this with the utmost seriousness. I come back to the factual point. Medicine supply is not within the responsibility of this Government. Unfortunately, it is a reserved matter. We continue to work with the UK Government, but we also continue to do everything we can to ensure adequate supply, and that is what we will do. Question 4, Stuart McMillan. To ask the First Minister what impact the self-isolation support grant has had on low-income workers who have contracted Covid-19. Grants of £73 million have been made to low-income workers and their families to help them to isolate from Covid-19. This support has helped over 150,000 low-income households all over Scotland since the scheme began in October 2020. When the UK Government removed the £20 universal credit top-up, we continued to offer the grant to all low-income households who would have been eligible previously. The grant was a temporary measure, although self-isolation was an essential tool to control Covid. The scheme will close from 5 January next year. However, we will be able to reinstate it quickly if circumstances require it. I thank the First Minister for that reply. The payment was crucial for many people during the pandemic and was the longest-running scheme of its kind in the UK. Does the First Minister agree with me that this payment, in addition to the Scottish child payment, shows that this Parliament has the best interests of the people of Scotland, along with tackling poverty at the heart of decision making? With the full powers of independence, we could do so much more without the need to mitigate decisions that are made in Westminster that are punishing the poorest in society. It is always really striking how uncomfortable the Scottish Conservatives get when poverty gets mentioned in this chamber. I am not sure that it is always visible to people watching at home, but the cat-calling, the heckling and the shuffling in the seats always start from the Conservatives, because they know deep down inside—or not even so deep down inside—that their party is pushing more and more people into poverty every single week. It is the responsibility of this Government to do everything we can to lift people out of poverty. The Scottish child payment is the foremost example of that, but during times of extremity at the height of the Covid pandemic, the self-isolation payment was a very important tool. 150,000 low-income households all over the country were helped through that, so it was an important measure. Hopefully, it will not be necessary again, but we stand ready to reintroduce it to should circumstances dictate that it is necessary. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I ask the First Minister if the Scottish Government will extend the eligibility for their new employment injuries assistance, the key workers suffering with long Covid, caught at work and now unable to return? I am certainly happy to look into that issue. We will do everything—I can say this in general terms—to help those who continue to be impacted by Covid. I am happy to look into the detail of that particular question and revert to the member as soon as possible. Thank you. To ask the First Minister, further to her commitment in June, that a women's health champion for Scotland would be appointed in the summer, whether such an appointment will be made before Christmas? A number of very high-quality candidates have been interviewed for this important role, and the appointment process is now in its final stages. The health secretary will provide an update to Parliament early in the new year. Addressing women's health inequalities, of course, is much bigger than just one person, but there is no doubt that the appointment of a women's health champion is an important part of our women's health plan. That is why we have invested the time necessary to consider the very best candidate for this role. The appointment has taken a bit longer than we had envisaged that it would, but, as I said, that process is now in its final stages. I thank the First Minister for that answer, and it is disappointing. I cannot say that I am surprised by the news that the appointment will not be made before Christmas. The First Minister promised in June that the appointment would be made during the summer. The women's health minister told me in September that the announcement would be made very soon, and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport advised in October that the appointment would be imminent. With health inequalities impacting women from deprived areas disproportionately, women's health matter is not being considered and treated with respect in the workplace, and diagnosis rates in cancer that specifically impact women remaining stubbornly high, we need a women's health champion. We needed a women's health champion time-lessly. The First Minister knows that this delay is unacceptable. Will the First Minister commit to personally ensuring that the appointment is one of her very first actions in 2023? I have already set out that the health secretary will update Parliament very early in the new year. What I think would be unacceptable with an appointment like this is to make an appointment of somebody we did not think whatever their skills and attributes was the best person for the role. It is essential that we get the right person with the right skills, the right expertise, and that is what I am confident we will do. As I said, that process is in its final stages. Of course, it is important—I agree very much with the member, obviously—that the appointment of a women's health champion is important, but the delivery of the women's health plan does not rest solely on that. We continue to take forward the strands of the women's health plan, but there is no doubt that our ability to do that will be augmented with the appointment early in the new year. Question 6, Ross Greer. