 Ie d Frei wg dechreu eu digodyd iawn dechrau y mae'r iawn wedi ei ddigechgesetzt pa��dd. Open un baadow yn taw ddo lowerd o se corteol replyu yn draethesat gyda ordau armytt y Euth transaction yn y fir testifywn i Tom Brendle i Gwyddiadol, ac mae cymryd addfawr yn fy nghaeshaith o hyfforddiad caipwynt arfa aganodranie i am saud portai, ond mae affecting Caelwch eu bushygCK i'n gwrs, maewn ei fawr ers gwaith iawn gan teithlo programmes yng Ng 就 mimic rai o ffordd agor Moghro i'r iawn The mathematical analysis is another study, as I know the cabinet secretary will be well-aware of allied vehicles based in Po Αirl Park which makes a huge contribution to the economy of North Glasgow employing around 600 people. The owners have invested £1.8m in their own money and refurbishing Ashfield Stadium which helped to establish the Ashfield development trust and are seeking to boost the local economy by investing in the people that stay there. Local partners the cabinet secretary are applying to the Scottish government regeneration fund, £2 million bid to create a sporting hub at Ashfield Stadium, which is supporting hyd o'r ynfaith o'r cendol, mae hwn yn nhw'n rai'n mynd i'w gofio hynny. Gallwch yn dda i'n ddyma fydd yn y chymdeithas wahanol yma, mae elon oeddiwch angen i ddawodau gyweithoedd o'r ddywodau'r ddawodau. Rwy'n adnod i gael ddyma eich gwaith, y gwybod yn mynd i ddweud oherwydd y pwyllwy ym gwrs yn fwy o'r angen iawn, oedd yn cyfrannu gripwyr ysgol, oeddiwch bynnig yn 4.7%, oedde yn 4.9% o'r angen i gael ymgymru, oes bod bod Call of Fame yn unig o'r ddau i llunio mae ar hyn o ddau am ddefnyddio'r Cymru yn gweithio ardal yn fwy oes i ddau y Cyngor a'i hwnnw i'n ddau i'r ddau omfryd fel y cyfnodau angen. Felly, os yw y gwblion i gael i'r ddau enghraifftol i gynnydd y cyfnodau a'r diolch i'r ddau i'r cyfnodau, i gael i'r ddau i'r ddau a'i fan hyny yn 2015 ar gyfer i Chenau i'r broddy Michael Forchennet, ac yn dechrau fy prïnefulidd o hyd i, ond Aladwgol ddych yn gweithio i ddiwyddiadau cyfnodau arobiol, Aishfield Stadium, sy'n bob Dorriss-Mentions. Mae'r alysau cyfrif feddall yw y ddechrau gwadodau blwyddyn yn gweithio i ddedigio gyd-diadau, ond ydw i ddysgolio ddiwyddiadau. Mae Aishfield Stadium yn gyle ti wedi'i gweld yn rhai i ddysgolio i ddiwyddiadau mwyddol. Fy wnaen nhw'n bwysig ble chynwys i ddiwyddiadau sporta, wrth o gilydd gyfnodig, oedd cyfleu import. Mae'n rhaid i ddod i ddoch chiwg agos tensionsfwynt, ac mae'n rhaid i ddod i ddod i ddod i ddod i gydag cyfleu'rgentle niechahagau. Ac mae'n rhaid i ddod i ddod i ddod i ddod i ddod i gydag cyfleu yn y dyfod. Fy nhw'n cyffredinom, oedd y Minister ac yn 160 yn cerdd y mawr honno cyntaf aesgol yma ar y dyfodol, ac maen nhw'n cyfleu'r gilydd gydag aesgatech agos leaderngnithol Glasgow, when figures from that west's regional economic tracker publication this week show that employment growth in Scotland is slower than in any other regional nation of the United Kingdom. I disagree with that entirely. If you look at the figures, the actual figures produced by ONS, we've seen a much greater reduction in unemployment in Scotland than we have across the UK in the last three months. In fact, as I've just mentioned, unemployment levels in Scotland are around 4.7 per cent, the UK 4.9 per cent. If you look at youth employment, if you look at female employment, if you look at the overall level of employment, I don't think that we've ever had more people employed in Scotland than at this particular time, so I disagree with the premise of the point that's being put forward. I do agree with the initial point that was made by Adam Tomkins in terms of work being a route out of poverty, and it's extremely important to people. Going back to the original question from Bob Doris, one of the biggest challenges that we have is people who are further should move to the labour market. There is still structural unemployment in Scotland. I concede that point as it is in the UK, and that presents one of the biggest challenges. The rewards for individuals who are further removed from the jobs market when they get into the jobs market is huge. If you want to see evidence of that, if you go to the Haven development supported employment in Falkirk, you'll see what it can mean to people in that situation. On that point, I would agree with Adam Tomkins. James Kelly Thank you, Presiding Officer. I'm sure that the cabinet secretary would agree with me on the importance of local investment funding to support economic growth. Would he therefore agree with me that the cuts to having to be endured by Glasgow City Council for £130 million are undermining the ability of that council to promote economic growth in the city? In the forthcoming budget, will he agree to promote and support making Glasgow a priority for funding to ensure that we promote jobs and growth in the city? As I say, I'm bowled over by the commendations in terms of the improved employment figures. Those employment figures and improved figures also show benefits in Glasgow as well. I agree, of course, with the need for investment. I mentioned, in relation to the city deal, the £1 billion investment that is shared between the UK Government and the Scottish Government, which is going precisely towards the purposes that James Kelly outlines. If he has an issue with the overall quantum of monies available to the Scottish Government and thereby to local government, then, of course, he knows where that quantum comes from. It's from his former partners and better together, the Tories, and perhaps he should direct some of his life towards them instead of continually attacking the SNP. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent survey, suggesting that 61 per cent of people in Scotland would like to see the country generate all its electricity from renewables. Minister Paul Wheelhouse, we welcome the findings of this poll, which highlights the high level of support from the people of Scotland for the transition to a low-carbon economy. This follows on from previous polls showing broad support for investment in renewable energy. The Scottish Government has set ambitious electricity targets to source the equivalent of 100 per cent of electricity demand from renewables by 2020, and we are pleased that provisional statistics for 2015 show we are more than halfway at 56.9 per cent. Unlike the UK Government, who have announced today that they will proceed with Hinkley Sea, we also believe that Scotland's long-term energy needs can be met without the need for new nuclear capacity. The nuclear strike price has been set at £92.50 per megawatt hour, or £89.50 per megawatt hour, if EDS investment at size will see goes ahead and will be subsidised by UK consumers until around 2060. That compares to onshore wind projects delivering at £82.50 in 2018-19 and could be better spent on supporting renewables onshore and offshore that can come online quickly at a competitive price. We will reinforce our continued support for a stable, managed transition to a decarbonised energy system in our energy strategy, a draft version of which is due to be published around the end of this year. Gillian Martin, I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. With regard to wind power and unleashing our considerable energy potential there, I would also like to ask what the removal of wind farms subsidies by the UK Government has had on realising the stated wishes of the public in this regard. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that to encourage and ensure continued investment in the renewables industry in Scotland is vital that we remain part of the European Union? The importance of having a route to market for onshore wind and other renewable energy sources in Scotland is absolutely critical. The UK Government could certainly help the wishes of the public who expressed their views in that survey by allowing the onshore wind industry to have a certainty of its route to market. By providing a price stabilisation mechanism, developers can have the reliability required to make the financial commitments, which are large financial commitments, to build out those projects, which can provide us with low-cost renewable electricity, but certainty is not just required in onshore wind. Offshore wind, too, needs clarity over future CFD allocation rounds, and delays to that are impacting on the industry. I certainly agree with Gillian Martin that our membership of the European Union is very important given the role that the EU has played in supporting investment in renewables and helping with the statutory targets that it has put in place for all member state governments to drive legislation at a domestic level and to ensure that there is a double lock supporting the development of renewable industry. Claudia Beamish Thank you, Presiding Officer. That is indeed an encouraging poll for electricity generation. However, one of the continuing cultural challenges in Scotland is the poor development of renewable district heating, in which we lag far behind Germany and some other European countries, as highlighted in the UK Climate Change Committee report. Can I ask the minister today what is the Scottish Government doing to promote community and co-operative models and to work with local authorities to dispel the negative myths in this country about essential technology and to support its installation? I certainly recognise that Claudia Beamish has asked a very important question. Over half the energy that we consume in Scotland is consumed in our production of heat for domestic and non-domestic purposes. I will focus on our draft energy strategy as we develop, and I would welcome engagement with Claudia Beamish as we go through the process to ensure that we take on board points that she raises. District heating will be reflected in the draft energy strategy. It is something that I have had recent meetings with steering group looking at the regulatory drivers that might be for driving forward investment in this area. I would be interested to hear the views of the member and how we can do that to support local communities as well. Maurice Golden I refer members to my register of interests with respect to Zero Waste Scotland. An increase in renewables, particularly from wind, will lead to periods of peak supply that the transmission network cannot cope with. Will the Scottish Government consider commissioning a commercial feasibility study into an electric arc furnace to recycle steel, as well as take excess electricity and avoid constraint payments? I would agree with Maurice Golden that we need to find markets for electricity and to make sure that they maximise the economic return on investment in onshore wind. I welcome his positive remarks on that regard. We are looking at how we can invest in storage to supplement the grid constraints that Maurice Golden refers to, both in terms of new technology, battery technology, flow machine technology and hydrogen storage, as a means of using the electricity generate fuels. We have two pilot projects, one in Orkney and one in Fife, which I would be interested to show to Maurice Golden. I will take the point about electric arc furnace, Mr Ewing, who represents the rural economy interests and my discussion on how we can support potential for recycling steel in Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will carry out an assessment of the impact of the affordability of feminine hygiene products on the health of women and girls. Mr Ewing Campbell It is an unacceptable and uncomfortable truth that, for some of the most vulnerable in our society, who are the most impacted upon by the UK Government's austerity