 Rydw i'w gwybod, y first item of business is general questions, a at question number one I call Paul O'Cain. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its target to recreate 800 additional GPs by the end of 2027. Cabinet Secretary, HMSA, you say. We are making good progress and since 2017 GP headcount has increased by almost 200, 291 and a record 5,209 GPs in our working in Scotland. We have increased medical undergraduate spr트�lun oedda wah eliamaetim bowydd gwn wandywch, gyda gyflydd gyda 1560, ac wrth yr ydymaeth ei chesaf llawer i gyntaf periailau sy'n stîl 10ї dod gwyu gael drwys lifer d yarn 180.ㄱ tion o'r digwydd o'i precis dyn ni gydylder aww��ol el-allen i weith unrhyw gerddol 89% firth fel linniad arafter 2022. G���wyr an reliably ac mae'w rymddi gweithredu hwn mewn d�ارm. Nawr, mae'n livu i genelig amwyllengu â bod Faena Ludw i chi ganenu deilentol ond, sef nodi i duellnau bwyrwyr. Paul O'Kane. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. We know that Audit Scotland has found that the Scottish Government will fail to meet their own target for increased GP numbers, which is indicative of their failure in workforce planning over many years, but it's not just a recruitment issue. There's also a significant issue with capacity in GP surgeries. Surgeries are busting at the seams with the BMA, finding that 81 per cent of practices are currently exceeding capacity. In the village of Neilston, which I represent, I spoke with GP partners of the Neilston Medical Centre, who told me that they are struggling to find the physical space to meet demand. They implied to the Scottish Government for loans to increase space, but the application was rejected. Indeed, if the practice can't expand, they may be forced to close their books. I would ask the cabinet secretary why GP surgeries are not being given the support that they need by this Government to extend provision of general practice in their communities. Cabinet secretary. Well, they are being given support. That's why we've increased GP numbers by 291. That's why we've increased multidisciplinary team numbers by 3,220. It's not just about having GP, of course. That's very important, hence why we're increasing the numbers. It's about having that multidisciplinary team right across GP surgeries in Scotland. We do have a loan scheme, which Paul O'Kane has mentioned. Of course, if there's a particular issue that he has, I'm more than happy for him to write to me, but we are providing support for our general practices and for our general practitioners. The reality is that the Scottish Government is nowhere near meeting its target to recruit 800 additional GPs, yet another example of promises but no delivery, with £65 million cut from the primary care budget. This week, we heard from the BMA that four in ten doctors are actively looking to leave and are looking at balloting to strike. A surgeon in Lothian said one in four operations for children with life-saving surgeries being cancelled at short notice due to a chronic shortage of critical care nurses, and they're not included in figures. Does the health secretary seriously expect us to believe that the situation is improving? What steps will the cabinet secretary take to address these catastrophic failures? Does he really believe us to expect that the position isn't improving? The fact is that we have 291 more GPs than we had in 2017. Headcount has increased. We have a record of 5,209 GPs. We have 3,220 multidisciplinary staff, many of them working right across general practice up and down the country. We will continue to support general practice. I have mentioned that we are increasing our medical graduate intake as well. On top of that, we have a 99 per cent record-high fill rate when it comes to specialty training. I will continue to work with the British Medical Association, I will continue to work with the Royal College of GPs, but this Government has an excellent record in supporting our general practice. Not only that, but it has an excellent record in helping and assisting our general practice, particularly in rural Scotland, when we know there are some challenges, and the SCOTGEM programme is just one example of that. Short questions and responses help me to get more members in Willie Rennie. I don't think that that's what Kate Forbes says, but, nevertheless, the minister has a sunny disposition, but he is spinning a bogus argument. If you look at the public health Scotland estimates, a whole-time equivalent GP—he is not a headcount—a whole-time equivalent has fallen by 26.4 between 2017 and 2022, so he is making no progress. In fact, it is worse than when he started. Why is he not listening to the warnings? That is why headcount numbers have increased by 291. The terms of whole-time equivalence is a good thing, of course, that we are introducing flexible working. That helps with retention. I have already outlined all of the key measures that we are taking to support general practice. I do not think that Willie Rennie is in any position to lecture anybody on electoral success. He, of course, presided over disaster selection defeat for his party. His party could not even field a five-a-side football team for goodness sake. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recorded crime in Scotland statistics for the year ending December 2022. The figures show that Scotland continues to be a safe place to live, with recorded crime at one of the lowest levels since 1974 and down 42 per cent since 2006-07. That is a testimony to the continued efforts across policing, justice and community safety partners to deliver a safer Scotland for everyone. We recognise, of course, that challenges remain, which is why, for example, we have taken robust action to tackle sexual offending and have invested over £93 million over the past five years to ensure that victims' rights and needs are at the centre of Scotland's criminal justice system. I thank the cabinet secretary for the response. At the end of last month, when the recorded crime statistics came out, the cabinet secretary boasted about how safe Scotland is. I think that domestic abuse victims will have different take on that on those statistics. The data revealed that, for the year ending December 2022, there were more crimes recorded under the Domestic Abuse Act than in any other year since its introduction. Instead of boasting about how safe Scotland is to victims of those heinous crimes, will the cabinet secretary work with me by backing my plans to tackle domestic abuse in Scotland? It is not a boast to acknowledge the efforts of policing, justice and community safety partners to say that Scotland is a safe place to live. I do not know whether the member welcomes that or not, and that its efforts have contributed to a 42 per cent reduction in recorded crime since the Government came to office. That is a statement of fact. I do not know if the member is uncomfortable with that, but that is simply the case. Of course, in relation to domestic abuse, a great deal has been done to make sure that we increase the reporting of domestic abuse, and that is something to be welcomed. As to the member's bill, I do not know how many times she is going to demand of me that I support her bill without seeing her bill, without even saying as yet the analysis of the consultation on her bill. By all means, let us have a discussion that I happily have already entered into with the member, but at least let us see the evidence first before we come to a conclusion. I also welcome the continued decrease in recorded crime levels in Scotland, which remain at one of the lowest levels for any 12-month period since comparable records began. We all agree that there is much more to be done for those who experience crime, so can I ask the cabinet secretary what steps are being taken to strengthen support for victims of crime? The member rightly asked what steps you have taken, and we have established a victim-centred approach fund that has invested £48 million over £22,000 to £25,000. We have awarded over £917,000 from the Victim Surcharge Fund to provide practical help and support. As announced yesterday, the forthcoming criminal justice reform bill will introduce new rights to independent legal representation in sexual offence cases, alongside providing anonymity for victims and abolishing the not proven verdict. The bill will also be informed by recent consultation on improving victims' experiences, including proposals for a victim's commissioner, so that will indicate to the member the breadth of measures that we are taking in this area. 3. David Torrance To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to a deaf community. The Scottish Government provides around £2.2 million in funding through the Equality and Human Rights Fund and the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention Fund to third sector projects that work with deaf people. We also provide funding of £600,000 per year to contact Scotland BSL and online video release service, enabling deaf and deafblind BSL users to make phone calls. We also fund the Scottish Century Centre and Call Scotland to provide advice and training to school staff and support, including the use of assistive technology for children and young people with specific communication and sensory needs. 2. David Torrance I recently met a local deaf club in my constituency to discuss the problems facing people whose first language is BSL. Can I ask the minister what action the Scottish Government has taken to promote the provision of written information and correspondence from Scottish businesses and organisations such as Oscar to BSL users in the format that we can access, read and understand? The Scottish Government is committed to promoting the use and understanding of British Sign Language BSL as a fully recognised language across the Scottish public sector. BSL users can contact businesses using the Contact Scotland BSL online video relay interpreting service, and businesses can contact their deaf customers in the same way. Contact Scotland BSL is widely promoted to the deaf BSL users and service providers through a series of free online webinars and visits to deaf clubs. 3. Martin Whitfield I am very grateful, Presiding Officer. The minister will be aware of the damning findings of the audit into NHS Lothian's audiology department and how that affects the deaf community. Last week, a number of local MSPs met with the families directly and heard how it is affecting them. Will the Government confirm that they will meet with local MSPs and families from the families failed by Lothian's audiology action group to ensure that treatment support and needs of those children can be met? Most importantly, we find out how many children have been affected. 