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is supporting public transport to be better used and more affordable. We are taking very decisive action to widen access to and maintain the affordability of public transport, particularly during the current cost of living crisis. Up to 2.3 million people in Scotland are now able to access free bus travel through the schemes for older and disabled people and for those aged under 22. Since we launched the under-22 scheme in January, over 35.6 million journeys have been made, providing access to jobs, education and leisure, while enabling younger people to develop sustainable travel habits early in life. We have also frozen rail fares until at least March next year and have likewise intervened to hold fares in the Northern Isles ferry network to current levels until again the end of March next year. The First Minister is right to highlight the success of free bus travel for under-22s in particular and an initiative first secured by the Scottish Greens when we were in opposition, in which we have been proud to see delivered since joining the Government. The Bute House agreement commits to the Scottish Government and Scottish Greens to take a number of actions intended to boost public transport usage and improve affordability, including a community bus fund, significant infrastructure upgrades through STPR2 such as the Clyde Metro and action on fares. Does the First Minister agree, given the comments of the Committee on Climate Change last week, that making bus and rail usage more reliable and affordable is essential to meeting Scotland's climate ambitions? Yes, I agree very much with that. Let me say that I would also agree with and take the opportunity to recognise the fact that free bus travel for those under-22s is one of the great examples of the partnership in this Government between the SNP and the Green Party, something that I know the Conservatives and Labour in particular love hearing about. While it is important to incentivise public transport, that on its own will not be enough to drive down sector emissions and cars account for nearly 40 per cent of transport emissions. I agree with the Committee on Climate Change that we also need plans to discourage car use, to accompany current plans, to encourage active travel and the use of public transport, and the need for both of those things is set out in our route map on the 20 per cent reduction in car kilometres by 2030. As well as the action that I have outlined already, the on-going fair fares review will ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares in the future. All of those actions are important and necessary, and this SNP-Green Government will continue to take them. When are we going to see the national smart travel card that the SNP promised us over six years ago? As I have demonstrated, the actions that this Government is taking on public transport stand in comparison with that of any Government across these islands, and we will continue to progress all of these actions, unlike Governments elsewhere. We now move to general and constituency supplementaries, and I call Beatrice Wishart. Thank you, Presiding Officer. On Monday, the appalling weather in Shetland caused major power-lined faults and cut-off nearly 4,000 properties. I want to thank all those involved in trying to resolve this major incident and the impact on residents who have shown great community strength and resilience, but some are facing a fourth day without power. Regular information updates from SSEN and Shetland Islands Council have been well reported in local media, but what can the Scottish Government do to address communication issues when the power is down, digital landlines have run out of backup power and mobile signal is patchy? How can households access key information with dead batteries and no internet? Will the Scottish Government provide more resource for communication resilience to deal with episodes like this and storm Arwin last year with more frequent adverse weather events, likely due to the climate crisis? That is a very pertinent and timely question from Beatrice Wishart. Obviously, parts of Shetland continue to experience an extended loss of power. SSEN is making every effort to restore supplies, but many properties have already been off power for days. A major incident has been declared by local agencies and a significant response is being mobilised and is currently mobilised to support the affected communities. I can tell the chamber that, as of this morning, those numbers may have moved on since then, but as of this morning, 2,400 customers remain offline across Shetland with 2,899 having been restored since the beginning of the power cut. Resources continue to be deployed to Shetland, and SSEN currently has a 60-strawl team out in the field working on repairing damage. Another 62 field staff will arrive by ferry this morning and includes mutual aid support workers from Scottish Power Energy Networks and Northern Power grid. Approximately 20 further field staff will arrive by ferry tomorrow morning, which will take the total number of staff working to restore power in Shetland to approximately 140. The Scottish Government resilience operation was formally activated on Tuesday to provide whatever support and co-ordination we can. There will be a further meeting of score taking place this afternoon. I will take the point about communications resilience to those in that meeting and ask for consideration of what more the Scottish Government can do to support the communication efforts, because that is important. I know that everybody is working hard to communicate information as best as they possibly can. Final piece of information is that the justice secretary, who has ministerial responsibility for resilience, is on route to Shetland to see for himself the operation that is under way. New research from Joseph Rowntree shows that 7.2 million people are going without basics and 4.7 million are struggling to pay their bills. At the same time, the child poverty action group has published a report that shows that the cost of bringing up a child is significantly lowered in Scotland as a result of Scottish Government interventions. Given that most of the key levers are reserved, what action does the First Minister think the UK Government urgently needs to take to help people through the winter? We are getting the same response from the Conservatives again at the mention of poverty. I say to the Scottish Conservatives that no matter how uncomfortable it makes them, this Government and my party in this Parliament will never stop talking about the scourge of poverty, particularly child poverty and our determination to tackle and eradicate it. The actions that we are taking, chief amongst the Scottish child payment, is lowering the cost of raising a child in Scotland. That is positive, and we will continue to look for all possible ways to do that. In response to the question, what the UK Government could most usefully do is emulate the example of the Scottish Government and introduce