 Ysgolwyddoedd gennych gweithio. Rydyn ni wedi gweithio i'r First Minister's Questions, ac yn Cymru, rwy'n gweithio ein bod nhw Douglas Ross. Rydyn ni'n gweithio i gweithio i'r First Minister. Yn gyfnodol, wrth gwrs, mae'n ddweud y SNP sydd yn gweithio i SNP i Westminster. Rydyn ni'n gweithio i'r First Minister yma, mae'n gweithio i'r Government yma i gael i gydag i gydag ddisgwydio i'r First Minister. Rydyn ni'n gweithio i'r First Minister? Rydyn ni'n gweithio i'r First Minister. ac, frankwraith, cael nodi i fynd i bod Peatwish mésbydd y Sxx inspiration I Thodd yn gwneud i unihub ar gyfer насol, feolwyd dros rwy'n teitiu eich c nibwydau y payintod sy'n hawdd hon y teitwish. Dw i'n ym più cyfrydydd i'r cyfreid y sうdol. Rwy'n credu i renameu flywy o naturio ond diolch i marw, ac mae'r adeiladau y griforth sydd hynny èw gael i'r sylwll yn ei chesaf agel i y Pwblair, i'r ffordd Llyrgrifeddol sefydliadau, ac yn fawr i'r ffordd Llyrgrifedd Llyrgrifeddol, bydd ymddai'n i gael i wella dros eu cyflwyst, nad yn eu cyflwystech yn fawr cyflwystech yn fawr i ffordd Llyrgrifedd Mwy. Ond arall, rwy'n gweinig ar y pryd yn ddiwedd i gaeliaith, mae'n alu'r ffordd Llyrgrifedd ahead, which is why doctors, nurses, NHS managers, trade unions, and all expressed some concern with the Prime Minister's announcement yesterday to lift all the restrictions at this stage, including the requirement to wear face coverings. We'll continue to take a proportionate and balanced set of decisions to try to get through this next, final phase of the pandemic, and keep the country as safe as we possibly can do while we're doing so. Douglas Ross. The First Minister said that it was not a fair representation of people who share its comments. It was a direct quote. He was asked, has the First Minister in Scotland introduced too many Covid restrictions over Christmas? And his response was, that is a fair point. He agreed with the premise of the question. The First Minister went on to laud his parliamentary career. Perhaps she could maybe listen to him. When he, an SNP member, elected representative, is saying that the restrictions imposed over Christmas were too much. Because the First Minister imposed restrictions that had a massive impact on jobs, on businesses, on people's mental and physical health. But we can now see that they weren't needed. It was the Scottish public's actions, not the SNP Government's restrictions, that got this right. The First Minister has tried to build a reputation for caution during this pandemic. But she was far too gung-ho in imposing extra restrictions last month. Will she now accept that her Government went too far? First Minister. Firstly, the public did comply. They complied with what the Government asked them to do. I think that Douglas Ross is striking rather a desperate note right now. Just as he is seriously describing Pete Wishart showing, as all the elected representatives should, some respect for the point that somebody was making to him, as evidence that Pete Wishart agrees with Douglas Ross rather than with this Government, then all that says to people is that Douglas Ross is showing rather more political desperation right now than we even thought he might have been. We have taken a balanced approach. Let me just say what I think at the moment. This cautious approach is the one that we should be taking. That's my sentiment. Those are not actually my words, though. Those are the words of Sandesh Gohani MSP on BBC Scotland on 7 January. So if Douglas Ross is basing his entire line of questioning to me right now when something Pete Wishart said, then what is his response to his own MSP saying that the cautious approach is the one that we should be taking. We have Professor Susan Meekie, a member of the UK Government's Sage Committee. Scotland is doing something that is very good from a public health point of view. Of course, the Scottish approach is in line with the Welsh Government's approach and the Northern Ireland Government's approach. We are taking a sensible approach through this, although my infection levels, although dropping now thankfully in all parts of the UK, are lower in Scotland than they are in England right now. Over the festive period, the numbers of people in hospital proportionately were lower. We are not out of the woods yet, although things look far more positive. I am going to continue to take a cautious approach. Frankly, the price of throwing caution to the wind is not paid by Governments. The price of throwing caution to the wind is paid by people across the country in terms of ill health and, sadly, in some cases, serious illness and death. That is a price that I do not think I should impose on the people of Scotland. Douglas Ross. First Minister, serious illness and death does not just come from Covid. It comes from restrictions being put in place that have a massive impact on people's mental health, on their physical health. We have been living with this pandemic now for two years, and I think that the First Minister would do better to respond to the points being made. She may not like them, but the points and questions being made rather than launching personal attacks on the opposition politicians who do it. Because not only did the First Minister impose