 Siarad, mae'r ystafell y byddaeth yn y combineidol, a'rór cyflot yn rhywbeth i'r cyflot yn sren of buffett. Felly, yn yма'r cyflot yn sren y pryd, rŵn i'n ei ddysgu'n ddechrau, a byddai'n gyda'r cyflot yn sren o'r cyflot yn sren i'n ddechrau. Mae'r cyflot yn jyntol i'r mae'n whyffordyau sy'r cydd, ac yn amlwgau yng nghymdd oherwydd y cyflot yn ei gwyllgor ar y cyfroffurddau cyflym, ynghylch gyda'r report, State of the Nation, Hark Valve Disease in Scotland, by Hark Valve Voice, released in December 2021? Minister Marie Todd. The report by Hark Valve Voice made recommendations on the need to collect standardised data, develop optimal patient pathways and improve access to echocardiography. That reflects the strategic priorities outlined within our heart disease action plan. Of particular notice progress being made by Public Health Scotland to deliver the Cardiac Audit Programme. We committed more than £1.5 million over five years to support this transformative change in the use of data to drive improvement in cardiac services. In 2021, we provided funding for a project seeking to improve access to echocardiography. We're working closely with the Centre for Sustainable Delivery to utilise the learning from this support to support improvements across Scotland. I thank the minister for that answer. Later this year I will be visiting Aberdeen, Royal Infirmary, to witness a TAVI procedure being performed, and the minister can join me if she wishes. This procedure is less invasive than traditional heart surgery, but at present in Scotland there is a cap of 400 procedures per year, and we're lagging behind the rest of the UK when it comes to TAVI procedures. Will the minister commit to reviewing this cap, and will she join me in a round table event with the heart valve voice charity? I'm more than happy to visit ERI. I'm up in Aberdeen next month, and I'm more than happy to visit ERI anytime. You're absolutely right that TAVI is provided across three regional centres in Scotland and Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen with regional referral pathways in place. The national planning board maintains an overview of TAVI activity in Scotland and considers available evidence to support decision making around the rate of TAVI procedures in Scotland, and I'm confident in that process. If the member would like to write to me about the round table he is planning, I'll certainly consider it and assure him and the heart valve folk that it is a high priority for us in Scotland and we're determined to improve heart disease action in Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support a town centre first approach to the development of new housing. Our joint response with COSLA to the Town Centre Action Plan review outlines actions to embed the town centre first approach. It includes a call to action that sets out ways in which we can all do our part in rebuilding, re-energising and re-imagining our towns. We're fully committed to the Town Centre First principle and continue to engage with partners on this. The principle influences the development of our draft national planning framework 4 and housing to 2040, both of which will help to deliver more town centre living. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer and certainly the recommendations are very welcome, particularly the proposal for a new fund to bring empty properties back into use. Does the cabinet secretary accept that one of the real problems for social landlords, for example, is that developing a brownfield site is more expensive than a greenfield site? When it comes to allocating funding for new housing, there needs to be a bias towards additional funding for those more expensive brownfield sites to attract social landlords to build the housing in town centres rather than the cheaper option of a greenfield site. I recognise some of the issues that the member describes. It depends on the site. Some brownfield sites have issues with flooding and decontamination issues, but not all. It is right that we need to encourage the development and for social landlords in particular to develop on brownfield sites, so we will do what we can around that. It is important to recognise that there is already a commitment around place-based investment programme funding by £325 million over this Parliament. Of course, we have the current vacant and derelict land funding, including the £50 million low-carbon vacant and derelict land investment programme. I also think that NPF4 will really help with town centre living, and I think that there is also the opportunity that post-pandemic there may well be the opportunity to repurpose some commercial and retail properties in town centre, which can obviously help with the affordable housing supply programme. I am happy to keep speaking to the member about those matters as we go forward. Fiona Hyslop. The report of the city centre task force 2021-22 has some useful welcome suggestions to restore domestic living, which have a good read across to the support housing in our town centres. For example, the nine recommendations in chapter 4 of that report include taking in challenging sites, brownfield development and flexible planning. Can the cabinet secretary advise which of the nine proposals regarding residential living in city centres could be readily applied to town centres? Will the Scottish Government commit to looking at those recommendations in relation to town centre housing development? Yes, absolutely. Again, I am very happy to keep Fiona Hyslop appraised as we take forward myself and Tom Arthur, who has responsibility in many of those areas as well as we take forward those matters. Our town centre action plan 2 outlines the actions to embed that town centre first approach. It is absolutely critical that we join the dots here across all elements of Government policy, not least our net zero ambitions as well. I am very happy to keep Fiona Hyslop appraised of the developments as we go forward in the recommendations. Christine Grahame The cabinet secretary has already referenced Tom Arthur, who recently visited Galashales and Pennycook town centres in my constituency, when he saw the work of local people. Will the Scottish Government liaise with local development trusts and the likes of energised Galashales who are looking at repurposing commercial properties for domestic use? I am aware of Tom Arthur's visit. I think that Christine