 I'm glad that some people have remembered that it's a 2 o'clock start. Next time for businesses portfolio questions, I move to the first question on communities and local government. Brian Whittle, please. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the impact on local authorities autonomy on increases in ring-fenced funding. Local authorities have complete autonomy to allocate more than 92 per cent, or £10.3 million of the total funding provided by the Scottish Government plus all their locally raised income. They can allocate that on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities. It's important to note that ring-fenced funding is money for increased investment in services such as in our schools, nurseries and our town centres. Brian Whittle. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. While the percentage of the budget that is ring-fenced has gone up, core general revenue funding has gone down across the country, which has squeezed council budgets that need that money to carry out the everyday services of the council. Does the minister recognise that reducing core funding has a negative impact on the council's ability to provide and maintain sport in leisure facilities? Cabinet Secretary. We have worked with local authorities and have increased the proportion of funding that they get. It is also important to recognise that we have worked hard to provide local authorities with a fair settlement and to remind Brian Whittle what might have been the consequences if we had followed his party's tax plans, the potential £500 million less going towards local authorities that could have meant £14.9 million less with Dumfries and Galloway, £11.4 million less for East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and £10.5 million less. What that would have meant for sport in leisure facilities is that we will continue to work and support local authorities the work that they do. I know that my colleague Joe FitzPatrick will always prioritise ensuring that we get our nation active. Richard Lyle. Can the cabinet secretary confirm that the overall additional funding in 2019-20 will amount to more than £600 million? Is it not the case that 3.8 per cent real-term funding increase empowers local authorities to decide how to improve lives in local communities? Cabinet secretary. Absolutely. I can confirm that, taken together with council tax income, local authorities will have accessed over £600 million additional total funding this year. That is real funding to deliver services that will benefit local communities the length and breadth of Scotland. We, as a Scottish Government, will continue to work with our partners in local government to make sure that we can continue to provide a fair settlement and recognise the good work that our colleagues across local government do. Alex Rowley. As Coslaw pointed out time and time again, £400 million in new commitments built into the budget this year, the finance secretary said that councils would have to de-prioritise them. This morning, in the Delfinland press, it was reported that five councils do not have the resources to properly look at the standards of food premises. It was clear that they said that staff and budget cuts are responsible. Do you accept that, right across Scotland and communities, local services are being cut? Should we not be honest with the public? Mr Rowley, that was a long supplementary, cabinet secretary. I will be honest in this parliamentary chamber and remind the member that the local authorities have the autonomy to allocate more than 92 per cent of the budget provided to them by the Scottish Government. I have already confirmed to Richard Lyle that they can take together with council tax reform. Local authorities will have access to over £600 million additional total funding this year. We are not pretending that it is not a challenge for all of public life to cope with the financial challenges that we face, but, nevertheless, we have provided funding for local authorities—a fair settlement—increased funding, as I have outlined to Richard Lyle. We will continue to work with local government to deliver on the shared outcomes and the national priorities and enable them to take the action that they need to do with their own local priorities as they set their own budgets. How much has been invested in social housing in the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency since May 2011? Between May 2011 and March 2018, the Scottish Government invested over £40 million to deliver more social housing in the Greenock and Inverclyde local authority area. The investment has supported the completion of 829 homes for social rent in communities across Inverclyde. That level of investment means that Inverclyde will make a significant contribution to the delivery of the 50,000 affordable homes target and to meeting the housing demand across the Inverclyde area. Stuart McMillan, I thank the minister for that reply. I very much welcome that investment and I welcome much of the Inverclyde local development plan, which proposes a number of locations to be zoned for social housing. However, does the minister agree with me that Inverclyde council should be cautious in their approach and have greater concerns about public safety, where there is the potential for either A over provision but also concerns for people's safety, as is the situation that is proposed for Kern Drive in Gwyrwch? Scottish planning policy is very clear that the impacts of development on traffic and road safety should be taken into account in plans and decisions. I cannot comment further on sites in the Inverclyde area, because I am expecting their local development plan to come before me very, very shortly. John Mason To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing five-yearly electrical safety checks for homes in the social rented sector. Minister. Social landlords are required to ensure that electrical installations are safe to use in the homes that they let. The frequency that electrical safety checks should be carried out is not prescribed, but landlords should take account of the guidance in the BS7671 Wiring Regulations, which recommends that a competent person should inspect and test electrical installations in rented housing at intervals of no more than five years. John Mason It seems strange that there is a stricter regime for the private landlords who have to inspect every five years, yet we understand that quite a number of housing associations only inspect every 10 years. One deserves to be able to live in a safe home that is protected from fire. When this Parliament introduced a specific duty for five-yearly checks in the private rented sector, we did so in response to evidence that private tenants were considered to be particularly at risk. However, I agree with the principle that the same level of protection should apply to all rented housing, and I am happy to confirm that that point will be considered when the guidance on the Scottish housing quality standard is reviewed. Bill Bowman What policies