seriedig. To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to increase support for people with crones disease or colitis. We are pleased to have supported and funded crones in colitis UK in the production of Scotland Leading the Way, a national blueprint for inflammatory bowel disease in Scotland, which seeks ac yn dechrau bod chi ar gyfer Cymru trwy cyfleidiau peithgawr i gŷnol i gyfyngweld yn gyfedd. The main aim of the blueprint document is to suggest improvements across a wide range of areas including diagnosis at primary care level, improving patient access to advice and information, provision of specialist service, for example, clinics, pediatricians, dieticians and psychological support and IT strategies. Scotland is the only UK country doing this kind of work on behalf of this group of patients. Felly McNeill. I thank the minister for that detailed answer. She will be aware that, for some reason, there is a higher prevalence of Crohn's and Colitis in Scotland than in the rest of the UK, and children in particular are sufferers, an estimated 26,000 sufferers in Scotland who are benefiting from the work that she describes. Would the minister endorse, firstly, the work of the Catherine McEwen Foundation in Scotland, and secondly, would the minister be open to a meeting with me to discuss how we can look at increasing the number of IBD nurses in Scotland, but also to refine those services to ensure that they meet the individual needs of patients and sufferers? Thank you, Pauline McNeill, for the supplementary question. Of course, I would be delighted to undertake a meeting with the member and also to learn more about the Catherine McEwen Foundation and the good work that is undertaken by that foundation. I am also very interested in learning what more we can do to help particularly young children and young adults with that condition. I would like to raise awareness across the chamber of one young girl who spoke in the Parliament yesterday, Grace Warnock, who has been instrumental in changing the disabled toilet signs here in the Parliament with the help of Iain Gray, who spoke very movingly about her work and the work that she is doing to ensure that people have a greater understanding of invisible conditions that require access to disabled toilets. Linda Fabiani, thank you. Can I ask the minister further to what she is saying about Grace Warnock, whether she is aware of Ms Jenny Cook, a young girl from East Kilbride, who, with the support of her family and, of course, Derek McEwen of the Catherine McEwen Foundation, has now raised more than £285,000 for the Catherine McEwen Foundation and the Children's Hospital Charity, formerly York Hill in Glasgow. Does she recognise that many, many children fundraise for others with conditions that they have suffered themselves and worked tirelessly for this? Does she join me in wishing Ms Jenny Cook all the best as she heads towards the £300,000 round mark at the age of 13? Absolutely. The whole of the chamber united here to congratulate Jenny on that fantastic work. I am aware of the outstanding fundraising work carried out by Jenny Cook to help to improve the lives of fellow sufferers of ulcerative colitis. In my previous role as Minister for Children and Young People, I am well aware of the enormous effort that our fantastic young people do to put back into society if they have needed help themselves and to make sure that others can benefit from their knowledge, their expertise and, of course, their fundraising endeavours. It is absolutely fantastic that Jenny has subsequently received the award of Young Scot of the Year in 2016. She will deserve recognition for the selfless work that Jenny has made to the lives of others. Donald Cameron On the introduction of the national blueprint for IBD and the emphasis on increasing support for people with cranes or colitis, it is highly welcome. Can the Scottish Government update the Parliament on what it is doing to deal with the dramatic rise in the numbers of children being diagnosed with IBD in Scotland? We continue to work hard to ensure that young people and anyone who has and suffers from those conditions are given the help and support that they are needed. Of course, we have continued to work with Crohn's and Colitis UK and the Delivering out Patient Integration Together programme, a multi-stakeholder working group that includes clinicians, specialists, nurses and dieticians who are developing pathways regarding the treatment care of patients with IBD across Scotland. Of course, the member pointed to the blueprint as well, but it is always an area that we need to continue to be vigilant on. Of course, take on board anybody else's views and opinions, but we have great strides on that. I mentioned my response to Polly McNeill, which is that some of the work that I outlined in her response is that in Scotland we are the only country in the UK doing that kind of work on behalf of this group of patients. We will continue to make the progress that we need, continue to work with patients and with young people as well, particularly those who are doing so much to ensure that others do not have to unnecessarily suffer and continue to make sure that we are making the improvements that we need to these services. Rachael Hamilton To ask the Scottish Government when the estimated completion date is for the new East Lothian community hospital. Sorry, Ms Alton. I thought that you were pressing a button as a supplementary. I have got you down for question number 10 later. My mistake. Question number 2, Iain Gray. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the new East Lothian community hospital project. I am delighted to announce that financial close was reached for this contract on 23 September and that construction will start in a few weeks on this £70 million project. The new hospital will be a significant addition to the local healthcare facilities available in East Lothian, bringing services back to the area and helping more patients to get treatment closer to home. I look forward to work getting under way and seeing this fantastic new facility become a reality. Iain Gray It is great news that construction is about to begin on the new hospital in Haddington, given that it should have started almost 10 years ago and should have been completed seven years ago. As a Haddington resident, I have to tell the cabinet secretary that local joy is tempered by the fact that day surgery under general anesthetic currently carried out in Haddington has been cut from the new hospital before a brick is laid. Some 2,000 patients a year will not get surgery locally, and clinicians tell me that there is nowhere in Lothian for them to go, except presumably on to an ever-lengthening waiting list. Even at this late stage, will the cabinet secretary intervene to make this £70 million project, a £71 million project, and retain day surgery in Haddington? Iain Gray Iain Gray welcomed the good news, because it is good news for the people of East Lothian. He talked about the issue of surgical services. As he is aware, a lot of work has been done by the group that was established to look at NHS Lothian's use of the facility and the services that should be provided in the new hospital. It has clearly been a long discussion based on clinical decision making about what should be provided within the new hospital. It will provide a range of primary care and outpatient services, step down care, mental health services and care of the elderly accommodation. I would hope that Iain Gray would welcome the fact that this £70 million investment will deliver an improvement in patient care for his constituents. I am very happy to continue to discuss with Iain Gray the development of the hospital. Richard Lyle As a member of the Health and Sport Committee, I welcome the news that the work will soon be under way of the new East Lothian community hospital project. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the services that are returning to East Lothian will result in an increase in the number of people being treated closer to home and result in our overall improvement in the quality of care of patients? Iain Gray Of course. It is very important that the delivery of the national clinical strategy is that more people are treated as close to home as possible. This new hospital will help to deliver that. As I said earlier, it is a fantastic project, £70 million worth of investment. I think that that should be something that members across this chamber would welcome, including Iain Gray. Edward Mountain To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce waiting times for urology and orthopedics in NHS Highland. The Scottish Government continues to support all boards, including NHS Highland, to ensure patients get swift access to the hospital care that they need. In 2016-17, we have increased NHS Highland's resource budget by 5 per cent to £577.5 million, an above inflation increase. In addition, at the end of August, I announced that a further £2 million will be made available to the NHS, specifically to address long waits for outpatient consultations and that money will be allocated to boards shortly. It is expected that NHS Highland will focus on the additional funding that it gets to address long waits in orthopedics and urology. The Scottish Government has also announced the commitment to invest £200 million to create five new elective centres, including one in Inverness. Those will help to ensure that procedures such as hip and knee surgery can be carried out more quickly. I think that that is, hopefully, something that the member will welcome. Edward Mountain. What I welcome is plans to address the problem. At the moment, the 18-week target time from seeing a surgeon to getting an operation is within the Highlands, in most cases, met within the tolerances that are allowed. However, that hides the real problem. The real problem is the time that it takes to get from a referral from your doctor to see the surgeon. For example, in orthopedics, you have a 48-week delay from the moment that you are referred from your doctor to do you see a surgeon. In urology, you have a 60-week delay from the moment that you see your doctor to see when you see the surgeon. In the case of somebody looking for a urology operation, it is closer to a two-year wait than a one-year wait for the person to get that operation from the moment that it is identified by the doctor. I would ask the minister again, is the extra money that is being allowed going to be sufficient to bring the Highlands into line with the rest of Scotland and get those delays down from the unacceptable period that they are at the moment? The member raises some very important questions here. The issue of urology service within NHS Highland has been a very important subject of