programme, that sanitary products can be unaffordable. While we strain everything new to ensure fairness and equality in the social policies that we pursue, we unfortunately cannot stop all of the impacts of reckless policies of a UK Government that is intent on slashing Scotland's budget. We have worked hard on a number of ways to mitigate the impact of the UK Government cuts, but I am determined to explore what more can be done to ensure that women across Scotland do not face the indignity of being unable to access sanitary products. I, or one of my ministerial colleagues, will meet in gender-associated groups and members of this Parliament, such as Gillian Martin, who has raised this issue in the past, to explore what more can be done within the limitations of the current settlement to tackle this gendered inequality. Monica Lennon Thank you. I thank the minister for her answer. Further to report in The Herald last month, we know that charities including in gender, Scottish Women's Aid and Bernardal Scotland have indicated that access to feminine hygiene products can be a real problem for women and girls living in poverty here in Scotland. International research has shown that this lack of access to products can lead to health challenges. I welcome the minister's move towards exploring and assessing the impact on the health of women and girls. I ask if the minister will commit to carrying out an assessment of the cost of providing free access to feminine hygiene products. I thank Monica Lennon for raising this and for other members across the chamber who have raised the issue. As I said in my reply to Monica Lennon, I, or one of my ministerial colleagues, will meet in gender and the other groups, such as the ones that she mentioned in her supplementary question, to make sure that we can explore what more can be done within the limitations that we have to tackle this gendered inequality. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the status of each of the city deals. Cities in the regions are the engines of our economy and that is why we, as the Scottish Government, are committed to working with all of our cities to unlock investment and to stimulate growth. The Scottish Government is a full partner in the Glasgow city region city deal, supporting all three strands and contributing £500 million over 20 years to the infrastructure investment fund. Heads of terms agreements have been signed for Aberdeen and Inverness city region deals. In addition, the Scottish Government is committed to supporting city region deals for Edinburgh and for the south-east of Scotland and for Stirling city region. Dundee and Perth, together with Angus and the north of Fife, are currently working on developing proposals for a Tay cities region deal, and the Scottish Government is committed to discussing and supporting the development of that deal also. Thank you for your response, cabinet secretary. What safeguards are being put in place for communities close to but not part of city deals? In particular, I am thinking of Falkirk, for example, which is sandwiched between Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling. Of course, the mention has been made in my first answer to the Stirling city deal, and it was open to areas around that area to come together. Falkirk is not part of that deal. What we have said in relation to parts of Scotland that are not part of city deals is that, of course, we are willing to listen to the representations that they make. The example that I would give would be the three Ayrshire authorities with whom I am meeting shortly who are not part of a city deal, but, like Falkirk, have real concerns and interests about how their interests are taken forward. We will maintain a listening mode to make sure that we take on board those concerns. If Falkirk wants to speak to the Scottish Government, of course, we would be happy to meet him. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Unfortunately, I was unable to hear the cabinet secretary's reply to that last question. Can I ask the cabinet secretary if he can provide reassurance that other areas of Scotland such as Ayrshire will not be disadvantaged by the focus on city deals? Sorry that Kenneth Gibson could not hear the response. I mentioned Ayrshire specifically. We know that all areas of Scotland need to flourish if we are to deliver on our economic ambitions to increasing inclusive growth. A big step towards which, of course, was taken with the unemployment figures, which have not been mentioned by any other party this morning in terms of outperforming the UK 4.7 per cent, as opposed to 4.9 per cent. That benefit is being felt across Scotland, but we have, in addition to that, committed to working with regional partnerships and encouraging regions facing economic challenges to work collaboratively with local partners. That is happening in Ayrshire, specifically with the three councils coming together. The Ayrshire economic partnership brings together North, South and East Ayrshire and a range of other regional partners to consider how best to stimulate inclusive economic growth in the area. In the process of developing proposals for an Ayrshire growth deal, we welcome the work that is under way and I will shortly meet with that partnership to discuss that further. Lewis MacDonald Thank you very much. The cabinet secretary will recall his pledge to fund East Coast rail improvements at the time of the launch of the Aberdeen City region deal, but he will know that no timetable for those improvements has yet been published. Can he tell us when that timetable will be shared, particularly with local partners in the Aberdeen City region joint committee? Lewis MacDonald Of course, as Lewis MacDonald says, that was not part of the city deal. We wanted to make it such, but the UK