have been put in place to tackle the reported rise in relative poverty in Scotland's communities? Cabinet Secretary Thank you. Key policies such as Fair Start Scotland, our expansion of funded early learning and childcare, investment and devolve social security measures are all contributing to tackling poverty and inequality and making Scotland a fairer and more prosperous country. In addition, we have outlined a range of concrete and ambitious actions in our tackling child poverty delivery plan, backed by a £50 million fund. Poverty levels continue to be impacted by the UK Government welfare cuts, which are estimated to reduce social security spending in Scotland by £3.7 billion by 2021. That is why we also invest in annual £125 million in mitigation. Bill Bowman I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. Dundee in 2017-18 overspent its share of the Scottish welfare fund by more than £104,000. Dundee council paid for that overspend from its own pocket. Despite the clear need to support those living in deprivation, the Scottish Government has cut its 2018-19 allocation of the Scottish welfare fund to Dundee by £100,000. Will the cabinet secretary explain to the chamber why the SNP Government is taking such a callous approach to tackling relative poverty in Dundee? Will she commit to ensuring that communities such as mine receive their fair share? I think that Bill Bowman has a bit of a brass neck coming to this chamber, demanding that we further mitigate the devastating impacts that his Government and the decisions that the politically motivated, ideologically driven decisions that his party has taken at Westminster, which have taken and will remove £3.7 billion out of social security spending by 2021. He has to concede that that will have a devastating impact in the people's lives, most vulnerable across the country and also in Dundee. Again, like my point that I made to Brian Whittle, his tax plans, the Tory tax plans that would have taken £500 million out of the budget and public spending would have meant for Dundee less £13.9 million for spending on services in his city that he was talking about. I think that, for him, he needs to take a wee bit of a closer look at home about where the problem, where poverty and the cause of poverty lies. That is with his party and his UK Government. Would the cabinet secretary agree that unclaimed welfare benefits are a key cause of financial hardship? In particular, the point that Age Scotland highlighted, the DWP estimated that 40 per cent of couples that are eligible for pension credit are not claiming it, and that the upcoming pension credit changes on May 15 could cost mixed-stage couples up to £7,000 a year. I appreciate that that is the Conservatives, but why the Scottish Government is not giving priority to ensuring that there is a maximum uptake in Scotland before the switch to universal credit for mixed-stage couples? I would point to the financial health check service that we are funding, which has delivered through Citizens Advice Scotland across the bureau, across the country, a free telephone number for people who can access the support and help to make sure that they are claiming all that they are entitled to. That free phone number is available to constituents that Elaine Smith has that require that additional support and help. Can the cabinet secretary outline whether or not the Scottish Government would be better equipped to tackle relative poverty in Scotland? If it followed Tory spending plans, it should see half a billion pound less being available this year to invest in public services. I totally agree with Kenny Gibson's point. We would not be better equipped if we would follow the Conservative tax plans in the chamber. Abs, you have highlighted implementing those income tax plans alone as forecasts to leave the 2019-20 budget over £500 million worse off. I can reveal to Kenny Gibson that that would have meant for his constituents less than £13.3 million to spend on services. The Conservatives need to look a wee bit closer to home about where the problems and inequality are and the causes of that, where that lies, and that is again with their decisions. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its response to the report on food poverty dignity ending hunger together in Scotland. At the heart of our approach to food insecurity are the group's dignity principles that underpin our fair food fund, which we have increased from £1.5 million to £3.5 million this year. The fund supports dignified and rights-based responses to food insecurity, helping to tackle the causes of poverty. No-one should be left hungry and have to rely on charitable food provision in a country as prosperous as Scotland. Everyone has a right to food. It is shameful that UK Government welfare cuts continue to force people into poverty and food insecurity, though we are mitigating the very worst effects and spending £125 million last year alone. Given that the West Lothian Food Bank reports a 40 per cent increase in demand since the roll-out of universal credit, does the cabinet secretary agree that we will not be a rich society until no man, woman or child has to rely on food banks and will she therefore support calls by Nourish Scotland, the Scottish Food Coalition and the 1,400 respondents to the Good Food Nation Bill consultation to incorporate the right to food in Scots law? I agree that no-one should have to rely on charity to eat in a nation as rich as Scotland's, and that is why a rights-based approach has already run through the action that we are taking and we are challenging the UK Government welfare reforms, mitigating their impact and investing in dignified responses through our £3.5 million fair food fund. We are certainly very grateful to the respondents to the Good Food Nation consultation, which recently closed, and we will look at how we may give better effect to a rights-based approach in practice. The national task force that the First Minister committed to setting up following the recommendations of her advisory group on human rights leadership will be considering all internationally recognised human rights, including the right to food. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will initiate cross-party discussions regarding agent of change in advance of stage 3 of the planning Scotland bill. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring that new development does not adversely impact existing businesses, particularly music venues. I welcome the support for this view from others right across this chamber. I am happy to discuss the agent of change principle with Mr McDonald, as I have already done with others, to make sure that we get this right for stage 3. Thank you very much, and I am grateful to the minister. I know that he acknowledges that the current planning system does not provide adequate protection for live music venues, but I recall from discussion at the committee that he does not wholly support the approach that is currently envisaged in the planning Scotland bill. Can he indicate what approach the Government intends to take when the bill is considered at stage 3? I am fully committed to the agent of change principle, and that is being shown by the circular that went out from the chief planner in recent times before we even considered the legislation. I have said right throughout that we will look at that very closely indeed, and in particular when it comes to the national planning framework 4. The provision of culturally significant zones that was added at stage 2, while no doubt well-intentioned, would have some serious adverse consequences that I spelled out during stage 2. It would place a range of duties and burdens on our planning authorities and in the development sector, with a very hefty price tag that could both affect the viability of investment in development that we need and thwart our ambitions to re-envigrate our high streets. We have got to get this right, and we have got to strike the right balance, and that is why I have been pleased to talk to a number of MSPs already about how we reshape that when it comes to stage 3. I am more than happy to have similar discussions with Mr MacDonald. Very briefly, please, Mr Simpson. The minister agreed with me that very positive cross-party talks have been going on for some time on the planning bill, and that those will continue. If Mr MacDonald had spoken to his colleague Mr Rowley, he would know that. I am pleased that folks have been engaging with me from all the parties in the chamber on the issue. I am very happy to talk to party representatives, but also to individuals who may have concerns. My door in this regard is always open. We have got to make sure that we get stage 3 of this planning bill absolutely right, and I am sure that we can do that together with co-operation. Question 7, Liam Kerr. To ask the Scottish Government when it next expects to publish a local government finance circular. The Scottish Government publishes local government finance circulars whenever there is a requirement to provide local government with new or updated information. Although there are set occasions when circulars are issued, there are no set dates. Today, in 2019, the Scottish Government has issued four local government finance circulars accounting for equal pay, the approved 2019-20 local government finance settlement, non-domestic rates interest for 2019-20, and capital receipts to fund transformational projects. All local government finance circulars are published on the Scottish Government website. Briefly, Mr Kerr. Thank you, cabinet secretary, for the answer. Recent figures show that north-east councils make up four of the 10 least funded per head local authorities in Scotland. That is a massive inequality in funding for core services. North-east school children and pensioners receive significantly less per head than elsewhere, so can the cabinet secretary justify why the north-east councils do not receive their fair share of funding? Tell the people of the north-east when they can expect a fair deal from the SNP. Local authority funder is allocated using a needs-based formula, which is kept under constant review and agreed on each year with the convention of Scottish local authorities. Since the introduction of the 85 per cent funding floor in 2012, Aberdeen City Council has been allocated more than £50 million over and above its needs-based formula funding allocations. Again, perhaps Liam Kerr did not hear the points that I made to Brian Whittle and his colleague Bill Bowman. If we had followed his party's tax plans at the budget, then I can reveal to him that Aberdeen City Council would have been less than £17.6 million, because it would have taken £500 million out of our budget. Aberdeenshire is £24.2 million, so again, I plead to Liam Kerr. Look at me a bit closer to home about where some of the funding challenges may have lied if we followed your plans. Again, if he is concerned about the people of Aberdeenshire and the north-east, then look to his own party and they are damaging welfare changes. Thank you, cabinet secretary. I will get Mr Harvey in. Question 8, Patrick Harvey. To ask the Scottish Government further to its commitment in its response to the equality of human rights commission report heading lives new beginnings, by what date it will publish its anti-destitution strategy? That must be brief, cabinet secretary. The Scottish Government committed to work with stakeholders to take forward the development of an anti-destitution strategy focused on people with no recourse to public funds. We also committed to considering some of the committee's other recommendations as part of that work. In February, as a first step, the Government and COSLA launched updated guidance on no recourse to public funds, and we expect to publish the anti-destitution strategy by the end of the year. Patrick Harvey. I would make the case for as much acceleration of this work as possible. The anti-destitution strategy is necessary because of the actions of the likes of Serco, who the minister will be aware this week again reported to be issuing eviction notices to some of the most vulnerable asylum seekers in their accommodation. People who have literally nowhere else to go will create another wave of destitution. Can the minister tell us whether Serco consulted the Scottish Government before taking this new action, and will she write to or contact Serco immediately to insist that this action be stopped in the way in the fact that there is no alternative destitution provision for these vulnerable people? Cabinet secretary. I will certainly look into that, and I am aware also that there is a peal being lodged today by the Government Law Centre, and I absolutely concur around the really dismal practice of changing locks for people who are then enforced into destitution. That is why we continue also to raise those issues with the Home Secretary, making the point again that there needs to be a far better way in which we prepare and support people in the asylum process and do not have a system that enforces people into destitution and enforces them into homelessness. I will look into that issue further, make any representations that we need to, and again make the point to the Home Secretary that this needs to be sorted and sorted quickly. Thank you. That concludes portfolio questions. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I want to ask whether or not the Cabinet secretary under the rules and procedures in standing orders might want to amend the record, because in answer to question 5, the cabinet secretary said in a quote, everyone has a right to food. However, the government good food nation bill consultation explicitly ruled out implementing a right to food. Can I stop you right there, because what you have said is not a point of order? Do not want to take time out of the next stage 3 debate. There is a process for correcting the record. I am sure that the cabinet secretary has heard what you have to say, but it is not a point of order. Please sit down. I am moving on to the next item of business.