their own equivalent of the Scottish child payment. There are growing concerns around the financial resilience of hospices across Scotland. The sector faces significant pressures with regards to staffing and energy costs. I met local hospices in my region who report that they are already supporting the delivery of core services from their reserves. One of the impacts of the pandemic is more people needing to move to pallet of care. Will the First Minister personally agree to convene urgent talks with the sector and undertake a review of match funding for the hospice care sector as that has now fallen to one of the lowest levels that we have ever seen? I will undertake to ensure that there are discussions directly with the sector. The Government will, of course, liaise with the sector regularly on a range of issues, but I will ensure that there are specific conversations about the pressures that they are facing. In common, of course, with other parts of the voluntary sector and the statutory national health service and other parts of the statutory sector, all of them dealing with the impact of rising inflation and increased energy costs. Of course, our budget this afternoon will very much have, at its heart, our determination to help services delivering these front-line services across the country as much as we possibly can. However, I will ensure that officials and ministers liaise with the hospice sector to see what more support we may be able to provide. I was contacted by a student this week who was forced to go to the library the day before her exam because her flat was dangerously cold. Lucy Penman said that she cannot afford to keep the heating on for more than an hour and a half. In her words, her fingers were losing feeling, her friends are in a similar situation. Students across Scotland right now are struggling with a surge in fuel bills over this winter period, and they need urgent intervention from the Scottish Government. What does the First Minister have to say to Lucy and her friends who are struggling to keep warm during this winter period? Will she also commit her Government to support the NUS Scotland's fighting for students campaign for extra support? Scotland's students do not need warm words, but they do want to see real action. I appreciate how difficult things are right now for students, as they are difficult for everybody, given rising energy costs and other inflationary pressures. We provide universities with funding so that they can provide hardship funds to students who need them, and universities should make their students aware of how to access that funding. We will continue to work with NUS Scotland as we have done over many years to look at how we best support students generally, but particularly in these difficult times. Of course, we already do much to support students to make sure that student debt is much lower in Scotland than it is in other parts of the UK, not least through free tuition here in Scotland. The fact of the matter is that the driving factors behind increased energy costs do not lie within the powers of this Government. I hope that, one day soon, it will, so that we can tackle so many of the issues at root cause, rather than continue to have to deal with just the symptoms of them. To ask the First Minister for her response to the UK Government's department for levelling up's update on the funding for displaced Ukrainians and the funding implications for Scotland's public sector support. The announcement represents a significant cut in the funding available to deliver public services to those in need. It is counterproductive and short-sighted for the UK Government to making those cuts to the tariff for local councils, and we will be joining with the Welsh Government in making clear our opposition to those. Right now, Ukrainians displaced by the war do not need less support, they need more support. We have continually called on the UK Government to extend funding in line with the three-year visa. Of course, Scotland has the highest number of arrivals by population share in the UK, as we continue to seek to provide a place of safety. We use our own budget to do that, and we will continue to do so, but the UK Government needs to continue to step up and fulfil its responsibilities and we will continue to encourage them to do exactly that. It has been reported that 230,000 birds have been killed in Aberdeenshire, following six distinct outbreaks of avian flu. The chief vet says that this occurs after housing flocks and with no concerns over management practices. Of course, the impact on bird populations is tragic, but there will also be an impact on farmers. What is the Scottish Government doing to help those farmers who fear that their livelihoods are threatened by this terrible tragedy? First, bird flu is a significant concern right now. Both the chief vet and the cabinet secretary, Mary Gougeon, monitor the situation very carefully. The measures that are in place in Scotland, of course, are given very serious consideration on an ongoing basis. I know that the chief vet has spoken at length about the basis of the decisions that we have taken so far. In terms of the impact on farmers, it is absolutely right that that has a big impact. We will continue to liaise with the farming community about how we best support them through what is an extremely challenging period. The threat to rate ideology poses to Scottish society continues to loom large. Their actions pose a direct threat to our drive for net zero and combating the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Efforts arising from the latest support from the nature restoration fund are threatened by the retained EU law bill, which will potentially undermine our ability to protect Scotland's environment. This week's Price Water House Coopers report revealed that Scotland's just transition to net zero is at risk from the Tory's post-Brexit immigration policy. Can the First Minister update Parliament on any recent discussions that the Scottish Government has had regarding the UK Government investment in the Scottish cluster and the Acorn CCS and hydrogen project? The retained EU law bill, which sounds very technical and abstract, puts at real risk the high standards that people in Scotland have come to expect as a result of EU membership. It threatens to eliminate 47 years of environmental protections, food standards, workers' rights and much else in a rush to facility, a deregulated race to