Government would not go further than the city deal, which was eventually agreed. We went substantially further, so if we take together the UK contribution and the Scottish contribution to the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire city deal, that was doubled by the commitments that we made in relation to the transport projects, one of which Lewis MacDonald has mentioned. They were, in the same term, as a city deal in the same timescale within 10 years. Work is on-going in relation to the East Coast mainline project that Lewis MacDonald has mentioned, so it is not the case that will necessarily take 10 years, but the work that is on-going will inform a proper timescale. Of course, we are happy to share that, as I have said already, to the partners in the city deal once we have that information to hand. John Mason I wonder if part of the Glasgow city deal, if the Government would give an assurance that it will not support a rail link to Glasgow airport unless there is an assurance that there would be sufficient passengers. Cabinet Secretary It is worth outlining exactly what the nature of the city deal was. The city deal, as asked for by the local authorities, was to pass over the resources and powers for the partners to take forward that work themselves, not for the Scottish Government or the UK Government to take forward the projects, but for those partners to do that. We are fully supportive of the Glasgow city region deal. We want to see the Glasgow airport access projects succeed. Glasgow and Renfrewshire councils lead that project on behalf of the city deal, and they have the funding to deliver that. It is important that the project team continues their work to produce a robust business case. Of course, there are assurance frameworks in place, both by the UK Government, quite rightly, and by the Scottish Government, and those assurance frameworks have to be satisfied in relation to any projects. It is important that the project team continues that work, and it is important that, given the fact that, as soon as a city deal was announced, Glasgow and Renfrewshire councils went out to say that this was their first priority, this was going to be what the city deal was all about, that they get on and deal with that. They have got the resources, they have got the powers, it is up to them to deliver that now. 5. Dean Lockhart To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in response to the Audit Scotland report supporting Scotland's economic growth, the role of the Scottish Government and its economic development agencies. First of all, we welcome the contribution to the debate on Scotland's economy, and we will consider the recommendations as part of our enterprise and skills review. The review has already benefited from high levels of stakeholder interest. I think that 320 or so responses have come in already, and we have also commissioned two specialist advisory reports that we will shortly publish alongside a summary of the call for evidence that I have mentioned. The EU referendum result has changed the context of that review. There is no question about that, and we have to take account of Brexit, build fully upon the stakeholder views, and in light of the ministerial review group views that are expressed through that forum, ministers have decided to take forward the review in two stages. Stage 1 will conclude shortly, and we will set out the key recommendations for change across a number of areas. Phase 2 will take forward consideration of those recommendations with key partners. The timetable for that part of stage 2 will be set out alongside the phase 1 outcomes. Dean Lockhart Thank you, Mr Brown, for that answer. I am conscious of time, so let me briefly ask another question. If the SNP is really serious about business development here in Scotland, why has it cut the budget of the Scottish Enterprise agencies by 12 per cent over the past six years? And why won't the Government listen to business organisations asking for the removal of the large business supplement? A tax that is forcing many businesses out of business this week, the Stirling Observer, carries an article saying that one of the major high street stores in Stirling is closing precisely because of this damaging tax. Cabinet Secretary. I think that it's ironic for a Conservative member to ask why budgets are reducing. I just want to go back to the point that he started with. The report that he mentioned from the original general actually says that the enterprise bodies are performing well, and I think that evidence of that is in the employment figures from which he has heard not a squeak from the Conservative party, who every time they have been announced recently has said that this is evidence that Scotland has been outperformed by the rest of the UK. What are they saying now? Scotland is outperforming the rest of the UK in terms of female employment, in terms of youth employment, and yet you have got nothing to say about it whatsoever. Of course, it's the case that we want to have economic development and skills bodies performing as highly as possible, and if you look through the different recommendations in that report, you'll find their key to the review that we announced before we got this report, and they'll feature substantially in the outcome. I think that Dean Lockhart should be reassured that the Scottish Government is on the case, as demonstrated by the jobs figures that have come out this week. Before we move to the next item of business, members may wish to join me in welcoming to our gallery the Honourable Justin Maturi MP, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya, and Members of the Parliamentary Service Commission. I'd also like to welcome the Honourable Atisha Sanoli, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of South Africa.