discussion between my officials and NHS Highland. It is very important that improvements are made. The board's local delivery plan highlights urology services as a main area of concern and, in particular, cross-strait surgery. A recent agreement with NHS Grampian will see NHS Highland patients assessed in Inverness and operated on in Aberdeen. That will increase capacity on both sites for this complex surgery. Further work is required to develop regional and national solutions to the provision of additional capacity. I have mentioned the elective centres, but, meanwhile, the share that NHS Highland will get of that additional money that it has said very clearly is going to be focused on the long waits in orthopedics and urology. I am very happy to keep the member updated of developments as they go forward. Can the cabinet secretary advise what specific measures the Scottish Government has employed to recruit more doctors to rural areas such as NHS Highland, which would reduce waiting times? Of course, the future of general practice is very important, and it is at the heart of our NHS. We have, of course, increased the number of GPs by more than 7 per cent, but we recognise very much that, in some parts of the country, there are significant challenges in recruitment. Of course, we have taken a number of measures to attract GPs to rural and remote areas. We have increased the number of GP recruitment places this year from £300 to £400. We have created the Scottish targeted bursary scheme, and we have looked at a number of other initiatives, including a £2 million package, to help the number of GP recruitment and retention projects such as the Scottish rural medicine collaborative, and others. I am very happy to write to Kate Forbes with more detail of that. Monica Lennon Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am quite interested in the orthopedic service question in Highland. The cabinet secretary will be familiar with the decision that was taken to remove trauma in orthopedic services from Monklands hospital in the central Scotland region. I represent the Scottish Parliament has made clear that the Government must call this decision in. Can I ask the cabinet secretary whether she will respect the will of the Parliament and if she will make an urgent statement to Parliament on this serious matter? That is not a supplementary question that is on the order of paper. Marie Todd To ask the Scottish Government what steps have been taken to improve A and E performance in NHS Highland in recent times, and what A and E performance currently is in the health board area. The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport has improved A and E performance within the Highlands. At the last figures, I think, were around 95 per cent—95.5 per cent—for Caithness. Regmore had 93.7 per cent, and Lornan Islands was 100 per cent. There has certainly been an improvement in the performance of the Highland hospitals on their A and E targets, but there is always more room for improvement. That is why we will be developing and working with boards through their winter plans, which will make sure that other measures that they can take to ensure that, during the winter period, A and E performance is maintained. We will help to take them forward. Christina McAlvay To ask the Scottish Government when we will next meet NHS Lanarkshire. Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives of all boards, including NHS Lanarkshire, to discuss matters of importance to local people. Christina McAlvay When she gets the opportunity to meet NHS Lanarkshire, she raises the evidence source from the TIE campaign that shows that 95 per cent of young LGBTI respondents reported that being bullied at school impacted upon their mental health. That is in conjunction with 58 per cent of LGBTI respondents admitting self-harm as a result of bullying, with 45 per cent doing so on a regular basis. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that, by adopting an inclusive educational approach that is advocated by the TIE campaign, that that will go a long way to reinforcing the Scottish Government's progressive mental health strategy not only for young people in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse but for young people across the whole of Scotland? Christina McAlvay I agree with Christina McAlvay that bullying of any kind is unacceptable and must be addressed. We know that children and young people's wellbeing and attainment can be severely impacted by bullying, and we want all schools to promote an inclusive approach to relationships, sexual health and parent-hood education. That is why anti-bullying policies should be at the heart of a whole-school approach by creating a positive and welcoming ethos and why health and wellbeing sits alongside literacy and numeracy as the responsibility of all staff. I am very happy again if Christina McAlvay wants more detail of some of the programmes that we are supporting. I am happy to write to her with that. Anas Sarwar Thank you, Presiding Officer. The cabinet secretary has had time to think about the answer to the question that relates to Munklands hospital. The reality is that there was no consultation process for the closure of orthopedics at Munklands hospital. As my colleagues already stated, the will of Parliament was clear last week that there was a clear majority in this Parliament to have that change