unnecessary restrictions, she actually wanted to go further. The First Minister repeatedly claimed throughout December that the UK Government was holding her back from putting Scotland into lockdown again. She wanted to close down the economy no matter the impact that would have on Scottish jobs and businesses. The First Minister promised compensation when her restrictions were introduced, yet now we are coming out of the restrictions. That compensation still has not been delivered to many businesses. They have not received a single penny. This week, the Federation of Small Businesses said, that thousands of Scottish businesses needlessly go under every year because of late payment. Will the First Minister accept that her Government is currently the worst offender of late payments in Scotland? First Minister? No, but Douglas Ross said that the pandemic is causing the serious impact on individuals and businesses across Scotland, the UK, Europe and the entire world. Much as we might all like to be able to do so, and believe me, I would love to be able to do so. We cannot just magic it away. No country is able to do that. Douglas Ross has stood in his position in this chamber at every key juncture in the management of this pandemic since he has been back in this chamber. He has opposed the decisions that the Scottish Government has taken, even at times when there were exactly the same decisions that were taken by his colleagues in the Westminster Government. He has decided to take an entirely opportunistic approach to the handling of a global pandemic. I think that people will judge that, and I do not think that they will judge it very kindly. If we had listened to Douglas Ross, then over the past months we would not have had sensible measures like asking people to wear face coverings. We would not have had other mitigations in our schools. For example, we would not have advised people sensibly to work from home. We would not, therefore, be in the stronger position that we are in right now, able to lift those protective measures from Monday of next week. Given that Douglas Ross has called it wrong literally at every juncture of this pandemic, forgive me if I am not going to start listening to him now. In terms of business support, much of the... Incidentally, on the issue of opposition politicians and quoting people, Douglas Ross opened his line of questioning today, misrepresenting, in my view, Pete Wisher. Then he takes issue with the fact that I give a direct quote from Sandesh Gohani. Let me repeat that direct quote. At the moment, this cautious approach is the one that we should be taking. On the issue of business support, of course, much of this business support will not be available to businesses suffering the same impact south of the border. All local authorities... If Douglas Ross does not think that they are suffering the same impact, then I suggest that he really needs to get out a little bit more. All local authorities have started processing payments. Some local authorities have made very good progress and say that they have already paid almost all of the hospitality and leisure businesses eligible for support. All local authorities are on track to complete 100 per cent of payments to hospitality and leisure businesses affected by the Christmas cancellations and physical distancing by 31 January. That support is available here, but it is not available elsewhere. We will continue to do the right thing by businesses. Douglas Ross. The First Minister needs to make her mind up. She is accusing the Conservatives of opposing every measure that she puts forward. In the same breath, she is accusing the Conservatives for wanting a cautious approach. It is simply not opportunistic to trust the people in Scotland, to trust that they can learn to live with Covid rather than having to live with her Government's restrictions, which are having a massive impact on jobs, on businesses and communities across Scotland, and they are not getting the money or the support that they were promised. The First Minister has got the big decisions wrong over the last few months. Too quick to bring in unnecessary Covid restrictions, too late to launch mass vaccination centres, too late to change the self-isolation rules, too late to get funding to businesses who need it. The First Minister says that she does not shy away from the mistakes that she has made in the handling of this pandemic, so can she finally just admit that by introducing these tough restrictions here in Scotland before Christmas and by wanting to introduce even tougher restrictions, she has simply made the wrong call? I will let the people in Scotland judge the impact of the calls that I and my Government have made, but let me say this. Right now, on first doses, on second doses, on third doses, on booster vaccination doses, Scotland is the most vaccinated part of the United Kingdom. If Douglas Ross's proposition is that we left it too late, then what on earth does that say to his own colleagues in the Westminster Government? We also, in terms of the ONS figures this week, infection levels in England right now are over 20 per cent higher than in Scotland. I do not think that it is a competition, but if Douglas Ross wants to make these