 The first item of business today is general questions. Question number one, Patrick Harvie. Thank you to ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that its proposals on changes to council tax comply with its treaty obligations under the European Charter of local self-government. Cabinet Secretary, Derek Mackay. Our reforms to council tax will protect household incomes, enable more support for those on low incomes and provide additional investment in our schools. We have every right to legislate on council tax matters, and it remains the case that local authorities will keep every penny of council tax raised. We consider that those reforms will have no impact on our continuing compliance with the European Charter of local self-government. Patrick Harvie. I thank the minister for the answer, but it does seem a little confusing to me. I would draw the chamber's attention in particular to article 9, which says that local authorities shall be entitled to adequate financial resources of which they may dispose freely within the framework of their powers, and that part, at least of the financial resources of local authorities, shall derive from local taxes and charges of which they have the power to determine the rate. Overall, the Scottish Government's proposal to reintroduce rate capping and to centrally determine how councils will spend any extra revenue gained from the changes to the multiplier seems clearly to conflict with those objectives. At a time when we have seen the report on the commission for local taxation reform arbitrarily dismissed by the Government without even a debate in the chamber, are we really to take seriously that the Scottish Government's proposals comply with the spirit as well as the letter of this charter? Well, Presiding Officer, Mr Harvie asked if our proposals were legally compliant, and I have answered yes they are. They are in keeping with the spirit of the European Charter of local self-government in that, as I have said, local authorities will keep every penny of council tax raised. We will look forward to on-going engagement with local government through COSLA and the others as to the way forward in our budget approach. I also offer to have further discussions with Mr Harvie on options for the budget ahead, but this Parliament and this Government have every right to legislate on council tax. Why would we be laying regulations to legislate? We will take forward the manifesto on which we were elected. To ask the Scottish Government to its view on the trust trust opening its 50th food bank in Scotland. It is unacceptable that in 21st century Scotland there are people who cannot afford to feed themselves and their families. According to emergency food providers, the main drivers of food bank use are benefit delays and sanctions imposed on people by the UK Government as well as unemployment and low income. We are committed to doing all that we can with the powers that we have to lessen the effects of those UK policies and to ensure that everyone in Scotland can access affordable nutritious food. We want to eradicate the need for food banks in Scotland and our £1 million per annum fair food fund supports community-based responses that help to reduce reliance on emergency food provision. Stuart McMillan I thank the cabinet secretary for her reply. With universal credit being rolled out in Inverclyde within the next couple of months, does the cabinet secretary have any advice for volunteers at my local food bank as he braced himself for increased requests for assistance due to the UK government's continued attack on the most vulnerable in our society? The Scottish Government has long made its concerns clear about the implementation of universal credit. In practical terms, we already know that the built-in delays to the universal credit system can cause long waits for the first payment, which then increases pressure on volunteers at food banks and other community food providers. Claimants can be advised to apply to the DWP for a short-term benefit advance to try and help them to tide over, and they can also apply for a crisis grant from the Scottish welfare fund. However, there is no doubt that the basic problem here is the design of universal credit in the first place, and the Scottish Government continues to call on the UK Government to address those before the full roll-out of universal credit before that goes ahead. Linda Fabiani To ask the Scottish Government how it contributes to international development. As a good global citizen, Scotland works to help to tackle poverty and inequality, and the Scottish Government has contributed to international development through its international development fund, which has supported a range of projects in our priority countries for the past 11 years. The Government has committed to increasing our support for international development from £9 million per annum to £10 million next year, as well as establishing a new £1 million per annum humanitarian emergencies fund. That will enable us to do even more to help some of the world's most vulnerable people and continue to respond to the increasing number of international humanitarian crises. Linda Fabiani I thank you to the cabinet secretary, and I was also interested to note that, through its climate justice fund, the Scottish Government is contributing to the UK Government's targets. The independent newspaper reported a few days ago that official UK figures show that Britain is now the second biggest arms dealer in the world, with most of the weapons fueling deadly conflicts in the Middle East. The cabinet secretary agrees with me that it is ironic that, on one hand, it funds international development, and on the other, it profits from the immorality of the arms trade, the results of which we see every day on our TV screens and in our news bulletins. Will she, on behalf of Scotland, raise this matter with the UK Government? In terms of our international development, I think that we can agree that some of the real causes of poverty are conflicts across the world, and therefore early resolution of conflicts is an important part of what we can try to achieve. Clearly, so many of those issues, as she points out, are reserved to the UK Government. However, in terms of our peace process support, our support for women particularly, and our programme to support women in resolving conflict situations and Syrian women in particular, is something that we, as a Government, can do, but she is right to identify some of the issues around the conflict and the differences between arms trade relations and, on the one hand, looking at the ODA and the commitment for international development. I think that one of the key tenets and principles of our policy set out in our manifesto was a do no harm approach, and we will certainly make sure that, in our meetings with Priti Patel and the UK Government, that we make clear that that is a principle that we would expect them to adhere to too. Alexander Stewart. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for indicating that there has been an increase in Scotland's international development fund. That was something that we, the Conservatives, pledged, and I'm delighted to see it's happened. Is there any further development support for the fund as she goes forward? I'm glad to have the support from the Conservatives for international development, and I would say at the start of this new parliamentary term that one of the hallmarks of this Parliament has been the cross-party support for all our work on international development, particularly with our relationship with Malawi, and I hope that that would continue going forward. We are committed to peace and justice at home and abroad and to tackling inequalities, and we can showcase by what we do in terms of our policies at home, but also internationally. Our climate justice fund is world leading. In terms of adding that to our contribution, as Linda Fabiani pointed out, that has meant that, from January to December last year, we contributed £11 million, and that will be counted as part of the UK Government's ODA targets of 0.7 per cent. To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on the creation of new national parks and what consideration it is given to creating one in Galloway. There are no current plans to designate new national parks in Scotland. The creation of new national parks requires considerable planning, the support of all local authorities in the area and carries cost implications. For those reasons, we believe that it is essential to focus support on our two existing national parks to ensure that they continue their valuable contribution to tourism and sustainable rural economic development. I thank the cabinet secretary for her response and I ask if she is aware of the Scottish campaign for national parks report, Unfinished Business, produced in conjunction with association for the protection of rural Scotland, which has identified seven potential areas for consideration as future national parks and which flags up the very considerable economic benefit of national parks in rural areas. If the Scottish Government is serious about rural regeneration, how can it then rule out the possibility of further national parks, which do not need to be the same size or scale or the same regulations as the two current ones? I do not think anything that I said indicated that we were ruling out national parks in the future. What I said is that there are no current plans to designate new national parks and there are very good reasons for that. First of all, I am not aware of there being any specific proposals before us from local communities in respect of the creation of national parks. Of course, I am aware of the broader studies that are being done. However, I think that the member should perhaps also be aware that when this Parliament through the Petitions Committee in 2015 looked closely at this, they ultimately concluded that there was insufficient support and a lack of consensus among stakeholders. That consensus is absolutely essential if national parks are to work. Does the cabinet secretary agree that there is a need for us to look again at how we can promote the south-west of Scotland as a visitor destination, particularly for wildlife and green tourism, including options for future landscape designations and that an assessment of the potential costs and benefits of any proposal would need to be undertaken? Indeed, and I would endorse the latter part of Emma Harper's question. Of course, the south-west has already hosted a number of designated areas. There is the Galloway Forest Park, which is a long-standing park. There is the Galloway Biosphere, which, interestingly enough, I gave the go-ahead to when I was previously Minister for the Environment. The national scenic areas are also in the south-west. There are other options. People have pursued options of regional parks. There is a geopark, which is being looked at in the south-west as well. There are a number of options for designations. Each of them requires different things to bring them into being. I would encourage all communities to consider that variety of options and consider which might be most appropriate for their areas. 5. Richard Leonard To ask the Scottish Government whether it will take action to prevent NHS Lanarkshire from closing trauma and inpatient orthopedic services at Munklands hospital. Cabinet Secretary, Shona Robison NHS Lanarkshire, as supported by the academy of raw ecologies and faculties in Scotland, has been clear that the interim changes are necessary in order to ensure the safety, quality and resilience of local services. I have been assured that the interim plans will not materially impact on the provision of A&E services at any of the three main hospitals in Lanarkshire. The A&E department at Munklands sees around 66,000 patients per year, and the board are estimating that 98 per cent of patients will be unaffected by the interim changes. That means that the number of individuals who will be treated at either haremires or wish or general as a result of the interim changes should amount to three to four patient referrals each day. I do expect the health board to keep the actual activity information under close review. Also, the health board has given assurances that it is committed to retaining three-dish at general hospitals with A&E departments as part of their longer term plans, which are now subject to public consultation. I would encourage all stakeholders, including the member, to play a full part in that consultation. Richard Leonard It is customary to thank the cabinet secretary for her answer, but I am in this Parliament in a representative capacity, and the people of Lanarkshire will not thank the cabinet secretary for her answer. People rightly expect genuine consultation before decisions that affect them are taken. The one section of this document, which