4. Lothian Whitfield I thank Mr Whitfield for his supplementary question. Of course, the responsibility for NHS audiology lies with my health colleagues, some of whom are in chamber today, and I am sure that they respond appropriately to Mr Whitfield. 4. Michelle Thomson To ask the Scottish Government when the final report of the national autism implementation team's adult neurodevelopmental pathway trials, which were conducted within four NHS board areas, will be available. Minister Kevin Stewart The adult neurodevelopmental pathway pilot ran for 12 months from January 2022, funded by £650,000 from the Scottish Government. The report will be published on 16 March and will be available on the national autism implementation team's website. A national learning event hosted by the national autism implementation team is also planned for 16 March, and the Scottish Government will be considering the next steps. Michelle Thomson I thank the minister for that response. The ADHD foundation state that undiagnosed and untreated ADHD in women and girls can have further impacts beyond health, including on their education, employability and economic independence. Given that, does the Scottish Government have any data on the potential impact such a national pathway roll-out could have for socially, economically disadvantaged women across health boards for the country, for whom the private assessment fees are simply unaffordable? Are there any plans to focus aspects of the roll-out across all health boards to include such groups? Presiding Officer, we are aware that ADHD can have significant impacts. The ultimate aim of the pathway is that people can access the support that they need when they need it, and we'd be happy to think about socioeconomic factors in taking all of that work forward. Stephanie Callaghan To ask the Scottish Government when it last engaged with NHS Lanarkshire. Cabinet Secretary, Humza Yousaf. Both ministers and Scottish Government officials meet regularly with representatives of all health boards, including NHS Lanarkshire, and I last met with the leadership of NHS Lanarkshire last month to discuss plans for sustained improvement in local, unscheduled care. I thank the cabinet secretary for his response. The LMC, Lanarkshire Local Medical Committee, represents general practices across Lanarkshire, and they tell me that they have a significant concern around the vast increase in patients seeking fit notes from their GP when the fit note should have been issued by patients' hospital consultants at the time of treatment. Our consultants do an amazing job, but this issue needs to be ironed out. The LMC tells me that thousands of unnecessary GP appointments are taken up by those patients each year as a consequence. Can I please have a question, Ms Callaghan? For patients referred for Glasgow hospital, it is a wider issue than that. Can the cabinet secretary ask what steps can be taken to ensure that hospital consultants are issuing fit notes to patients to reduce the unnecessary GP appointments? I am not aware of the issue being raised directly by the Lanarkshire Local Medical Committee with the Government, but she is right that it affects health services and general practice across the country. I will work closely with the BMA, the Royal College of GPs, with the health boards to see what we can do, because we know that our general practice colleagues right up and down the country are under enormous pressure. That is why the Government has a record of increasing the head count number of GPs by 291, and we aim to go much further. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is regarding the potential impact on Scotland to the Windsor framework. Cabinet Secretary, Angus Robertson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The Scottish Government welcomes the Windsor framework agreement. The dispute over the Northern Ireland protocol was of the UK Government's own making and was deeply damaging, threatening what would have been a catastrophic trade war with the European Union in the middle of a cost of living crisis. The Scottish Government also fully supports the Good Friday agreement. However, Scotland, by the Prime Minister's own admission, is now at a major competitive disadvantage. Mr Sunak said that Northern Ireland was in an, and I quote, unbelievably special position and a unique position in the entire world. Cabinet Secretary, for his response, has the cabinet secretary detected any substantial difference between the position of the UK Government and the Labour Party on Brexit? Given, as he said, the Scotland and the UK are no longer in the unbelievably special position that the Prime Minister has outlined for Northern Ireland, can the Scottish Government assess the impact on Scotland of being placed outside the EU, single market and customs union, which is the policy of both the Tories and the Labour Party? Scotland is feeling the full damage of the UK Government's hard Brexit despite our overwhelming vote to remain. Despite the fact that the Scottish Government put forward a compromise plan in 2016 to keep both the United Kingdom and Scotland in the single market, a compromise that was dismissed by UK ministers. Let's hear the cabinet secretary. We are reading the legal text of the Windsor agreement and requesting more detail from the UK Government so that we can establish in more detail what the framework will mean for Scotland. There appears to be no significant difference between the Conservative Party and the Labour Party on this. They both support a hard Brexit, which is hugely damaging. It's never been clearer that the only way to regain the benefits of European Union membership is for Scotland to be an independent country. Question 7, Emma Harper. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking with lambing season starting to support farmers to keep livestock safe, including in relation to promoting responsible countryside access. The Dogs Protection of Livestock Amendment Scotland Act 2021 has been enforced for over a year and it provides Police Scotland and the courts with greater powers to deal with those who allow their dogs to worry, attack or kill livestock in Scotland's countryside. Increasing awareness is a key factor in the prevention of livestock worrying incidents and the associated unnecessary suffering. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code is clear on the rights and responsibilities of land managers and those exercising access rights and is widely publicised. More generally, the Scottish Government delivered an awareness-raising digital campaign that ran in early 2021 and was rerun during 2021 and 2022. In partnership with the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to promote that responsible dog ownership. Emma Harper. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. As well as the high costs on farmers due to the cost of living crisis and Brexit, farmers are still being financially and emotionally impacted due to attacks on their livestock by out-of-control dogs. As lambing season begins, will the cabinet secretary again just reaffirm and join me in encouraging all when enjoying Scotland's beautiful countryside to do it responsibly and follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and keep dogs under close control to prevent livestock from coming to harm? I just want to thank Emma Harper for raising these important matters in the chamber today, because I do not think that we can really emphasise enough just the impact that this has on our farmers, as the member talked about both financially and importantly emotionally as well. So I really would just encourage everyone who wants to enjoy our beautiful countryside to follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and to keep their dogs under close control to prevent livestock from coming to harm. The National Access Forum, which includes NatureScot, the NFU, Police Scotland, the Scottish Kennel Club and Scottish Land and Estates, agreed that common high-level messaging for dog owners in 2020. And I know that NatureScot will employ that messaging widely in the coming spring lambing season and throughout the rest of this year on their social media platforms as a key part of the on-going access code campaign activity. Question 8, Christine Grahame. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing legislation in Scotland, similar to the UK animal's low-welfare activities abroad bill. The Scottish Government takes animal welfare very seriously and remains committed to ensuring the highest standards in Scotland. And I would like to thank Christine Grahame for raising this issue with me and I know that we've corresponded on this recently. And where I did share my disappointment and my really extreme disappointment that this bill has been handled so poorly by the UK Government, which has ultimately left us with insufficient time to properly consider this important matter. I remain absolutely committed to improving animal welfare and, of course, I'm open to considering similar proposals to restrict advertising in Scotland of unacceptable animal experiences abroad in future. However, this has to be done in a manner that respects the role of the Scottish Parliament and the other important animal welfare issues that the Scottish Government wants to take forward. Christine Grahame, I thank you very much and I thank the cabinet secretary for a reply. That legislation, of course, refers to the use of animals such as Asian elephants for the entertainment of tourists in particular. The cabinet secretary references her letter to me, so can I ask her if she would meet with me and the chief executive to save the Asian elephants to see what measures this Scottish Government can take to help end exploitation of those magnificent beasts? Briefly, cabinet secretary. Yes, just to say that we are really happy to, of course, have those discussions. The Government has already reached out to stakeholders and my officials have met with Mr McNair and Mr Stevenson as recently as Monday of this week to discuss the bill. As a result of that constructive engagement, I just want to thank them and to thank Save the Asian Elephants for their kind offer of assistance as we look to explore ways that we can improve the welfare of not just elephants, but all animals that are subject to low welfare conditions.