comparisons, then the comparisons there are the data. I say gently to Douglas Ross, because I know that he is having a tough time politically, I say gently, it is inconsistent, entirely inconsistent. There is no consistency in saying, as his health spokesperson did, that the cautious approach is the one that we should be taking, and then opposing every cautious measure that we choose to take for opportunistic reasons. Can I suggest that Douglas Ross just gets his own house in order? Perhaps suggest to more of his colleagues that they obey the rules that are in place when they are in place and leave this Government to get on with steering this country responsibly and in a mature, grown-up fashion through the global pandemic. The First Minister said that the auction of major offshore wind projects was one of the most significant days that Scotland has seen in a very, very long time. I welcome inward investment, but it should not come at the cost of the Scottish economy, our just transition or our values. Let us be clear about what has happened. This SNP Government has sold on the cheap the right to profit from Scotland's energy transition to multinational companies with questionable human rights records. One of the new owners of Scotland's seabed refined $54 million for bribing Nigerian officials and $88 million for bribing Indonesian officials. Another one was found to have contributed to human rights abuses at one of its construction sites, of destroying villages in Myanmar, of relying on forced labour and using slavery to build pipelines. Surely those are not people the Scottish Government should be doing business with. First Minister. Can I just say that Scotland made the decisions on the companies, the consortiums that would be awarded the status to develop projects around our coast. They have appropriate processes in place to do due diligence, but this is one of the most exciting things for Scotland in a long, long time, which probably is why Scottish Labour has been so negative about it. Not only does this give us the potential to meet our own energy needs from renewable sources, it positions us with the ability to be a major exporter of renewable energy, including green hydrogen, and it gives enormous potential for our supply chain. The estimate is that for every gigawatt of power that will be generated from these projects, there will be £1 billion of investment in our supply chain. For the first time, companies have had to set out in statements what they will do to support our supply chain. That is good news. There are complicated consenting and planning processes that lie ahead, but that offers massive potential to Scotland and its potential we intend to seize with both hands. Anna Sarwar. I agree with the opportunity, but values matter. Just last week, the SNP was right to accuse the Tory Government of tolerating human rights abuses as a price worth paying to secure deals for the UK. This week, the SNP has done the same. That is what Nicola Sturgeon's effect is saying. It is bad when the Tories do it, but it is okay when the SNP does it. There is another concerning part of this deal. One of the new owners of Scotland's seabed is the Swedish-owned state-owned energy company. That state-owned Swedish energy company can now use their part of the Scottish seabed to keep energy bills down for people in Sweden. The First Minister once promised a Scottish state-owned energy company. In fact, this SNP Government spent almost £500,000 of taxpayer's money on the project before scrapping the plans. Why is it that people of Sweden now own a bigger stake in Scottish energy supply and distribution than the Scottish people? The SNP, not stronger for Scotland, but stronger for Sweden. First Minister. Yes, Sweden is also an independent country with full control over energy, which, of course, this Government and this Parliament do not have. That is a matter that an Asarwar might want to reflect on a little bit more. Of course, just today, the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero is talking about the opportunities, the opportunities around consultation for our plans for an energy public agency to steer those kinds of developments in the future. This is a thoroughly positive opportunity for Scotland, and no wonder then that Scottish Labour just wants to gyrn about it and be negative. That is what has characterised Scottish Labour for a long time, and it is why they are sitting over there these days, not there and certainly not here. Let me just repeat the opportunity. The opportunity to meet our own energy needs from renewable sources and to keep energy costs down, the opportunity to export renewable energy to other countries, the opportunity to grow a supply chain and create thousands, possibly tens of thousands of jobs and, of course, the opportunity to raise revenues for the Scottish Government for public services here in Scotland from the lease options alone, £700 million, and then when these projects are operational there will be rent fees in addition to that. That is a thoroughly positive opportunity, and perhaps anas Sarwar just for once could find it within himself to be positive about the potential of Scotland. Anna Sarwar. I have said I welcome in her investment, I have