 Good morning. I have general questions, his first item of business. He may not have been lodged, but I will see him Yuan for questions to ask Stuart McMillan. First Minister, I thank you very much for joining us today to ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported reduction in the number of childminders working in Scotland. Minister Youth of Scotland, the Scottish Government recognises that childminders are an important element of the Scottish childcare sector, offering high-quality, unique and flexible experiences of childcare for families That's why we're supporting an innovative child-minded recruitment pilot being led by the Scottish Child Minding Association and Partners, aiming to recruit and train more than 100 new child-minders in remote and rural areas, with the recruitment of these additional child-minders up to 900 childcare places may be created. We have also provided targeted financial support to child-minders during the pandemic, including issuing over £3,000 grants worth £950 through the Omicron impact funds. We will continue to work with our partners to increase the number of child-minders in Scotland through the implementation of our commitment to child-minding action plan published in 2021. I thank the minister for that reply, and I warmly welcome that the Scottish Council in 40 hours policy is saving families on average £5,000 per child a year, but it's also crucial that free early learning of childcare is flexible to meet the needs of parents, and that's why the loss of 1,671 child-minding businesses in Scotland in the last five years is extremely worrying. Can the minister therefore outline what further steps the Scottish Government is taking to increase the AOC workforce, as we will need private and voluntary childcare settings, including child-minders, to continue to expand the free fund of childcare for children and families? We want families to be able to access the flexible, supportive and high quality childcare that child-minders can provide, including as part of the funded early learning and childcare entitlement. It was encouraging that the Scottish Child Minding Association's 2021 audit showed an annual increase in the number of child-minders delivering funded ELC. We are working with the sector to explore how to encourage more child-minders to offer ELC, including identifying opportunities for reducing burdens on child-minders that may prevent them from offering ELC. We are also working with the sector to identify the reasons for the decline in child-minders, including ensuring that the interests of child-mining sectors are represented on national forums, such as the childcare sector working group and the new national provider forum. That helps us to identify where practical support can be provided across the sector. I thank the minister for that question. Can she go further on explaining how the outreach to the child-mining sector and also the private providers within the ELC is occurring? Will she confirm that the correct weight will be given to that evidence, because there is a crisis in early years and it is getting worse? As we move into this winter period, particularly with the cost of living that is hitting businesses, we could see a massive drop in places very quickly. I am very sorry to the member if I have misunderstood his question in terms of supporting ELC and child-mining businesses across the piece. We are doing that through our national forums by ensuring that there is representation of their representative bodies on our national forums to look at the training and development that we need to ensure that there is a highly skilled workforce right across the sector and that it is a workforce that we are able to recruit to and also to retain. If I have misunderstood his question, I am more than happy to write to him. Funded ELC entitlement can be used at a child-minders, nursery or play group, but parental choice is limited by the availability in their area. The value of child-mining for children's development should not be ignored. It has low adult to child ratios and enables children for different ages to learn and play together. What further support can the Scottish Government offer to ensure that there is adequate child-mining provision across the country, including in Shetland, where there are now only three child-minders? I thank Beatrice Wishart for her question. I am very aware of the support that we are providing to remote and rural communities in terms of accessing childcare. We will continue to work with partners and local authorities to understand the needs of our remote and rural and island communities. Those needs will be taken into account as we develop our strategic framework for Scotland's childcare profession, which will be exploring a range of issues under themes with partners, including recruitment and retention of ELC professionals across Scotland. The member may also be interested to know that I will be visiting ELC and child-mining sectors in our remote and rural communities before Christmas to engage with ELC professionals directly to hear from them. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether inflation and any possible reductions to public sector spending by the UK Government will impact on prospective capital projects in Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale. The level of inflation seen over the last few months has been unprecedented in modern times. That combined with increases in the delivery times from materials due to the combined effects of Covid, Brexit and the illegal war in Ukraine is placing significant pressures on budgets and the delivery of infrastructure projects across the country, including those in Midlothian South, Tweedbank and Lauderdale. That will be reflected within our latest six-monthly reporting of capital projects to be published in the coming weeks. Any reduction to our capital budget by the UK Government would exacerbate that situation further. I therefore urge the UK Government to protect and enhance Scotland's capital allocation in the upcoming autumn statement to allow our capital programmes to continue at the required pace. Within Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, two projects that spring to mind are the proposed extension of the border railway and the redesign and construction of the Shereiffall roundabout. I note that the minister is going to report. Can the minister advise of any specific impact on those as a result of raging inflation falling from the mismanagement of the UK economy by the Conservatives? Despite cuts by the UK Government to Scotland's capital allocation and uncertainty on future allocations, the Scottish Government remains committed to investing in road improvements like the great separation of Shereiffall roundabout. Transport Scotland continues to progress the proposed scheme through the statutory process. The public inquiry is now scheduled to take place on 30 January 2023 for a period of two weeks. The same is true of our commitment to decarbonise our railway, and decarbonisation of the existing border railway is estimated to commence construction in 2023. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that all fire and rescue officers have the appropriate decontamination facilities available to them. The safety and wellbeing of all fire and rescue officers is of utmost importance to the Scottish Government. This year, we increased funding to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service by £9.5 million. Decisions on the allocations of its £352.7 million budget is a matter for the SFRS board and chief officer. I am aware that the SFRS has been engaged with the FBU on work to, with Lancaster University for a number of years, and its well-established contamination working group has taken actions across all aspects of operations to reduce exposure to harmful contaminants. That includes investment in new fire appliances and fire station facilities. I take this opportunity to welcome the new minister to her post. Last week, Professor Anasett from the University of Lancashire presented the shocking results to MSPs of our research into the impact of contaminants and firefighters, but showing that UK firefighters are four times more likely to get cancer during their lifetime than the general population. The World Health Organization classifies firefighting as a carcinogenic occupation. Canada, the USA and Poland have presumptive legislation that tracks links between the workplace and exposure to cancer. Will the minister be prepared to discuss with me the possibility of presumptive legislation that we could pursue? I am aware of the work that has been carried out by Professor Steg. It is a value contribution to building the knowledge and understanding of contaminants, which could be harmful to firefighters. I am absolutely happy to meet the member to discuss this further. I know that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has implemented enhanced cancer-focused screenings, questions and discussions during routine medical assessments, and the health and wellbeing department continues to provide a service for post-diagnosis support and relation to employees with cancer. I am very happy to meet the member to discuss this further. I also welcome the new minister to her role. SNP budget cuts could lead to one in four firefighters being axed and one in four fire engines taken off the road. Over half a billion pounds is needed just to bring buildings up to scratch, with 14 stations in a dangerous condition. In light of those realities, is it not the case that firefighters will be sceptical of whatever decontamination commitments they might hear from the new minister today? As the member will know, any negotiations for pay are done at a UK level. As it stands just now, our budget for the fire service has increased year upon year, and we are currently not engaged in budget negotiations as yet. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with its commitment to challenge men's demand for prostitution as part of the equally safe strategy. We are taking this work forward through a framework for Scotland to challenge men's demand for prostitution and support those with experience of prostitution. To underpin the framework, we have worked with an expert group of stakeholders to develop fundamental principles that will ensure that equality, human rights and safety are at its heart. Work is progressing well and, once finalised, the principles will be adopted and published. In designing the framework, we will reflect the key aims of the equally safe strategy and a vision for justice in Scotland, including how best to effect delivery. I thank the new minister for that response, and all SNP Scottish Government administrations have clearly stated that sexual exploitation is a form of violence against women and girls, and that this includes pornography, strip dancing and prostitution. This exploitation can stem from power inequalities, poverty, coercion such as threatening the lives of relatives, abusive relationships that become pimping and sexual trafficking. Whether that be domestic or industrial or international, significant work has already been done through the equally safe strategy. Can the minister confirm whether she will meet with the A model for Scotland campaign before the close of Parliament for recess to hear from the voices of trafficking survivors of how that exploitation can be effectively tackled? I would first like to take this opportunity to thank the model for Scotland campaign group for their work in raising awareness of this key issue. I am aware that they have representation on the reference group that has supported the development of the fundamental principles, which, once finalised, will underpin our future framework for Scotland on challenging men's demand for prostitution and supporting those who are experiencing it. I am committed to continuing to work across Government, the Scottish Parliament and with stakeholders as our collective reports to tackling prostitution further develops, contributing to our aim to be a society that treats all with kindness, dignity and compassion. This will, of course, include continuing to engage with the model for Scotland campaign, and I look forward to continuing this work with them, and I will meet with them and those with lived experience as soon as I can. Can I also welcome the minister to her new role? The minister may be aware that earlier this year the city of Edinburgh council decided to put in place a nil cap as part of the sexual entertainment licence scheme. Since this decision was taken, the council has faced challenges including in court on its policy. Given that stripping is classified by the Scottish Government under their equally safe policy as violence against women, what support is the Government providing to councils who have taken the decision to put in place a nil cap as part of the licence scheme, but are now being challenged for doing so? This Government provided the new powers to local authorities to specifically make decisions about sexual entertainment venues within their areas just recently, as you have outlined. I am committed to making sure that we can take this legislation forward and support