thank you that concludes general questions the next item of business is first Minister's questions at question number one I call Douglas Ross thank you presiding officer in June 2021 the Scottish government were told to retain messages relevant to their handling of the coid pandemic but 5 months later the S&P introduced a policy to destroy WhatsApp messages this is the digit digital equivalent of building a bonfire to torch the evidence so first Minister why did the SNP bring in a policy to delete messages after they've been told to keep them first Minister first of all of course the policy being referred to by Douglas Ross is a general policy around messaging mobile uh messaging including informal messaging uh such as uh WhatsApp of course what is key when we got the advisory notice is both particularly from the Scottish inquiry and then of course uh when we received information from the UK government in relation to the UK uh inquiry it was made very clear to officials to civil servants of course to ministers to Cabinet secretaries that any information that was relevant or could be potentially relevant to the inquiries should be retained and of course appropriately recorded within our record management system that is why 14,000 WhatsApp messages are in the process of being handed over now that we have the section 21 order it's why 19,000 documents have already been submitted it's why when I submit my final statement it will have unredacted WhatsApp messages handed over to the inquiry I should say presiding officer that is in very stark contrast to the Prime Minister who tried to take the public inquiry to court lost of course in the courts and is still refusing to hand over his WhatsApp messages Doug people viewing this are listening to the first minister to tell us what the Scottish government are doing and it is not up to Hamza YF or any SMP Minister current or former to decide what is relevant to the inquiry to pick and choose which messages are going to be handed over because it is absolutely clear that the smmp brought in an autod delete policy not just after being told not to do so by the the UK Co inquiry but after Nicholas sturgeon had set up a separate Scottish inquiry this policy was introduced two months later Nicholas sturgeon went on television to say she couldn't withhold messages even if she wanted to but this week it was reported that Nicholas sturon has deleted her WhatsApp messages we know that destroying or withholding evidence from an inquiry is illegal so does hza YF accept that if Nicholas Sturgeon or any government Minister has destroyed WhatsApp messages relevant to the inquiry they would be breaking the law first Minister as Douglas Ross has mentioned the former uh first Minister let me just remind Douglas Ross and indeed the chamber in terms of accountability and transparency Nicholas sturgeon stood up day after day every virtually every single day did 250 media briefing members 70 parliamentary statements in full accountability full transparency answering questions they don't want to hear it presiding officer because of first Minister if you might take a seat for a moment we're not going to continue this session in this Spain members are required to conduct themselves in an orderly manner let's treat one another with courtesy and respect and let's not decide to contribute from our seats first Minister and can I remind the opposition particularly the conservatives when the former first Minister stood up did those daily media briefings spoke to the public took questions from the media it was the opposition that wanted to stop that from happening in the first place let me be let me be absolutely clear let me be absolutely clear because this is such an important issue first Minister particularly Mr care I must ask you to cease shouting from your seat be very grateful if you could comply first Minister it is important I think that opposition members don't shout from a sedentary position because there are members families of those who've been bereaved by coid who do want assurances and I accept and let me reiterate what the deputy first Minister said a couple of days ago in this chamber the government does apologize to those families who are bered by Co coid for any anxiety or distress that we have uh caused them it was certainly not Our intention we received of course uh clarification uh from the the co inquiry last week around their expectations they have provided us with that section 21 order we are in the process of providing 14,000 WhatsApp messages and on top of that I will give my WhatsApp messages unredacted to the co inquiry because we set up that inquiry for one reason and for one reason only to get to the truth and to ensure answers are there for those families who suffered the most during coely Dr sh I cannot believe that hza yusf has just stood up and in the strongest possible way defended Nicholas sturgeon who has been accused of deleting vital WhatsApp messages and he didn't answer the question would she have broken the law if she has done so but the law is very clear deleting evidence required by an inquiry is a criminal offense it's in writing in the Scottish K inquiries at later the S&P government were told to make sure that no material or potential Rel an to the inquiry is destroyed deleted or disposed of it is an offense under Section 35 of the inquiries act but the problem with the snp's policy is the messages are deleted before the inquiry can judge if they're relevant or not Hamza yussef has previously told this chamber and I quote any material that's asked for will absolutely be handed over to the co inquiries and handed over in food so why has the S SMP government now failed to deliver on that Promise by deleting evidence first Minister Douglas Ross continues to say that we are not handing over WhatsApp messages that is incorrect we are in the process of handing over 14,000 messages on top of those 14,000 messages when I submit my final statement I'll be handing over a many messages uh not just with not just with cabinet secretary not just with Ministers of of course with UK government ministers with opposition politicians that I communicated with across the chamber and I will be doing so unredacted because we believe this government believes in accountability very different to Douglas Ross's leader of the conservative party who's refusing to hand th that material over and I understand why Douglas Ross wants to talk about process as opposed to substance the reason why of course is because just in this week alone we have seen utterly scar damning evidence about the UK government's handling or mishandling of the coid pandemic so look I am absolutely committed and this government is absolutely