said I welcome and recognise the opportunity, but this is such a desperate, poor, poor reply. The First Minister often likes to accuse opposition parties of demonstrating a brass neck. That was a brass neck from the First Minister in that reply. Acuse the tories of bad values on human rights, accept human rights values as being part of the price worth paying for Scottish opportunities here, because this is about the Scottish supply chain, Scottish companies and Scottish jobs. The sad reality is that this is an SNP Government that does not understand economic development. Scottish bridges built with Chinese steel, Scottish wind farms with turbines built in Indonesia, ferries not built with the Scottish shipyards built in Poland and Turkey and now Scotland's seabed owned by foreign multinationals with woeful human rights records. We've heard the list of promises from the First Minister before. A state-owned energy company promised never delivered. Scotland's becoming a renewables like Saudi Arabia promised but never delivered. 130,000 green jobs promised but never delivered. After 15 years, isn't it the case that this is an SNP Government that has sold out Scottish jobs, sold off Scottish assets and now sold out Scottish values? Thank you, Mr Sarwar. First Minister. I'm just sitting here reflecting almost unbelievably, that Anna Sarwar has just accused me of behaving like a Tory the day after his party threw open the doors to a Tory MP. Now, so little difference between Labour and the Tories that their MPs are just interchangeable. Brasneck, I would say to Mr Sarwar, I think he'll be polishing his for the rest of the day. Look, Anna Sarwar and his many predecessors as Scottish Labour leader I have to say I've forgotten how many predecessors as Scottish Labour leader Anna Sarwar has had but they've been trotting out these negative top-down Scotland tropes for years and all that has happened is that they've gone further and further and further down in the ratings in Scottish politics they've lost more and more votes and my party's share of the vote has increased so there is real I came into the chamber expecting political desperation from Douglas Ross today I think I've seen even more from Anna Sarwar which probably says all we need to know I'll get on with encouraging the potential for Scottish renewable energy, for Scottish jobs for revenue for the Scottish Government and I'll be delighted at the next time of asking to put that record before the Scottish people. I'm not so sure Anna Sarwar will be quite so keen. We'll now take supplementary questions and I call Fiona Hyslop. First Minister increasing energy prices are of very real concern what discussions has she had with the Westminster Government on help for families to combat the spiralling financial cost of the energy crisis? First Minister Well the energy crisis the cost of living crisis is increasing on a daily basis at the moment it is of deep concern to this Government we're taking a range of measures ourselves through our £41 million winter fund seven new benefits aimed at low income households and of course shortly we will double the Scottish child payment but of course key powers do remain reserved to Westminster we've written to the UK Government countless times about poverty and also just last week set out further actions which we have outlined that they must urgently take to tackle rising energy bills but if a Government as is the case with the Westminster Government is so busy trying to deal with self inflicted sleaze and scandal and daily defections and deflections then their focus is not on the cost of living crisis it's on themselves and this is both deeply regrettable and deeply serious and right now neglecting the real issues that people are facing right across the country Alexander Stewart Thank you, First Minister Diabetes rates are rapidly increasing across Scotland with diagnosis more than doubling in the last 20 years Diabetes Scotland reported last week that access to the correct diabetes technology such as instant pumps can be life changing for patients but just over 10% of 18-year-olds use them so that diabetes outcomes between affluent and deprived areas in Scotland is widening so can I ask the First Minister what urgent action can be put in place to ensure that this worrying trend is reversed First Minister It is an important issue we will work with Diabetes Scotland to take forward the findings of the report making sure that there is both access to insulin pumps for young people but for people of all ages is important but also that they are used to have made improvements in years gone by and we will continue to focus on making further improvements for the sake of people across Scotland who live with that condition Faisal Choudhury Thank you, Presiding Officer The First Minister will be aware of the anger in local authorities across Scotland that the Scottish Government is not planning to compensate them for the upcoming raise in national insurance as councils in England and Wales are being compensated that will inevitably cause further cuts to already stretched services How does the First Minister justify living Scottish local authorities worse off for this change than their English counterparts First Minister