local authorities on the way. I will be happy to meet with local authorities to discuss that matter. Ruth Maguire Thank you, Presiding Officer. In September, Thai and Chinese women who suffered a horrendous ordeal prostituted in brothels across Glasgow saw justice as their traffickers were convicted in the High Court. I am sure that the minister will join me in commending the bravery of the women testifying against their abusers, the caring professionalism of those who supported them to do that and welcomed the convictions. Would she further agree with me that to end the violence of prostitution we must end the male demand that fuels this cruel trade? I join Ruth Maguire in commending the bravery of any victim of sexual exploitation in coming forward with their experiences. I know how hard that is. I commend the work across the public sector and the third sector to support them. Any form of sexual exploitation is completely unacceptable. I am equally of the view that prostitution cannot be considered in isolation. The developing framework to challenge men's demand for prostitution and support those with experience of prostitution will have direct relevance to tackling wider forms of commercial sexual exploitation, including human trafficking. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the uptake of hydrogen innovation scheme by private companies since its launch in June 2022. The application window for the hydrogen innovation scheme was launched to support innovation in renewable hydrogen production storage and distribution closed on the 31st October. The scheme received a high level of interest from private companies, as well as academic institutions, with over 70 applications received in total. Applications to the fund are currently being processed and successful projects will be announced in the new year. Rory McNair. I thank the minister for that answer. Residents in the constituency of Clydebank and Maguire have approached me with concerns over the application that has been submitted by PEO to build a plastic to hydrogen facility and hydrogen vehicle refailing station in Clydebank. The development is proposed to include a thermal conversion plan that will utilise in advance a thermal treatment process involving gasification to convert waste plastic into hydrogen electricity and potentially heat. Many of the concerns raised have been about potential hazards and unknown level or pollution that this may cause. I am on the side of my constituents who have also feel that have not been consulted on this proposal. Does the minister agree with me that the views of my constituents are of paramount importance when considering this proposal? As I outlined in our draft hydrogen action plan published last year, our £100 million hydrogen investment programme is targeted at supporting renewable hydrogen production projects only. For the purposes of our hydrogen innovation scheme, we have defined this as hydrogen produced using renewable energy and that is zero carbon at the point of production. Therefore, all applications to the hydrogen innovation scheme will be assessed against their potential environmental, societal and economic impacts. That may include impacts on areas such as carbon emissions reduction, jobs or skills creation, export potential contribution to us, achieving a just transition and the development of the hydrogen economy in Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether fatal accident inquiries are fit for purpose. We have every confidence in the system that is in place for fatal accident inquiries and we keep those matters under review in consultation with the Crown Office and continually consider and evaluate whether there are ways in which the system can be improved further. The Crown Office has significantly reformed its processes to reduce the time taken to investigate deaths and to bring FAIs to court more quickly. Those reforms have already resulted in reductions in the duration of death investigations and it is expected that they will continue to do so. Parliament considered and modernised the law on FAIs in 2016 and there are currently no plans to revisit the legislation. Over a year ago, when I asked the question around the entirely avoidable death in custody of our marshal of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, he told me improvements have already been made, further improvements are being made and we will continue to improve the system. Can the Minister tell us what improvements have been made in the past year, what confidence can we have that further improvements are being made and what exactly is being done to prevent the deaths of those in custody? I have deep sympathy for the family in this tragic case. However, this is a matter for the Lord Advocate. I would say that there is separate work being carried out, as the member has said, in relation to deaths in custody that are being taken forward. Each death investigation over two years old and every death in custody is carefully managed through the now well-established case management panel process. In addition to the new Covid death investigation team, COPS has recently set up a specialist custody death unit to investigate deaths in custody. The Scottish fatalities investigation unit has significantly modernised its processes to reduce the time taken to investigate all deaths and to bring FAIs to court more quickly, and a similar project has commenced in relation to the health and safety investigation unit. The views of a family are always taken into consideration and the count when deciding whether or not a discussionary FAI should be held. Jamie Greene Thank you, Presiding Officer. The leading cause of death in custody is, sadly, suicide. I'm particularly concerned about young people in custody. We know that in Cônton Vale we have one mental health nurse per 25 residents. In Polmont it's one, and I believe, 81 residents. The disparity is quite stark. We're simply not supporting these young people enough and the suicide rate is far too high, Minister. What are you going to do about it? The Minister for Public Health and Sport I would agree that any death in custody needs to be taken seriously. I think that we have to pay cognisance to the fact that mental health issues whilst in custody are very important, and I will undertake to do everything that I can to ensure that we progress on this matter. Thank you. That concludes general questions. Before we move on to First Minister's questions, I invite members to join me in welcoming to the gallery the Honourable Anthony Rota MP, Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada.