 I apologise for the delays due to the technical issues that we have experienced this afternoon. I will resume by asking minister Jenny Gilruth if she is content that she has concluded her response or if there is anything the minister may like to add. That being the case, we will conclude general questions and we will move on to the next item of business, which is First Minister's Questions, and at question number one, I call Douglas Ross. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I wanted to hear about the Nairm bypass, but maybe we'll come back to that another day, because quarter of a billion pounds of taxpayers' money has been spent and not a single ferry built. The crucial document, detailing why this awful decision was made, has disappeared. But all we hear from Nicholas Surgeon, is that this is regrettable. Regrettable. First Minister, when you suggested chopping off the bottom of classroom doors, that was regrettable. Wasting quarter of a billion pounds is much, much worse. First Minister, do you understand how angry it makes the public to hear you use weasel words like regrettable, rather than giving them the apology they deserve? First Minister, I know there's a lot of anger in Scotland right across Scotland right now. I'm not sure it's for the reason that Douglas Ross has raised today, and I suspect that he's going to feel the full force of that tomorrow. On the issue of ferries, I've made very clear that the delays, the cost-over runs, are deeply regrettable. I believe that when things don't go right in Government, it is important that leaders say so. If only other Governments followed the same principle, perhaps things might be a bit different. I'm afraid I'm not going to be moved from this. I will not apologise for decisions that allowed the last commercial shipbuilder on the Clyde to continue in business that allows 400 workers to be employed there today, earning a wage, supporting their families. I will not apologise for investment in new ferries, because the Government is focused on ensuring that those ferries are completed as part of our overall investment in Scotland's ferry network. I'll always take responsibility when things don't go right, but I'll continue to act in a way that is in the interests of this country overall. Of course, tomorrow people have the opportunity to cast their verdict on all of that. Nicola Sturgeon says that she's taking responsibility. Those are weasel words to the island communities that are still without those vital ferries. While Nicola Sturgeon won't tell it straight, Jim McCall didn't mince his words on the radio yesterday. He called the First Minister out for lying. He said, and I quote, that there was no danger of the yard going under at that time. The man who this SNP Government trusted to save the yard, who Nicola Sturgeon stood next to and said that this was the man to turn it round, says that the jobs at Ferguson Marine were safe, no matter what, because the yard had other strong contracts. Her only justification for charging ahead against expert advice has been grandstanding that she saved the jobs. Now it's emerged that she didn't. The jobs were never at risk. First Minister, hasn't your main excuse just been shredded, perhaps like that vital missing document? Let me say categorically, I stand by what I said on the radio the other morning—100 per cent. Jim McCall's many things, but he's not a disinterested objective observer on those matters—perhaps something that we should bear in mind. However, let's look at the two key issues that I think he was taking issue with. Firstly, he seemed to claim that I said that there were 400 people employed in the yard back in 2015. I didn't say that, as the transcript will show. I said that 400 people are currently employed there, earning a wage, supporting their families. Who would not be in employment today had the contract not been awarded. That is just a matter of fact. Secondly, the yard would not have been in jeopardy, would not have potentially closed, had that contract not been awarded. That wasn't tested, of course, so that can only be a matter of opinion. However, if Jim McCall is seriously arguing that he would have continued to invest in his money in a yard that had no major contracts, then all I can say is that that is not the Jim McCall I know, so people can make up their own minds. What I know is that the decisions that the Government took have ensured that the shipyard is still open, operating today and focusing on delivering those ferries. Today, there are 400 people working in that yard, 400 people earning a wage, supporting their families, as I say. I think that for all that the delays to the ferries, the overruns to the ferries, are deeply regrettable. I do not regret the fact that there are 400 people employed in that shipyard today. Of course, the ferry scandal is just one example of the secrecy and incompetence that this Government is famous for. Just look at Nicola Sturgeon's rap sheet of damning failures—250 million lost on ferries, 50 million lost on bi-fab and 40 million lost on the ranger scandal, the worst ever A&E waiting times on record, violent crime at record highs since Nicola Sturgeon came to power, the widest ever attainment gap in our schools with the lowest results in international school rankings, the highest drug deaths in Europe. First Minister, surely this is a record you're ashamed of? Of course, bi-fab is still open and employing people. A&E challenges for A&E services across the whole of the UK and Europe, but A&E services in Scotland are the best-performing of all the four nations in the UK for six years in terms of recorded crime at one of the lowest levels since 1974, down 41 per cent since the Government took office. Over the long term, we've seen a reduction in police-recorded non-sexual violent crime of 36 per cent since the Government took office. Homicide cases at their lowest level since comparable records began back in 1976 and those who experience crime down and lower than in other parts of the UK. Education, 1,000 school building projects completed since the Government took office. When we took office, only 61 per cent of schools were in good or satisfactory condition. That's over 90 per cent today. We've got lower council tax than people in other parts of the UK, lower income tax for the majority, free prescriptions, free personal and nursing care has been extended. We've got the Scottish child payment, we've got new benefits, the carers allowance supplement, young carers grant, the baby box, early years education and childcare trebled since the Government took office, doubled in my time as First Minister. More staff working in our NHS than in any other part of the UK, more GPs per head of population. I can go on if Douglas Ross wants me to do. Affordable homes and yes crime rates down. What we had in 12 years of Tory Government at Westminster was Brexit, austerity, poverty increasing, pension cuts, tax increases and worst of all, Boris Johnson. Shameful to the 1,319 individuals who died as a result of drugs in the last year that they didn't even merit a mention in the First Minister's response. 1,319 lives lost and families destroyed and Nicola Sturgeon yet again ignores them to get cheap applause from her SNP back benchers, because we know when Nicola Sturgeon takes her eye off the ball Scotland suffers and at a local level their record is just as bad. They have cut hundreds and of millions from council budgets. They've overturned hundreds of local planning decisions. They've brought in controversial sex surveys in schools. They've hit drivers with new taxes. They've let Scotland's biggest city be overrun by rubbish and rats. The SNP have let people down and Labour have helped them. In councils across Scotland they share power. Tomorrow's election is a chance to get the focus back onto the things that really matter to people. Improving local services, rebuilding roads, investing in schools and cleaning up our streets. Scottish Conservative councillors will focus on local priorities and stand up to this SNP Government when they waste a fortune on ferries, when they slash council budgets and when they cut vital services. First Minister, why should SNP candidates be rewarded for your failure? First Minister, when Labour property each other up in Aberdeen the last time a looked or North Lanarkshire, for example, but let's get back to the issue. On drugs death, £250 million of investment pledged and secured by this Government to turn that around. Council budgets, the other issue that Douglas Ross mentioned there. The Scottish Government budget in this financial year, and this comes from the Scottish Fiscal Commission, cut by Westminster in real terms by 5 per cent, but due to the decisions taken by this Government of course, the total funding package for local councils is up in real terms by 6 per cent. That's the difference between the SNP and the 40s. You really know that Douglas Ross is desperate and scraping the bottom of the barrel when he starts talking about sex surveys in schools. The fact is, and I suspect that this has been well noticed across Scotland in this election, Douglas Ross has spent far more time standing up for Boris Johnson than he has standing up for the interests of people in Scotland. When it looked as if the Tories were actually going to get rid of Boris Johnson, Douglas Ross bravely at that point called for his resignation, but when that changed, Douglas Ross allowed himself to be hauled into line and has just become the cheerleader in chief for Boris Johnson. No consistency, no principle, no resolve, no backbone. That is Douglas Ross. He's not a leader, he's just a follower. Question 2, Annasala. Colleagues, across Scotland, local authority budgets have been slashed since the SNP came to power. Can the First Minister tell us what is the total cut in council core budgets since 2013? In terms of, I've just said to Douglas Ross, of course, this year the Scottish Government's budget cut by over 5 per cent and council total funding package up by 6 per cent. Those figures are real term. In terms of the period since 2013-14, local authority revenue fund is up £2.2 billion, that is 22.9 per cent higher in cash terms this year than it was in 2013-14. That actually compares with where Labour is in government in Wales, of course. That 22.9 per cent increase in cash terms over that time period in Scotland is 7.3 per cent in Wales. Councils are doing rather better under the SNP in Scotland than they are doing under Labour in Wales. Annasala. You always know when the First Minister is desperate when she starts talking about Wales. I remind her that she's the First Minister of Scotland and reads Scotland's national party. The answer she was looking for was £6 billion. That's what's being cut from core budgets of councils. That's what this Scottish Government's own figures tell us. 6 billion pound cut from local budgets since 2013. In Glasgow alone, that cut has been over £1 billion. What does that mean in practice? Across Scotland it means a First Minister that tweets about reading books, but it means one in eight libraries shut since 2010 after a £210 million cut to library budgets, a £320 million cut for street cleaning, meaning fewer staff, more charges and less frequent collections. It means £1.7 billion backlog in much-needed pothole repairs, leaving motorists to foot the bill for damage. The First Minister has taken a Tory cut, multiplied it and handed it down to local government. Even when her budget goes up, she still cuts local government budgets. Nicola Sturgeon can spin all she likes, she can read out the stats in her little book all she likes. The reality is that she's failing communities across the country. I'm prepared to bet, Presiding Officer, the facts in my little book are not going to suit Anna Sarwar. I'm pretty confident about that, because she doesn't like me talking about Wales, but Anna Sarwar stands up here and tries to say that if Labour were in government here, things would be so much better. I think it's perfectly reasonable to look at where Labour is in government in the UK and put that to some scrutiny. A moment ago, I gave him the cash figures comparing Scotland and Wales for that period that he has picked of 2013. Let me give him the local authority real-terms revenue figures now as well. Since that period, 2.3 per cent higher in Scotland in real terms is local government revenue funding in Wales, 10.7 per cent lower. Where Labour is in government, local authorities do much worse. His £6 billion figure is selective and highly misleading, because it completely ignores £3.6 billion of cumulative revenue funding since 2013. So let me tell you what Labour—what Anna Sarwar—is deliberately ignoring to get to his figure. £2 billion of additional funding for expanding early learning and childcare, and £720 million that goes directly to headteachers to support the most vulnerable children in Scotland. That, Presiding Officer, is why Labour doesn't like the facts. Lastly, we'll take no lectures from Labour when it comes to funding in Glasgow, because the SNP administration has had to pick up the pieces of the equal pay scandal that Labour presided over. Labour robbed women across Glasgow of money that was rightfully theirs. I'm proud of the fact that the SNP administration paid them that money back. That answer might have sounded good when you were practising it on the gravy bus on the way in, but I think that communities across the country can see how you've decimated local communities. While SNP councils across the country nod through SNP cuts and failed to put up a fight, Labour councillors here in Scotland are doing everything they can to stand up for their communities and protect them from the cost of living crisis. In Inverclyde, a £350 payment to 8,000 low-income households delivered by a Labour council. In Glasgow, in contrast, the SNP has cut the £100 payment to help pensioners with the winter fuel payment. In Westlothian, discounted rail travel for the over-60s delivered by Labour, but across Scotland, the SNP hiked rail fares and hit hard-pressed families. In North Lanarkshire, Labour has topped up the welfare fund, supporting hundreds of families. The SNP Government have refused to back Labour's plans to do the same across the country. While Labour leads on the way on tackling the cost of living crisis, the SNP prefers to make it a constitutional debate. After 15 years in government, maybe Nicola Sturgeon should stop pretending that she is in opposition and act to stand up for the people of Scotland. In terms of 15 years in government, just on some of the things Anasarwar has talked about, let's look at benefits. It's this Government that supports the welfare fund. It's this Government that has established the Scottish child payment and increased that child payment. It's this Government that has created new benefits, the carers allowance supplement. The young carers grant don't exist anywhere else in the UK, including where Labour is in government. It's this Government that has increased welfare payments by 6 per cent, not 3 per cent, with the UK Government. It's this Government that's introduced the baby box that has trebled early years education and childcare, all of that, delivered by this Government. Of course, people will have the opportunity to cast their verdict on all of this tomorrow. I think that it speaks volumes that Labour, after five years in parts of the country working hand in glove with the Conservatives and council administrations, is in a scrap for second place with the Conservatives. That's the summit of Labour's ambition. My ambition is to win the election so that the SNP can go on delivering real improvements for people right across Scotland. I am happy to let the people of Scotland be the judge of that. I will now move to supplementaries, and I called Jim Fairlie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, a recent report by the London School of Economic Centre for Economic Performance has indicated that Brexit-related trade barriers have driven a 6 per cent increase in UK food prices. Adding to the squeeze in consumer spending power, despite Scotland not voting for Brexit, it's clear that this damaging Tory policy is continuing to exacerbate the cost-of-living crisis for people right across Scotland and the UK. Does the First Minister agree that the UK Government has shown itself totally incapable of providing adequate support to the people facing the brunt of this cost-of-living crisis? Does she also agree that it's only with the full powers of independence that we can protect Scotland's incomes, tackle poverty and build a fairer society for Scotland? First Minister. Jim Fairlie is absolutely right. In so many ways, this cost-of-living crisis has been created by the Conservatives. Brexit has exacerbated that crisis and is exacerbating that crisis each and every single day. The Scottish Government, alongside many others, repeatedly warned that Brexit would be damaging to businesses, damaging to trade and would put food prices up, and we are seeing all of that right now. Had Scotland been independent, we couldn't have been dragged out of the EU against our will. When Scotland is independent, we can become part of the European family of nations again. More and more people across Scotland want to see that happen. Jamie Greene Thank you, Presiding Officer. Nearly 1 million hours of unpaid community sentencing has either been written off completely or not served at all to put it into context. That's 100 years of sentences. Does the First Minister, off the back of the statistic, still have full confidence in her policy on community sentencing? Let me assure her that the victims of crimes that I speak to don't. Yes, I do. I think that it is misleading to cite hours in that way, because there will always be hours in a system of unpaid work that haven't been done, but they will be done. Obviously, there has been a Covid impact on that. Sentencing, ultimately, is a matter for courts community. Payback orders, though, are a credible community sentence that makes individuals pay back to the community while being punished for the crime that they have committed. I have confidence that we continue to work with the justice sector to ensure recovery from the Covid impacts. Sarah Boyack Thank you, Presiding Officer. I draw members' attention to my register of interests. The First Minister may be aware of the story of Edinburgh resident Callum Grevers, who has muscular dystrophy and needs a suitable home, with two bedrooms in the ground floor close to his family and care team. After being told that he may have to wait three years to access social housing, he crowdsourced £32,000 for a deposit to buy his own home with the help of the Government's lift scheme. With average prices in Edinburgh being double that of the scheme's limit, what does the First Minister say to Callum, who now feels left at the mercy of an out-of-control property market, and will she and the Scottish Government now take urgent action on the housing crisis facing our capital city? I thank Sarah Boyack for raising this case. I do not know all of the details of Callum's case, although I am certainly happy to look into it, but Shona Robison is indicating to me that she is aware of the case and is already looking into it. She will write to Sarah Boyack with further details when she has the opportunity to do that. We are working more generally—obviously, I am upset to hear about Callum's situation and want to do anything we can to help more generally—we are working with councils to ensure a continued supply of affordable housing. We have a very good record on that and want to build on it. Once we see the councils elected tomorrow, we look forward to renewing that constructive partnership. First Minister, will you join with me and I hope the chamber in celebrating Poland's national constitution day, which was yesterday, 3 May, celebrating and commemorating the declaration and adoption of Poland's first constitution on 3 May 1791, particularly in these days when Poland is doing so much to support its troubled neighbour, Ukraine? I am very happy to take this opportunity to congratulate Poland and the Polish people on their national constitution day. I recently had the opportunity in London to meet the Polish ambassador and express directly to him the gratitude that many people feel to Poland for the help that they are giving to Ukraine and, in particular, the help that they are giving to those displaced from Ukraine. We wish Poland and the Polish people well. Maurice Golden Thank you, Presiding Officer. This makes a total mockery of the six-year campaign battle for Frank's law. The buck stops with the Scottish Government no matter what excuse it comes up with. Ministers need to explain why I was misled in this way, or dare I say it, even lied to. That was Amanda Cappell's reaction when she heard the SNP had broken their promise to double-ring friends funding for Frank's law. Amanda is in the public gallery today, so can the First Minister answer Amanda's question? Why was she misled in this way? First Minister, I would take the opportunity, as I have done personally to Amanda previously, but, since she is in the chamber today, I will do so again to thank her for her campaigning. I do not consider that she was misled in any way. I would be happy to speak directly to her about this. Frank's law is being will be implemented in full. The funding has been made available, but more important than that, there is a statutory entitlement to that. It is the law that Frank's law—that is why it is called Frank's law—has to be met by councils. I consider that to be really important, as I know for obvious reasons that Amanda does. I want to reiterate the commitment to her today that Frank's law will be implemented and implemented in full. NHS staff have received a temporary increase in their mileage rate in recognition of the substantial increase in the cost of fuel, and that is welcome. However, there was no similar increase for social care workers, many of whom in the private sector are only being paid 25 pence per mile, so they are effectively subsidising their employers, and they are leaving the sector because they cannot afford to do this. The minister's response to me in a parliamentary question was that the Scottish Government was in discussion with COSLA about this. However, I have correspondence here that directly contradicts that claim. There has been no engagement with COSLA about this. I am sure that the First Minister will agree with me that being disingenuous with the Parliament is unacceptable, but will she insist on urgent discussions now to ensure that care workers get an increase in their fuel allowance that they absolutely deserve? First Minister, we will do everything possible to ensure that social care workers are treated fairly. There is a difference, of course, and Jackie Baillie is well aware of this. In fact, I think that she referenced it. Government is not the direct employer of many social care workers, because they are employed by local councils or indeed by private operators, so it is not as straightforward as it is with the NHS. However, I will ensure that, after councils are re-elected tomorrow, there is engagement with COSLA to see whether we can take forward an agreement that ensures that social care workers are treated fairly in these difficult times for everyone. To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on what the Scottish Government is doing to support households through the cost of living crisis. However, we are currently doing everything that we can, and we will continue to do so within our powers and resources to help people facing the impacts of higher energy bills, increased food costs and, of course, the UK Government's national insurance hike and interest rate rises. However, it is a fact that most of the resources and levers to tackle this crisis lie with the UK Government, and we need to see the UK Government do much more. However, through our own cost of living support through our spend on Scottish social security, payments many not available elsewhere in the UK, we are set to invest almost £770 million to tackle the cost of living crisis this year. Of course, we will also live an estimated 50,000 children out of relative poverty through the Scottish child payment. I thank the First Minister for her answer. A Tory hard Brexit has hit food supplies, Tory social security cuts have hit household budgets, and Tory obsession with fossil fuels means soaring energy bills. People are struggling with the cost of living crisis that is entirely of the UK Government's making, and in Scotland we are doing what we can to mitigate. I am proud that the constructive and collaborative work by the Scottish Greens has led to free bus travel for young people more than doubling the Scottish child payment, the biggest investment in energy efficiency in the UK and mitigation of the cruel benefit cap. Does the First Minister agree that constructive politics should be practised at all levels of government and that tomorrow voters should think global and act local by electing councillors who will work together to deliver more of this progressive agenda? Yes, I do agree with that. I also think that Gillian Mackay is absolutely right to point out that, in so many ways, this cost of living crisis is a Tory-made, Tory-created crisis. However, the actions that have been highlighted are very good examples of constructive partnership working between the SNP and the Scottish Green group in this Parliament to tackle inequality and poverty. We have worked together to ensure that we are supporting households through the Scottish child payment, mitigating the UK Government benefit cap, which disproportionately impacts on families and, of course, introducing under-22 bus travel all action supporting households. We are doing all that within our fixed budget. That is in stark contrast to the UK Government's failure to act, which is exacerbating the crisis. Removing the £20 universal credit top-up failing to match our action in upgrading benefits and the height to national insurance are all placing much more pressure on households. The time is now to provide immediate financial help to tackle the cost of living crisis. People across Scotland, of course, tomorrow will have the opportunity to see that very loadily and very clearly. Last week, the Chancellor said that it was silly for the Tory Government to help households struggling with their bills. Yesterday, Boris Johnson admitted that he has not done enough to alleviate the pain of the current cost of living crisis. Today, the UK Environment Minister said that, to cope with the cost of living, people should choose value brands, and the Government intervening would be throwing money at a crisis. Does the First Minister think that the Tories do not understand or they simply do not care about the pressure that people are facing just now? Is it that they do not understand or that they do not care? To be honest, it is probably both of those things. I do not think that they understand at all. I think that they are deeply out of touch, but we know from callous Tory policies down the years that they do not care that much about those struggling either. Their actions and words in recent weeks show that they do not understand and I think that their failure to act shows that they do not care nearly enough. I think that we have seen various herd, various Government ministers admit this, and I am shocked. I think that many people are shocked that they think that it is okay to describe supporting families facing hardship as throwing money at people or even worse, silly. There is a desperate pressing need to act now to support households who are feeling the cost of living pressures acutely every single day. The UK Government could act, they could cut that on fuel bills, they could tax all companies on excess profits, not just energy companies, they could increase benefits as we have done where we have been able to and they could reinstate the £20 universal credit cuts. All things they could and should do, what is not and shouldn't be an option is for them to continue to sit with their head in the sand and take no action to support households so much in need at this time. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government plans to mark Deaf Awareness Week 2022. Deaf Awareness Week 2022 is an important time to reflect on the barriers that deaf people face every day and it is an opportunity to highlight the very valuable work that many people across Scotland do to raise awareness of the experiences of deaf people. We want to make Scotland a really good place for BSL users. I was proud that this Parliament was the first to legislate specifically for British Sign Language back in 2015 and since then we have published the BSL national plan, the first of its kind in the UK. In addition we have provided over a million pounds of funding from the Equality and Human Rights Fund to the British Deaf Association Scotland, Deaf Blind Scotland and the Scottish Ethnic Minority Deaf Club and a further five million pounds to organisations working to promote disability equality. It is estimated that one in five of the population in Scotland are living with some form of hearing loss. Deafness does not discriminate and can impact anyone at any time in their life. Will the First Minister agree that the key aims of Deaf Awareness Week will help to increase visibility and promote inclusion for all in the deaf community? Yes, I agree very much. The key aims of Deaf Awareness Week are to recognise and highlight the barriers that deaf people face in their daily lives but also to promote discussions about how we improve the lives of deaf people. I agree wholeheartedly that Awareness Week will help to increase visibility and promote inclusion for everyone in the deaf community. Of course the BSL Act has been in place since 2015. We continue to take forward a range of actions to promote equality and inclusion for deaf and hearing impaired people and for BSL signers, including investing in support services, hearing dolls projects and a Scottish sensory hub. We will continue to do everything we can in support, but I want to take the opportunity to congratulate everybody involved in Deaf Awareness Week on that, because it will do, I am sure, a lot of good. School leavers with additional special needs, including some deaf pupils, have always been below the average percentage of school leavers in a positive destination. First Minister, with an increasing number of pupils with ASN and decreasing special teachers in publicly funded schools, do you agree that your Government should be doing more to solve those issues and help pupils with ASN to succeed? Yes, I think that all Governments, including my Government, should do as much as we can and indeed should do more all the time to help ASN pupils. That is partly about specific ASN teachers, but it is about ensuring that all teachers—everybody who works in schools—are able to support young people who have additional needs. We will continue to take a range of actions to do that so that we have a situation in Scotland that I hope we can all agree is one that we want, where everybody has the chance to succeed and to fulfil their potential in life regardless of their circumstances. I agree with a number of my constituents that waiting lists for NHS audiology appointments remain unacceptably long. One thing that the Scottish Government could do in the spirit of deaf awareness week is to commit to