The UK Treasury block grant to the Scottish budget does not identify consequential funding for national insurance contributions so there are no identifiable consequentials to pass on We are providing a settlement to local government that is fair and crucially affordable the overall local government funding package of more than £12.5 billion represents an increase in real terms of 5.1 per cent in revenue alone it's a real terms increase of 4.9 per cent so we will continue to treat local government as fairly as possible and support local government as far as we possibly can in delivering the services that people across the country rely on Emma Harper As the First Minister will be aware my Dogs Protection and Livestock Amendment Scotland act 2021 is now in force and provides Police Scotland and the courts with greater powers to investigate those who allow their dogs to worry, attack or kill livestock in Scotland's countryside Livestock worrying can have serious animal welfare implications as well as significant financial and emotional impact on farmers Can the First Minister in light of lamb and season outline what action the Scottish Government has taken to promote public awareness of the updated legislation? First Minister Can I again congratulate Emma Harper on her success with this legislation it is extremely important legislation the Scottish Government I can assure her will take appropriate steps to raise awareness of it and of course we will do everything we can working with partners as appropriate to ensure appropriate enforcement of it but it is a significant step forward and one that I know will be particularly welcomed across rural Scotland Miles Briggs Since the extension of free personal care for people under the age of 65 no data has been recorded on the number of people who have now received this care Given the problems that we've seen during the pandemic on people accessing care packages and in fact with many being removed or cut for individuals we are finding that more and more people are reporting that it is people with complex needs and life limiting conditions are not getting that care so can I ask the First Minister will the Scottish Government agree to establish a national recovery group alongside COSLA to make sure that people who are entitled to free personal care get that and this is fully restored and delivered across Scotland First Minister Everybody who is entitled to free personal care should get free personal care and of course the entitlements to free personal care in Scotland go far beyond the situation in other parts of the UK I'm not going to give a commitment today to the proposition I will consider it carefully but I'm not going to say right now before having the chance to consider that I think that that would be the right way forward I will also however look at the issue of data and come back to the member with an indication of when data is likely to be published which will give a sense of how many people are taking that entitlement Pam Duncan-Glancy Thank you, Presiding Officer Constituents of Lansfield Key in Glasgow are living with what has been deemed 22 intolerable risks to life as a result of flammable cladding on their building. They've been struggling to get a single building assessment on it which was promised in June 2021 Can I ask the First Minister what she and her Government could do to assist my constituent in obtaining this information as a matter of urgency? First Minister Obviously I know from my own position that MSP is here how important this is The Government is taking forward steps to ensure single building assessments I will ask the housing minister to write to the member with full update on that work and what the next steps in it are Beatrice Wishart Thank you, Presiding Officer for having a hiccup with my glasses and the mask Can the First Minister indicate what the Scottish Government's response is regarding the impact on Scotland that the BBC licence fee will be cut after the current funding deal ends in 2027? I'm sure every member across this chamber from time to time will have gripes with or criticisms of the BBC but the BBC is an important part of our broadcasting framework and I think we should all defend the principle of public service broadcasting so I'm deeply concerned at the announcements or hints of announcements earlier this week from the UK Government I suspect and I think there is some evidence that these were an attempt to divert attention from the Prime Minister's troubles but nevertheless I think all of us have to stand up for these principles and guard against this government and the damage it seems willing to do to key institutions often just to try to save its own skin Question 3 Maggie Chapman To ask the First Minister what impact the UK Government's nationality and borders bill will have on devolved functions The Scottish Government has profound concerns about this bill we are currently considering its potential impact on areas that are devolved if we conclude there is an impact on the legislative competence of this Parliament we will lodge a legislative consent memorandum setting out the relevant provisions there's no doubt however that the bill will have significant impacts on devolved services local