called in for a ministerial decision. Will the health secretary make an urgent statement to this Parliament to say that she will call those decisions in Munklands and the others and that she will reject them? The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport has decided whether the question was to be answered. I am sure that you will respect the will of the Presiding Officer. As I said previously in this chamber, NHS Lanarkshire's interim plans are about ensuring clinical safety and quality of care, as supported by clinical experts at the Academy of Royal Colleges and Faculties, who I am sure Anas Sarwar would not want to doubt the importance of what they have to say about clinical safety and quality of care, given his own clinical background. It will also help to address issues around the recruitment, retention and training of key clinical staff, as highlighted in reports from Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the postgraduate dean for medical education. As Anas Sarwar and others are aware, their longer term service plans are currently the subject of formal public consultation, which will run until 1 November. Again, I would encourage all local stakeholders to play a full part in this. As I said earlier, and as the First Minister has also said, it is important to stress that no decisions have been taken on any of those proposed service changes, so at the moment there is nothing in front of me to say anything about it. Before any decisions are made, the proposals have to go through what is a well-established process, which includes the engagement and consultation of local people—something that I would hope Anas Sarwar would support. Following the conclusion of that process, I will then be in a position at that point to make a judgment. Of course, I will take last week's debate and decision very much into account and will report back to Parliament, as the First Minister has already confirmed. Elaine Smith As the cabinet secretary may know, the decision on orthopedic trauma has been taken that will come into effect at the end of this month without any consultation. I wonder if perhaps she could explain to Parliament and constituents, if the service is unsafe, how come it has become unsafe under her watch over the last 10 years of this Government? Elaine Smith As Elaine Smith knows, there has been significant investment into Monklin's hospital over recent years, something that she consistently fails to recognise in this Parliament. That does a great disservice to the staff in Monklin's hospital and, indeed, the patients who use it. I have said time and time again to Elaine Smith that she understands well and good that the proposals that have been approved and are going forward by NHS Lanetshire are interim plans based around the clinical safety and the recommendations that are supported by the academy of royal colleges and faculties. If politicians in this place think that they know better than the clinicians who raise clinical safety, they should think long and hard about whether they have the expertise that puts in a position more than the clinicians who are making those recommendations. As she also knows well, the longer-term plans beyond interim plan are the subject of formal public consultation and will come to me at the end of the day. I would encourage Elaine Smith and others to play a full part in that consultation that runs until 1 November. John Scott To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reduce waiting times for initial hospital appointments following GP referrals in NHS Ayrshire and Arran. The Scottish Government continues to support all boards, including NHS Ayrshire and Arran, to ensure that patients get swift access to the hospital care that they need. In 2016-17 we have increased NHS Ayrshire and Arran's resource budget by 5.3 per cent to £669 million and above inflation increase. In addition, at the end of August I announced that a further £2 million would be made available to the NHS and the money will be allocated shortly to NHS boards, including NHS Ayrshire and Arran. The cabinet secretary will be aware of a lack of physiotherapy services and extended waiting times for areas of surgery, such as orthopedics in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, as well as the problems encountered last winter when surgical beds were used for medical patients, resulting in extended waiting times for planned surgery. Notwithstanding her answer for which I thank her, can she reassure my constituents and the people of Ayrshire that waiting times will reduce in the future and that plans are in place to deal with the expected increase in demand for hospital beds over the approaching winter period? The cabinet secretary again raises some very important issues. He will be aware that there is a very clear process of developing winter plans. Those are scrutinised very carefully by officials to ensure that they are robust. In looking at Ayrshire and Arran's winter plan, I will make sure that the issues that John Scott raises, particularly in relation to physiotherapy and the issue of waiting times, are addressed. It is important that boards going into the winter are in the best position that they can be in. I can reassure John Scott that we will certainly be interrogating Ayrshire and Arran's winter plans to make sure that we are satisfied that they will be able to deliver a safe and good-quality