the bottom economy. Angus Robertson has written twice to the Secretary of State in charge of the bill, including with proposed amendments that would limit the damage of that bill. There has to date been no reply. Of course, the approach to immigration, as the member rightly says, is also a threat to Scotland's prosperity and a threat to our progress to net zero, specifically on CCS and Acorn. We continue to press the UK Government to include that project in its support for carbon capture, and I hope that we will see some positive movement from the UK Government in the not-too-distant future. Pam Gossel. Thank you, Presiding Officer. A poll revealed this morning that the vast majority of Scots are opposed to your gender reform bill, including the removal of key safeguards such as lowering the age when one can legally change their gender to 16. First Minister, how many more warnings do you need before you listen to the concerns of the women and keep the safeguards that are currently exist? Firstly, Presiding Officer, it is for this Parliament to decide whether it passes this legislation as it is for this Parliament to decide whether it passes any piece of legislation. There is full scrutiny under way right now. Of course, Parliament will next look at the proposals in plenary session next week. The bill does not create a single new right for trans people. All it does is simplify existing processes. I encourage anybody who has not already done so to read the comments of the UN official this morning, who has given evidence to the committee setting out in detail why the bill, in his view, brings Scotland into line with its international obligations. There are significant safeguards in the bill. Of course, the concerns that men may abuse provisions about trans people to harm women—one of the comments that the UN official is making is that there is no evidence in any of the countries that already have a bill like this in place that that is the case. However, if any man was to seek to do so, that bill does not increase their ability to do that. That bill is about making a process that already exists for trans people much more humane and less invasive. Of course, it is for Parliament to consider the many amendments that have been lodged and to reach a final view on the bill next week. The general secretary of the communication workers union has written to the First Minister to seek urgent talks about the future of postal services and, as part of a bid, to end the on-going dispute with Royal Mail. Will the First Minister meet the communication workers union and will she give consideration to what steps she can take to defend postal services? I absolutely will be happy to consider meeting with the trade union. I am not sure if I have yet received the letter. I have seen it talked about in the media. Although that is not a matter within my responsibility, it is a reserved matter. I would be happy to consider any ways in which I can encourage Royal Mail to resolve the dispute in the interests of postal workers across the country. My approach to industrial disputes is very simple. It is always to get round the table and to try to find resolution. That is why, despite the many concerns that I know NHS workers will continue to have about the pay deal on offer in Scotland, I take to those kinds of disputes that mean that Scotland is the only part of the UK today that does not have strikes within our national health service. I will always look to see what I can do to bring resolution to disputes like this one. That concludes First Minister's questions. A point of order, Murdo Fraser. I am grateful, Presiding Officer. On a point of order, you have in the past been very clear that it is a matter of courtesy to the chamber that major Government announcements are made firstly to this chamber and not to the media. We are expecting at 2.25 this afternoon a budget statement from the Deputy First Minister to the chamber. However, the BBC Scotland website is reporting in detail tax changes that will be brought forward in that budget statement, including increasing the higher rate of tax from £41 to £42 and increasing the additional rate from £46 to £47. I am reducing the tax threshold for the top rate from £150,000 to £125,000. I am sure that you would share my concern and dismay that this has been communicated to the media, apparently, rather than firstly to the chamber. Will you therefore instigate an immediate investigation into the source of this leak to the BBC and ensure that proper courtesy is shown to the member to this chamber by the Government? I thank Mr Fraser for his point of order. Mr Fraser is quite right. I have made it very clear on many occasions that it is my expectation that significant announcements are made to this Parliament in the first instance. I have not yet had an opportunity to examine the circumstances that Mr Fraser describes, and I will do so and will report to the chamber in due course. I have a preceding point of order, Mr Kerr. I will come to you. I call Neil Bibby for a point of order. On a point of order, similar to the point that Mr Fraser has raised during the First Minister's questions, the BBC has reported on its website, Scottish Government plans, on income tax. If that is accurate, that information should have been provided to Parliament. Can I therefore also ask that you use your time as Presiding Officer before the proposed statement to make contact with the Scottish Government to assess the accuracy of those reports and whether the information has been briefed by the Scottish Government and to consider the implications for the statement this afternoon? As I have previously said, I will look into the circumstances and I will report back to the chamber. On the same issue, members may say all, but this is a matter of fundamental respect to the Scottish Parliament. The truth of the matter is that there is very specific detail that the BBC reported at 12.39 about the contents of the budget. If those are indeed accurate, as colleagues have said, will the Presiding Officer insist among other things that the temporary finance secretary and Deputy First Minister apologise to this Parliament? Thank you, Mr Kerr, for this point of order. As you will appreciate, I have been otherwise engaged. I have not yet appraised myself off the detail, and I will certainly look into this matter. That concludes First Minister's questions. There will be a brief pause before we move on to Members' Business.