Grahame makes an important point and I am very happy to give that commitment to liaise with local organisations who obviously know the opportunities within their areas better than we do. The important thing is that we try to make sure that we take the opportunity to do more affordable housing in our town centre, but that also helps with the regeneration of our town centre. It is about, as I described earlier, joining the dots of various different parts of policy. I am very happy to liaise with Christine Grahame about those matters as we take them forward. To ask the Scottish Government how it can support households with the cost of living crisis through a wellbeing economy approach. Our national strategy for economic transformation sets out the vision for a wellbeing economy, where society is thriving across economic, social and environmental lines. We know that the cost of living is currently being felt by households and businesses across the country, which is why, in all, we can help those most in needing, including investing almost £770 million per year in cost of living support, including through a range of family benefits that are not available elsewhere in the UK, doubling the Scottish child payment, mitigating the bedroom tax and increasing Scottish benefits by 6 per cent. Arian Burgess. Can I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer? Boris Johnson recently said that we can't spend our way out of the cost of living crisis and that instead we need to grow our economy, but economic growth alone hasn't brought benefits for everyone. Even before the recent crisis struck, many in the Highlands and Islands couldn't afford to heat their homes or buy enough healthy food. What can the Scottish Government do to put the wellbeing of people and planet above growth for growth's sake? The member raises an important point. We both share constituents in the Highlands and Islands, and I know too well the issues that are being faced in those areas. The UK Government holds most of the powers that are needed to tackle the cost of living crisis, but has so far failed to take the urgent action that is needed to provide that help to hard-pressed households across the Highlands and Islands. We will continue to press them to take more action, but it's about time that they take action in an area where we see much energy, for example, being produced, and yet no assistance, no support when it comes to energy bills. Question 4 is not lodged. Question 5, Fulton MacGregor. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with North Lanarkshire Council regarding the proposed implementation of a multi-establishment leadership model in schools. Cabinet Secretary for Early and Summerville. The deployment of headteachers in local authority schools in Scotland is a matter reserved to individual councils as part of the work to organise schools in their area in the most efficient and effective way possible. It is important that the quality of school leadership is maintained. As such, I am keen to ensure that any proposed changes to school leadership structures are made primarily for educational reasons. Therefore, I ask officials to engage directly with local authorities considering changes to school leadership structures, including North Lanarkshire Council, in order to understand the rationale for their proposals. My officials have engaged with officers from North Lanarkshire on this issue and will continue to do so as appropriate. Fulton MacGregor. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. She will be aware that the multi-establishment leadership model proposed for Christ in primary in high schools in my constituency has been met with widespread opposition from parents and politicians. The community very much feels that the issue has not been consulted on to any significant level, and this school has now been without a headteacher for 500 days come tomorrow. What further engagement she thinks North Lanarkshire Council should have with the community before implementing such a drastic and radical change? I thank Fulton MacGregor for raising the issue once again within Parliament, which is clearly a key concern to his constituents. It is important that, when any change is proposed to deliver education in a different way that communities are involved right throughout that process, in an empowered system, parents and carers should be involved collaboratively from the beginning of key policies. In the case of North Lanarkshire Council, it has carried out a consultation process with effective families and will are in progress of analysing those outcomes. However, I recognise the point that Fulton MacGregor has made that many feel that that was not sufficient and that it should certainly encourage North Lanarkshire Council to be again made aware of their concerns, I am sure, through his offices to ensure that the council is aware of the strength of feeling on this issue from some parents that are affected. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of the Collier and Elandshire is planning to increase the use of online teaching. Provision of learning and teaching is a matter for individual local authorities who are responsible for ensuring that relevant parties are consulted and that the quality of learning and teaching is maintained. As a key component of the national e-learning offer, E-School, supported by Collier and Elandshire, has been invaluable in the pandemic in supporting continued access to learning and teaching in the most challenging of circumstances. As we return to more normal times, councils will wish to reflect on the lessons to be learned from online teaching, in particular where online learning can support subject choice and enrich and vary learning experiences. Concerns have been raised in the Western Isles that this policy might mean that junior classes will simply have an adult present in the classroom while senior classes will be left unsupervised while remote learning occurs. The EIS described this as an absolute disregard for statutory responsibilities and duties towards pupils, as well as a serious undermining of the role of professional registered teachers. Does the Scottish Government acknowledge those concerns? Does the cabinet secretary agree that face-to-face teaching must be the priority where a teacher is available that they should be teaching in person rather than online? I thank Donald Cameron for raising