service through the winter. Emma Harper To ask the cabinet secretary how the NHS Ayrshire and Arran budget compares to when this Government took office. NHS Ayrshire and Arran's resource budget has increased by £172 million, or 34.6 per cent since 2006-07. That is a real-terms increase of £65.1 million, or 11 per cent. What I would add to Emma Harper is that demand has increased and the pressure on services has increased. It is important that, as new resources flow into the NHS, we also have to change the way that services are delivered to ensure that that quality continues. That is something that we will do through the national clinical strategy. Patrick Harvie To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve working conditions for social care staff. Cabinet Secretary Terms and conditions of employment are matters for individual employers. However, the Scottish Government expects all employers to adopt fair working practices. The Scottish Government has taken action in a number of ways to address fair work practices through the measures in statutory guidance on procurement through the fair work framework and, by encouraging fair work more generally through the promotion of the Scottish business pledge. The Scottish Government is providing significant investment to enable local authorities to commission care services that pay adult care workers, including in the independent and third sector, the full living wage of £8.25 per hour from October 1 this year. The codes of practice for employers published by the Scottish Social Services Council set out employers' responsibilities for supporting their workforce to achieve the standards of practice and behaviour that are required of them. Patrick Harvie The Scottish Greens fully support the provision of the real living wage in the care sector and throughout our economy, and we certainly support the Government's efforts in that regard. Turnover in this sector is relatively high, and we know that a great many employers in the sector are actively recruiting in other EU countries. What impact does the Cabinet Secretary think will be experienced on people's working conditions if employers are required by the UK Government to begin listing foreign workers in an effort to stigmatise and shame them? Can the Cabinet Secretary say what impact will be felt on those already working in the sector if employers find it more difficult to recruit overseas workers who are so vital in our care services as a result of this blatantly racist policy? The Cabinet Secretary for Work and Welfare Can I say to Patrick Harvie that he raises some very, very important matters? Can I first of all welcome his support for the living wage and his comments about that? He is right to identify retention and turnover as an issue within the care sector. That is why, of course, the living wage is so important, because it is part of the solution to encourage people to come into the care sector but also to remain working in the care sector. Without doubt, the case that, within the care sector, particularly within care homes, there is a large percentage, relatively, of those from the EU working within our care sector, particularly within care homes. I have asked the SSSWC to do some work on getting more and better data on how many people are working within the care sector, but if we were to lose that cohort of people working here, it would create a significant gap for our care services. It is very important that we send out a message that it is welcome here, welcome to work here, and I would want the UK Government to take a position of ensuring that those who are working and living here and contributing to the Scottish economy can remain doing so. I agree with Patrick Harvie that the idea of businesses listing foreign workers is absolutely abhorrent. It is a terrible thing for any minister to say that it creates division, it creates the type of society that is not something that we would want here in Scotland. It is important that we unite across the chamber to send out a message that is not something that we think is a right and proper thing to do. It is something that we reject and that we welcome those from the rest of the EU working within our health and care sectors. On 27 September, the Scottish Government wrote to integrated joint board chief officers regarding the living wage for social care workers. The letter told them that IGBs did not need to pay the living wage to workers carrying out sleepover shifts. Will the cabinet secretary apologise to those workers for failing to deliver the living wage for them on 1 October, by the Scottish Government? Will she tell members today just exactly when those workers can expect to be paid a living wage? It is quite sad that Colin Smyth, rather than welcoming the fact that nearly 40,000 care staff—many of them women—are from 1 October going to get a pay rise. Is that not something that Labour benches could bring themselves to welcome? It is very sad that you cannot do that. On the issue of sleepovers, let me just quote what Dave Watson from Unison has said. He says, with sleepovers we want everybody to be paid the living wage, but we accept that it does require a bit more work. If Unison can be constructive about this, representing their workers, why can't the Labour Party— To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making to ensure that national health service staff receive