authorities and communities Scottish ministers have written to the UK Government in relation to this bill five times outlining our significant concerns including with the Welsh Government who shared those concerns I also note that the House of Commons joint committee on human rights yesterday said that the reforms of the asylum system proposed in the bill and I'm quoting would fail to meet the UK's human rights obligations and risk exacerbating the already unacceptable backlog so we will continue to urge the UK Government to introduce a humane effective and efficient system that delivers for people living in Scotland including those who are fleeing war and persecution Maggie Chapman The Prime Minister's intention to use the military to prevent asylum seekers reaching the UK is deeply immoral as is the possibility of trading access to Covid vaccines for the right to open detention centres in other countries The First Minister will be aware of the appalling circumstances faced by many asylum seekers in Scotland including in Aberdeen in my region accommodated in hotels but not given basic support or things like toiletries, culturally sensitive food language classes and so on While we do not have the powers to counter these racist policies we can make sure that asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland are treated better I'm sure the First Minister will join me in condemning the plans by the Prime Minister and his cruel and inhuman home office Will she also outline what lessons have been learnt by the tragic death at Park Inn in Glasgow and say what more we can do to prevent the growth of the use of institutional accommodation across Scotland and improve the support available through local authorities so that asylum seekers are treated with dignity First Minister Maggie Chapman for the question there's a lot of detail in that question and I'll undertake to ask the relevant minister to write with more detailed answers than time will allow me to give today including for example the question of lessons learned from the dreadful circumstances around Park Inn in Glasgow The UK Government though it's plans to divert vessels in the channel are dangerous and I think it's important that we are all clear that they will significantly increase risk to life Medicine's Son Frontiers stated and I'm quoting again that pursuing a policy of forced returns and engaging in pushback tactics is dangerous, inhumane but puts lives at risk at sea In my view people seeking asylum in the UK should be accommodated within communities where they can begin to rebuild their lives where they have access to essential services and the support and advocacy they need and also where they can make a contribution to the communities that they are living in and the UK Government is failing to provide that The Home Office hasn't shared yet its review of the tragedy at the Park Inn but as I said a moment ago the Scottish Government Minister is responsible to write further about that I think what we saw at the weekend the comments we saw at the weekend for example about use of military a bit like the comments on the BBC were an attempt to divert attention from the troubles of the self-inflicted troubles of the Prime Minister but we should not be using the BBC and we should absolutely not be using refugees and asylum seekers in that way it is utterly despicable and I think another sign of the moral decay at the heart of the UK Government Question 4 Stephanie Callaghan who is joining us online Thank you To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to public health Scotland census data which states that three out of four care home places are now provided by private companies First Minister While the percentage of private sector care homes has increased the overall balance of provision in care home places between the public and private sector has not changed markedly over the past decade the number of care home places has remained relatively stable which reflects our policy to support people at home for as long as possible as we move towards the creation of the national care service an ethical approach will be at the heart of how we commission our social care providers across Scotland from the independent third and public sectors will continue to be subject to the same regulations standards and guidelines ensuring the continuation of high quality care home provision is and will continue to be the priority of the Scottish Government Stephanie Callaghan I thank the First Minister for her response Given the prevalence of private care home provision across Suddingston Wales health constituency wider Scotland how will the national care service deliver the terms and conditions of our private care home staff and ensure that high quality care for residents First Minister There is no doubt that the national care service will be the most significant change in public services probably since the establishment of the national health service so we are committed to delivering a service by the end of this Parliament in order to ensure that everybody gets the high quality care that they are entitled to regardless of where they live in the country the consultation on the establishment of the national care service proposed that