the issue. It ties in many ways in with some of the answers that I gave to Fulton MacGregor earlier about the importance that any changes that are being made to the way that education is delivered is done in a very collaborative way with parents, young people and, of course, the staff, which he particularly mentioned, the EIS local brand. I am very clear on the views of the EIS locally about that. I would say, as I said in my original answer, that this is a matter for individual local authorities, but again I would stress the importance of all councils listening to young people, the parents and staff to discuss the pros and cons of change. If that can be done in a collaborative way, that is indeed the way that it should be done. Having a teacher in place while pupils are being taught, albeit remotely, means that their wellbeing is being looked after. Indeed, if they have got queries, it is really important that they have a suitably qualified teacher there with them. Will the cabinet secretary look at this again to make sure that every pupil is properly supported locally as well as being able to take advantage of course of being taught elsewhere? I would stress that this is a matter for the councils themselves. I recognise the important concerns that have been raised today, particularly on behalf of staff. The council has stated that the aim of their plan is to provide secondary pupils from smaller secondary schools with access to a greater range of subjects. By sharing classes taught in other schools, it has been highlighted that that will enable teachers to stay living in smaller communities while at the same time reaching a wider audience of pupils. There is the background to the council looking at this, but again, it should be done collaboratively with young people, with parents and with staff. It is, as I say once again, the responsibility of the council. To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to dentists in eastern Barchonshire to allow them to take on more NHS patients. We are determined to ensure that NHS dental services emerge well placed to care for the oral health of the whole population. We are now moving forward with NHS dental recovery. From April, we announced revised payment arrangements, which reward NHS dental teams according to their activity. NHS dental contractors will receive an increased payment for work carried out in a fair and equitable response to the current situation of Covid restrictions facing dentistry. That means that NHS dental practices will be incentivised for registering new patients. We have seen in April that the revised payment arrangements, combined with the relaxation of the IPC measures and infection protection control measures, are having a substantial positive impact on improving access and ensuring that the sector is able to quickly return to more normal levels of activity and clear the backlog. I thank the minister for that answer. Several of my constituents in Barsen have raised their concerns that a popular local dental practice in the areas that is providing NHS treatment and is forcing existing NHS patients on to a private monthly payment plan. In light of the Scottish Government's plans to move to free dental care for all, can the minister confirm how dental treatment can be accessible to everyone in the local community and not only for those who can afford to pay? As I have already intimated, NHS dentistry is a key part of our plan to recover NHS services. We are greatly encouraged by the dental centre sector's positive reaction to the relaxation of IPC conditions and the new interim payment arrangements, which I must restate as having a substantial effect on patient access. For example, we have seen more than 232,000 examination appointments in April, which compares with a monthly average of 125,000 for the first three months of the year. That is an increase of 85 per cent in one month. I understand that there are particular situations, as described by the member, and the Government takes that very seriously. I would absolutely welcome the member if she were to provide me with further details and I can look into it. To ask the Scottish Government in what circumstances it would provide support to a business in situations in which legal advice is stated that doing so could be in breach of state aid rules. EU state aid rules include a comprehensive pre-approval process to ensure compliance prior to any aid that has been given by Scottish ministers. Interested parties could challenge any award that the European Commission did to determine whether any support should be deemed as illegal aid, so competence on illegal state aid sat with the European Court of Justice. By contrast, the new UK subsidy control regime lacks legal certainty, as it does not have a pre-approval process, despite Scottish ministers advocating that. The absence of that increases uncertainty for granting authorities making the potential for challenge more likely having a detrimental effect on business support. The Scottish Government would of course seek to act lawfully at all times, including when providing support to businesses. In recent weeks, a national newspaper reported sources alleging that the Scottish Government had been given advice that its deal-with GFG group for the management of the lakaba smelter could be in breach of state aid rules. While the Scottish Government asserted that the arrangement is not in breach of rules, it did not address the core point whether advice had been received to that effect and a risk highlighted. Can the minister give a clear answer on that point? Did the Scottish Government receive advice at any stage that the arrangements made with GFG group may violate state aid rules or otherwise create a legal risk for the Government in its management of the facilities in lakaba? If so, why was that advice ignored? The lakaba guarantee is compliant with EU state aid rules and was approved by the Scottish Parliament Finance and Constitution Committee. The Scottish Government received independent advice in 2016, showing that the fee charge to GFG is on market terms and that the transaction overall is state aid compliant. The guarantee is compliant with EU state aid rules and contains no subsidy and therefore does not require EU approval. The actions taken by the Scottish Government have ensured that the operation in lakaba continues to operate and provide jobs to people locally.