at least the living wage? The requirement to pay the Scottish living wage in NHS was introduced in 2011, and the lowest available pay point has been at or above the Scottish living wage rate ever since. In addition, the Scottish Government has provided significant investment to support the payment of the Scottish living wage to adult social care workers from 1 October this year and has been working closely with health and social care partnerships and providers to meet delivery of the policy that is successful. Clare Haughey. Thank you, cabinet secretary, for that answer. With NHS Scotland staff guaranteed the real living wage, how much better off is someone entering the lowest point in Agenda for Change band 1 in Scotland compared to NHS England per year? I can tell Clare Haughey that someone entering the lowest pay point currently available in NHS Scotland would be £881 per year better off than their English counterpart. That is a good sign of the partnership working that we have with the unions and the fact that we have accepted to pay recommendations from independent pay review bodies, unlike other parts of the islands. We believe very strongly that the partnership working with the unions is a very important aspect of ensuring that we deliver progress for staff working within our NHS. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the assurances that it has received from Boston Scientific regarding the possible use of counterfeit material in surgical mesh. The MHRA regulates medical devices across the UK and has not issued a medical device alert regarding the implants concerned. The MHRA has found no evidence to indicate that mesh implants are unsafe and has not found it necessary to initiate any enforcement action against Boston Scientific or any other manufacturer in the UK. Should that situation change, we would expect appropriate action to be taken by MHRA. The Scottish Government's request to suspend these procedures is due to an independent review of the use of mesh products, brought about by wider concerns about their use. It is not related to the allegations of counterfeit material. I have here the letter that she wrote to my constituent Elaine Holmes and to Olive McElroy to mesh survivors living with the unforeseen consequences of mesh implants. I understand what she says about the MHRA, but given the lamentable performance by the MHRA to the Public Petitions Committee in the last session, which has transpired that their examination of these issues has been a £20,000 desk dock study by three people over two weeks, is she really satisfied that a phone call by them to the company concerned who told them that there is nothing to worry about is an adequate examination of the suitability of this material or the seriousness of the consequences of this problem? I have some sympathy with what Jackson Tarlaw is saying, but we cannot get away from the fact that it is the MHRA's role to regulate the use of medical devices in the UK. The fact is that, as yet, it has not issued an alert in relation to Boston's scientific products. However, I am willing, if Jackson Tarlaw would find it helpful, to relay the concerns that he has expressed in this Parliament. I did so after the committee session, because there was clearly a strength of feeling about the MHRA's role and the process that it had gone through. I am very happy again to relay those concerns to MHRA. I find the cabinet secretary's attitude complacent in this. This is a very serious issue. Although the cabinet secretary joined me in calling on the Crown Office to investigate those very serious allegations against Boston's scientific of using counterfeit materials, which potentially could be implanted in women in Scotland. I am sorry that Neil Findlay feels that way about my answer, but I do not regulate the use of medical devices in the UK. That is the responsibility of the MHRA. Therefore, all I can do is to make the views of Parliament of yourself, Neil Findlay and Jackson Tarlaw, clear to the MHRA. It is obviously up to the Crown Office if it believes that there are any issues relating to this that are for them to look at. That is something that the Crown Office, I am sure, will respond to Neil Findlay about. However, the fact of the matter is that it is the MHRA's role to regulate the use of medical devices in the UK, not the Scottish Government's role. To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the construction of the new district general hospital for Dumfries and Galloway. Excellent progress is being made. A couple of weeks ago, the topping-out ceremony took place at the new hospital, signifying that the building has reached the highest point in its construction, marking an exciting milestone for all those involved in the project. It is a very exciting time for the new hospital project as it moves one step closer to seeing their vision for a fantastic new facility for patients and staff become a reality. I also add that the new hospital project has delivered significant community benefits in terms of new jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities and will continue to maximise those gains over the coming year. Emma Harper I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer. Does the cabinet secretary agree that single bed occupancy rooms such as those that will be in the new hospital are important for patient welfare and meeting the current infection control standards? The Scottish Government is committed to providing patients with the best possible standard of patient care, and single rooms help to provide a better and safer environment for our patients. In view of the potential benefits to patient safety and experience, it has been our policy since 2010 that, for all new-build hospitals and other healthcare facilities that provide in-patient accommodation, there should be a presumption that all patients will be accommodated in single rooms unless there are clinical reasons for multi-bedded rooms to be available. 10. Rachael Hamilton To ask the Scottish Government when the estimated completion date is for the new East Lothian community hospital. Cabinet secretary. The highly anticipated facility, which is being developed jointly by NHS Lothian and East Lothian health and social care partnership, will provide a fit for a purpose facility to deliver high-quality healthcare for the county, and it is expected that it will be open to patients in 2019. Rachael Hamilton I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. As the cabinet secretary will know, services have been relocated away from Roodlands hospital as the new hospital is built. How will disruption to patients from East Lothian be kept to a minimum as the new build takes place? Of course we would expect that to happen and to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum. Inevitably with projects of this scale, there will be some disruption, but it is important that the continuity of care and patient care is there and the disruption to local residences is kept to a minimum. If Rachael Hamilton would like, I am very happy to make sure that she is provided with some further detail on how, in practical terms, that will be done. 11. Richard Lyle To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with universities to encourage the study of medicine and general practice. We continue to work with Scotland's five medical schools to ensure that we have a sustainable workforce for NHS Scotland. That includes working closely with universities to deliver our medical education package, which will increase supply and widen access. Through that package, we are investing £23 million in increasing medical undergraduate places by 50 from 2016-17. In establishing Scotland's first graduate medical entry programme and a pre-medical entry programme. Richard Lyle I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Recently, my constituent Daniel met me distressed as he was not accepted for medicine due to the grades that he received despite the personal circumstances that he faced during the academic year. What support is given to ensure that young people are supported in their ambitions to study medicine and general practice? I understand that we have the details of the case that Richard Lyle is referring to. Officials will reply to him directly on that. Just on a wider point, the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council are taking specific actions in order to widen access to medicine for people from the widest range of backgrounds in Scotland. The Scottish Funding Council also supports the reach programme, the purpose of which is to increase the proportion of pupils from the lowest 40 per cent deprived postcodes and underrepresented schools into higher education. The focus of reach is in the high demand subject areas, including medicine. The SFC has also developed a series of outcomes with all universities against which progress on widening access can be measured. The 50 extra undergraduate places that have already been mentioned will be focused on widening access criteria. I thank members. That concludes topical questions. I apologise for not giving the advance notice of this, but I ask question number 12 in today's health questions. I ask if you will reflect on the number of questions selected and the number of supplementaries taken. Given that we have 40 minutes for questions today and 20 members were asked to submit questions that, like me, were to raise important constituency cases—for example, people in Elgin who have significant concerns about the eye care at Dr Gray's—should we perhaps be selecting less questions and ensuring that we get through all the ones on the order paper or taking less supplementaries to ensure that all the important issues are raised and debated in the chamber? Thank Mr Ross for raising the point. I am not sure that it is a point of order, but I can assure him that those matters are under active consideration. We are considering, for example, reducing the number of questions selected. I am conscious that members are question number 20—for example, we were sitting in the chamber without any realistic chance of ever getting to number 20. We are looking at the possibility of reducing the number of questions being submitted. On the number of supplementaries, I am anxious to take people who ask supplementaries. There are a number of people who pressed their button today, including a number of Mr Ross's colleagues, who I was not able to take. Sometimes that is due to the length of the reply from the minister, but sometimes that is because they require a lengthy answer. Those are difficult matters, but they are under consideration. I hope that the member will accept that. We now move to a ministerial statement. I would ask for a few minutes whether we will change seats for the ministers.