the cabinet secretary referred to, achieving excellence upon which there is no public consultation, is the withdrawal of trauma and inpatient orthopedic services from the Munklands next month. This goes to the very heart of how our democracy works. Will the cabinet secretary call this in, yes or no? Michael Matheson As I have said, NHS Lanarkshire's interim plans are about ensuring clinical safety and the quality of care, as supported by clinical experts at the academy of raw colleges and faculties. It will help to address the issues that I am sure the local member is aware of around recruitment, retention and the training of key clinical staff. As I said in my initial answer, the longer-term service plans are currently the subject of formal public consultation, which will run until 1 November. However, I would point out to the member that it was this Government that saved the A&E department at Munklands from closure in 2007. Since then, we have seen more than half a million attendances at that department, half a million people that would not have been able to attend that hospital if the member's party had had its way back in 2007. I am sure that local people will remember the reality of that. Fulton MacGregor Will the minister confirm for the clarification, if there is any doubt, that the guarantee given by this party 10 years ago, when the Labour Party voted to close down the Munklands A&E, still stands? As long as there is an SNP Government, there will be accident emergency services at Munklands? Absolutely. I can guarantee that there will be any departments that all three hospitals within Lanarkshire. To reassure the member that there has been a significant investment into Munklands hospital over recent years, including a new theatre, critical care unit upgrade, a new pathology laboratory and, of course, the 22 million Lanarkshire Beats and Radiotherapy Centre. Further planned investment, including improved facilities for day surgery, an immediate assessment unit adjacent to the A&E department and, of course, a single centre of excellence for cancer services in Lanarkshire, which will be consolidated at the hospital. Plus, I am sure that the member will be aware that we have welcomed NHS Lanarkshire's preparation of a business case, either for the redevelopment of the hospital or for a new build replacement. I think that that shows that this Government is absolutely committed to the future of Munklands hospital. Graham Simpson The cabinet secretary may not be aware that her party colleague Alex Neil, this week in his local paper, was promising the people of Lanarkshire that the trauma and impatient orthopedic services at Munklands would not be closed under the SNP. Has she given him that assurance? Cabinet secretary. Alex Neil I am happy to meet Alex Neil or any other local members to discuss any of their issues around the development. What I can say is this. NHS Lanarkshire has been very clear about the reasons for the interim plans. They are about clinical safety and the quality of care. We cannot ignore the expertise and the concerns raised by the academy of raw colleges and faculties. However, as I have said in all my answers here today, NHS Lanarkshire and this Government remain absolutely committed to having three A&E departments within Lanarkshire. The configuration of those and the way those departments work together to the final aim of a single trauma site and a single elective site is very important. This is about sustainable, safe services and I am sure that all local members will want to support that aim. Graham Simpson First of all, I just for the record point out that the Labour leader of North Lanarkshire council, Jim Loog, has given unqualified support to the proposal by NHS Lanarkshire to transfer trauma and orthopedic to the other two hospitals. Not for the first time the Labour Party speaks with more than one voice when it suits them. Secondly, as Mr Simpson is a former son reporter, let me just be accurate what I did say. I hope that it is not a third way, Mr Neil. Can I ask the cabinet secretary and the point that I am making is this, that when we come to the designation of a permanent orthopedic site, that the new Monklands hospital planned by this Scottish Government for 2023 would be a logical place to put the single orthopedic elective centre? Can I thank Alex Neil for his question and putting on the record the very interesting views of Jim Loog? I think that there would be a very strong case for the single elective site for orthopedics to be at the new or refurbed Monklands hospital. Obviously, there is a lot of work to be done in the lead-up to that decision. That is why it is open to consultation at the moment but I am sure that Alex Neil and all of the other local members will want to input into that consultation and make their views known about it. That site should go very strongly to the board. 6. Gail Ross At this time, I would like to inform the chamber that I have been appointed as PLO to the First Minister. To ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to Highland Games. Minister Aileen Campbell The Scottish Government is committed to protecting the Highland Games as a tradition enjoyed by many communities across Scotland. Our national agency for sport, Sport Scotland, shares that commitment and recognises the Scottish Highland Games Association as the governing body of traditional Highland Games in Scotland. Gail Ross I thank the minister for her response. During recess, I attended a number of games and gatherings in my constituency. At present, there are concerns from some that putting on games, especially smaller ones that rely on volunteers, is difficult, given the amount of bureaucracy associated with it. Is there any way that the Scottish Government can help less in the amount of bureaucracy associated with Highland Games or any support that it can offer to organisers to make the process easier? Minister I am happy to meet Gail to discuss this issue and look at the specifics and details of what she is describing. I know that this is an issue that Gail Ross has been working hard on along with local games in her constituency. Games rely heavily on pools of dedicated volunteers, and we are all appreciative of that commitment and their work to keep the proud tradition alive. In addition to meeting with the member, I will also ask my officials to discuss the issues that she has raised with the Scottish Highland Games Association.