addressing them. We have a review of audiology under way, which I think is really important. I think that I would concede, as is the case in many countries, that waiting times for access to NHS services in all areas is too long right now, partly down to the Covid impact. It is important that we work to invest in services, but also to redesign services where that is appropriate. That is important for audiology, as it is for a range of other conditions. To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support the return of disability sport in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Through Sport Scotland, we are providing almost £600,000 this year to help to deliver the new plan of Scottish disability sport, which is the sports body for people of all ages and abilities with physical sensory or learning disabilities. It is launched in April 2021 and sets a clear vision that sport and physical activity in Scotland is welcoming and inclusive for participants with disabilities. That comes in addition to last summer's get-into-summer programme that includes targeted sessions at grass-roots level for children and young people with disabilities. Brian Whittle I thank the First Minister for that answer, but the sport in general has taken a significant hit during Covid from any being unable to participate, the impact of which we are already beginning to see in both the nation's physical and mental health. Disability sport has been disproportionately affected with sports like power chair football, which I think is a fantastic sport, allowing the inclusion for some of the most disabled athletes, struggling to regain and recruit players. First Minister, those crucial outlets for inclusion will not recover and thrive without direct intervention from both Scottish Governments, local and national. So can I ask the First Minister what specific consideration has the Scottish Government given to actively encourage and enable disabled sports recovery from post-pacademic? First Minister, I agree very much with the sentiments of the question and I agree about the importance of sport generally, but also ensuring that people with disabilities are able to fully participate in sport if that is their wish. But also physical activity. I already spoke in my original answer about the funding that we have made available, and I am very happy in light of that question to look at what further action we can take to try to support the recovery from the Covid impact of sport in general, but disability sport in particular. I will ask the minister in due course to write to the member with further details of that consideration. To ask the First Minister whether the medication-assisted treatment standards have been fully embedded across Scotland. Work to embed the match standards by local services and alcohol and drug partnerships is on-going. It is a crucial and significant undertaking. The Minister for Drugs Policy committed to providing updates to Parliament on the progress of the match standards on a six-monthly basis and will provide a full update and report to Parliament next month. It will follow the on-going evaluation of local progress from each health and social care partnership area and, later in the summer, a subsequent report will provide further detail of the work undertaken in each area. That work, of course, is being supported with annual funding of £10 million over the next four years. In March 2021, the drugs minister pledged that the match standards would be fully embedded across the country by April 2022. In reality, it is increasingly clear that the target is not going to be met given the wholly inadequate funding of drug treatment services, health and social care services and the workforce over the past 15 years. That failure is leading to lives continuing to be needlessly lost. That is supposed to be a national mission, but, instead of delivering the standards that they promised, more families are going to suffer while they continue to wait for action. What does the First Minister have to say to them? I recognise the importance of the match standards. The Government is doing what it committed to do. It is important that those standards are embedded in every local area and that they are then properly implemented. That is the work that is under way and the work that the minister has committed to report to Parliament on regularly. The standards—and it is important to be clear—apply to all services and organisations responsible for the delivery of care. Access to treatment is a key part of supporting those who use drugs and, of course, is a key part of our overall strategy to reduce deaths from drugs. The minister will report next month, but that work continues to be of the highest priority for the Government as a whole. To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on any discussions that the Scottish Government has had with the UK minister for Brexit opportunities in light of the potential impact on Scotland of his reported comments regarding the Northern Ireland protocol. We remain very deeply concerned about the on-going dispute over the Northern Ireland protocol. The protocol is, of course, part of the EU-UK withdrawal agreement. At the time, Boris Johnson signed it, he described it as a fantastic moment. The