it will oversee the delivery of care improve standards, ensure enhanced paying conditions for workers and provide better support for unpaid carers as well as supporting ethical commissioning of care so all of that will lead to better outcomes for those who rely on our care services it's important work, it's difficult work it is in many aspects controversial work but I think I hope that by the end of this Parliament sector reform that future generations will come back and look on as fondly as we look on the establishment of the national health service Jackie Baillie Irrespective of the status of the sector the employees in social care are predominantly female and they're predominantly low paid it's still the case that you can get paid more by working in hospitality and retail there were vacancies before the pandemic made worse by the pandemic so will the First Minister add the GMBN Unite in their campaigns to pay care workers £15 per hour starting with an immediate rise to £12 per hour in April First Minister We are increasing the pay of those who work in the care sector and I think it's important that while Jackie Baillie as she always does sets out the problem it's this government that's delivering the solution so we are increasing the pay of social care workers of course we have to do that within the bounds of affordability and we will do that but we are also committed to a national care service that will have collective bargaining and better paying conditions for social care staff absolutely at it's heart so we'll continue to get on with doing the hard work that delivers the outcomes that Jackie Baillie calls for Question 5, Finlay Carson To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on the delivery of lot 1 to the R100 programme Of course broadband investment is reserved to Westminster but given the UK Government's failure to deliver on that alongside its failure to deliver on so many other things we've had to step in and make a difference the R100 north contract was signed in December 2020 despite the pandemic a huge amount of property work has been completed since a remodelling exercise ensured that every connection delivered will be full fibre survey work for over 5,000 properties and 16 subsea cables which will deliver vital backhaul connectivity to 15 Scottish islands we anticipate by the end of June the northlock contract will have delivered over 4,000 connections the R100 Scottish broadband voucher scheme also ensures that everyone who wants the superfast broadband connection now can have one with around 750 connections already delivered in the north of Scotland Finlay Carson Thank you I'm not surprised by your response and no doubt you will continue to try and throw the public into believing that the role out of broadband is reserved and that line is wearing very thin the practical role out of broadband is devolved to the Scottish Government and that line is wearing things like the patients of the people in rural Scotland the SNP talked up this scheme as reaching 100% but rural communities are not getting what they're expected nearly 37,000 properties in lot 1 will not get fibre from the main scheme and the voucher scheme you talk about is delivering nothing with only 4% of uptake so far so the First Minister surely should rename the R100 scheme promised by the SNP as the R40 scheme and it's five years late the SNP promised their flagship R100 scheme would be delivered to everybody by 2021 well the First Minister now apologised the people and the businesses who might not get connected at all and most of them won't get connected until 2027 First Minister Through the R100 contracts the R100 Scottish broadband voucher scheme and of course commercial coverage as well we've ensured that every premises in Scotland can access a superfast broadband connection despite telecoms being reserved and that's not a matter of opinion that's a matter of fact in the Scotland Act which the member is free to go and check to date the UK Government's contribution to the R100 programme totals £31.5 million £5% of the total compared to £579 million invested by the Scottish Government and the UK Government's own project Gigabit has yet to award a single procurement contract so again the Scottish Government is getting on with the job of delivering connections while all the Scottish Conservatives can do is gripe and gyrn about it before we move on to question 6 can I just remind members to desist from shouting across the chamber when we're trying to hear questions and answers question number 6 I call Neil Bibby to ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to ScotRail's plans to cut ticket office opening to 120 stations and to close free ticket offices entirely The aim of this review is the modernisation of railway stations clearly to most people technology has changed how people want to access information and tickets but of course we also need to acknowledge the importance of local staff services on the ground where and when they are needed this consultation offers the public the chance to have their say on how to provide an efficient modern service for the future and we would encourage people to get involved we'll await the consultation findings before any final decisions are made on the proposals Neil Bibby Ticket office staff play a crucial role in making our railways safe and accessible and many go above and beyond such as Dalmure workers whose quick thinking recently saved a life A properly staffed rail network is central to reducing car use and meeting Scotland's climate ambitions yet under this government rail is being undermined not rail is cutting 300 services per day fares will be hiked up by 3.8% next week ticket des are shutting and there is still no fully integrated smart ticketing for passengers To drive model shift the rail network must be more attractive and more accessible to passengers so will the First Minister stop these ticket office closures First Minister Will consultant what a modern system of railway stations and offices looks like I absolutely agree about the importance of ticket office staff and where they are necessary it's important to recognise that but everybody knows that at many railway stations now the ticket process is automated so we have to reflect that on how these services are delivered in future and it's right that we consult properly so that we come to the right balanced decisions we are investing heavily in our railways we will continue to do so we have a service that people in Scotland need and have a right to expect and that they deserve and also just to continue this theme of opposition parties calling for things but this government getting on with delivery of course it's this government that is in the process of bringing ScotRail into public ownership delivering the nationalisation that Scottish Labour only talks about John Mason Given that passenger numbers are dramatically down on the railways and ScotRail therefore depends on the public purse for an increased subsidy does the First Minister agree that ScotRail does have to look at its costs and reduce them if possible First Minister we've got to make sure that we have a modern service that is efficient and of course for taxpayers that we have a service that provides value for money but we are supporting a rail franchise right now with more than a billion pounds including £450 million of additional funding via the pandemic emergency measures and we will continue to do so to ensure that Scotland does have the railway service that it needs and deserves and of course as I said earlier on we'll bring it into public ownership which I think is something the majority of people will welcome Brian Whittle First Minister 50% of lung cancer patients are diagnosed at stage 4 with mortality rates high for this cancer during Covid restrictions there were 25% less people diagnosed and 25% less people in treatment Does the First Minister recognise that Covid restrictions have a significant impact on many other conditions that will be felt long after the Covid pandemic has passed? First Minister Yes I do I think that if memory serves me correctly we had an important exchange on this issue last week on the diagnosis of cancer and the earliest possible staging of cancer is vital that's why we're investing so heavily in the detect cancer early programme it's why we have established or are establishing fast-track cancer diagnostic centres so that people with symptoms that are not the most common symptoms of cancer can get the same fast-track access and fast-track we hope diagnosis as those on the urgent suspicion referral pathway so that is really important and we're absolutely committed to ensuring the earliest possible diagnosis of course staging is not the only thing that's important we then need to make sure that people get quick access to high quality care and treatment and that's a big part of our focus in terms of cancer services too Neil Gray With UK inflation hitting a 30-year high and energy costs spiralling with no action from the UK Government and the standard rate of universal credit haven't been cut by £20 per week by the UK Government can the First Minister outline what impact this has all had on her Government's ability to meet her child poverty targets and also whether or not she supports the poverty alliances campaign to see the punitive welfare cap scrapped by the UK Government First Minister Yes, I do fully support that poverty alliance campaign I'll be blunt about it The UK Government is making the poorest poorer and they're doing that knowingly and it is utterly despicable The removal of the £20 a week universal credit uplift has impacted some of the poorest families in our society and these actions are making it more difficult for the Scottish Government to live up to our responsibilities to tackle child poverty but we are doing more doubling the Scottish child payment Scottish child payment, a child payment doesn't exist in any other part of the UK and having established it we're now taking steps to double it so we're doing everything we can but if we weren't up against the Government pooling in the opposite direction we'd be able to do more and have a much greater impact which is of course the powerful argument for having all of these levers in the hands of Scottish Governments and the Scottish Parliament not leaving them in the hands of Westminster Governments That concludes First Minister's questions and there will be a short pause before members' business