European Minister, Neil Gray, has written to the UK Government making clear that invoking article 16 of the protocol, or unilaterally introducing legislation to breach international law, would be deeply irresponsible and would probably trigger severe trade and economic impacts for the whole UK, but Scotland included in that. In light of the very serious implications of such action, we would certainly expect the Scottish Government to be involved in discussions in advance. However, despite a repeated request that the UK Government has shown to date, there is no willingness to engage on those issues. First Minister, we now know that the Scottish Government has decided to make HIE fund the additional repairs to the Cengorm for Nicola Railway. That will have to come from HIE's annual budget. We know that the repair bill will be well in excess of £20 million. When the Scottish Government made that decision, it knew that, as a consequence, some highland businesses would lose their financial support from HIE. Will the Government review the decision, which I believe will cripple HIE and highland businesses? First Minister, we want to support highland businesses, and we will continue to work with HIE to make sure that we can deliver on its priorities. I will look at that particular issue in light of the question in more detail, and I will be happy to come back to the member in due course once I have had the opportunity to do so. Police Scotland's international development and innovation unit continues to provide training to some of the world's most serious human rights abuses. In Colombia, where there is evidence of human rights abuses committed by the national police, including the killing of protesters, police Scotland officers continue to provide training. Given the evidence of human rights abuses committed by the national Colombian police, can the First Minister explain why the Scottish Government approved the deployment of police Scotland officers to Colombia? Operational matters are for the chief constable, and I am sure that the chief constable will pay attention to this exchange. I recognise that those issues can be sensitive and controversial, but it is really important to recognise that where Police Scotland provides support and training to police forces in other parts of the world, it is about enhancing human rights and ensuring that police forces in parts of the world, where that has not always been the case, are trained in a human rights approach to policing. However, I recognise the concerns that can be addressed here, and I will ensure—or I will ask the chief constable, of course—is independent of the Government, but I will ask the chief constable to write to the member in more detail about those particular issues. Scotland has been trailing behind other parts of the UK for some time now on the resumption of breast cancer screening for those aged over 71. That is having a real impact on women aged over 70. Just last week, I was contacted by a woman from Edinburgh who had a request for a mammogram twice refused by NHS Lothian. Margaret was able to get an appointment, however, at Newcastle, where screening revealed an invasive, lobular breast cancer that needed to be removed by surgery and follow-up radiation. I ask the First Minister three simple questions. If other UK nations can continue to screen, why can Scotland not do it? In the meantime, does the First Minister think that it is acceptable that Scots should have to travel to England for screening? Does the First Minister agree with my constituent Margaret that her cancer might have been detected much earlier and with a much more favourable outcome if her request for screening had not been refused in Scotland? Those are really important issues. It is important for me to be clear on aspects of them. I will try to address all three of the questions. In respect of the individual case, of course, I understand the concern and the anxiety of the individual concerned. Breast screening is recommended for patients between 50 and 70. The clinical recommendation is that that should be routine breast screening every three years. Our advice has been, as we have sought to recover those services from the impact of the pandemic and the brief cessation of all screening services at an earlier stage of the pandemic, that we focus firstly on those for whom breast screening is specifically recommended to make sure that we can catch up on any appointments that have been missed there. The first question in terms of whether other UK Governments will take their decisions is that I have heard a concern that reintroducing the optional screening for women over 70 has perhaps had an impact in other parts of the UK on ensuring catch up in those for whom it is recommended. I do not know whether that is the case but I have heard that concern communicated. We have sought to prioritise those for whom it is recommended. However, we are currently working towards the reintroduction of self-referos for those over the age of 71 later this year. We intend that that will be resumed in the autumn of this year and we consider that that will enable that to happen, while ensuring that any impact on the eligible screening population is minimised. That, of course, is really important as well.