committed to being transparent to being accountable because we want the truth of uh the truth to be heard not just by the public but particularly by the families who are bereaved by Co we certainly don't have anything to fear from the truth I suspect the conservatives absolutely do H Yousef is all over the place with this he starts off by saying he's going to hand over all the messages now now he's saying he's going to hand over many of them he doesn't hide from the truth we don't know what the truth is because messages have been deleted and they've been deleted because of a policy of the SNP government that policy means they can cherry-pick the information that the inquiry sees crucial discussions may have been destroyed by their to delete policy any uncomfortable information may be lost never to see the light of day this secretive approach treats a coid inquiry and grieving families with contempt absolutely well the deputy first minister is saying no it doesn't so sha Rison listen to Margaret Waterton who lost her mother and her well Jenny GTH listen to someone who lost their mother and husband to the Mr Ross I'd be very grateful if members would do one another give one another courtesy and respect when a member is meant to be speaking in this chamber let's listen to them Mr Ross senior government ministers within the S&P don't want to hear what grieving families think about their actions so Margaret Waterton who lost her mother and husband to the virus said the news that the Scottish government has withheld evidence from the co inquiry is and I quote frankly shameful and Jean Morrison a member of Scottish Co beve said if someone deliberately deleted stuff to avoid us getting to the truth then morally and ethically as well as legally it's totally in the wrong so does the first Minister regret letting down these families and so many others first Minister I I I think it's really important because Douglas Ross has every right to ask the questions he is asking we have a responsibility I think in this chamber to remember that there's many people who lost loved on to co including many people in this chamber including members of uh my own government and what I would say is reiterate the apology made by the deputy first minister to Scottish uh Co family Scottish Co bereaved uh and indeed uh to the representatives that we did not mean to cause them the anxiety that they clearly felt as a result of what was said at uh the co inquiry last week that is on us and we intend to make right with that and that is why we'll release those 14,000 messages now release uh my own uh messages as well so the absolute purpose of the inquiry is to get to the truth of the handling and where there were mistakes made to learn from those mistakes and ultimately everybody will have an interest in that businesses across the country will have an interest in that members of the public but most particularly most acutely uh will be those families who've been bereaved uh by Co so I can give them an absolute assurance that we are here to cooperate fully uh with uh the inquiries let me just remind uh Douglas Ross what we already know about his party's mishandling of Co those families who could not say goodbye to the loved those families who had to attend funerals by themselves without their family without friends uh around them they were doing that all the while the conservatives were partying breaking Co rules in number 10 briefly first Min because we know the conservatives they don't believe that the rules frankly apply to them and we have seen that in the evidence this week so I can give an absolute commitment officer that the Scottish government will fully cooperate with both inquiries question number two Anna sarar presiding officer during the worst of the co 19 pandemic in Scotland thousands of people died it's for those people that we should be thinking about our answers and our questions today this government sent untested and Co positive patients into care homes with devastating consequences and Millions suffered from the effects of lockdown that is why both the UK and Scottish cover inquiries are crucial because we need to understand what happened to learn lessons for the future now the deputy first Minister and first Minister have talked a lot about individual responsibility in relation to the inquiry but the first minister is responsible for the conduct of the Scottish government so will he take personal responsibility for insuring the government complies in full with all requests from the C inquiry first Minister it is of course my responsibility and of course I will le as closely as as as an I would imagine I would with the permanent secretary to ensure that the organization fully complies I said that to Ana uh previously we of course will hand over whatever material uh that has been retained from the Scottish government that is why 14,000 messages are in the process WhatsApp messages are in the process of being handed over I should say that is on top of the 19,000 documents that we've already uh submitted so it is appropriate that of course every single uh member of the government every single official in the government uh complies I should say tanasa on the specific point he asks I am of course responsible for my witness statement I don't know of course what other requests have gone to individual ministers to individual cabinet secretaries and nor do I know what they have submitted and that is appropriate and he and Star Wars mouthing why the reason why of course is there's confidentiality any public inquiry which must of course be adhered to if I try to break that anaar would be the first one to say to drag me over the hot calls and say why on Earth are you breaching confidentiality of an inquiry that could uh potentially Prejudice any said inquiry and just to make it absolutely clear my understanding is that that information about the confidentiality of the inquiry has been put into spice but we can make sure that ansr were gets a copy for his information and presing officer I think Hamza yusf is missing the central point he is the first Minister he's responsible for the actions of the Scottish government ministers and officials not just his own responsibility as an individual and I don't think he's read the transcript from the co inquiry last week which is absolutely damning about the actions of this government and his own behavior in June I asked the first Minister directly and I quote will he confirm that all ministers and officials past and present have complied with the do not destroy instruction and will he give a guarantee that all requests emails text and WhatsApp messages will be handed over in full to the inquiry he gave a direct answer he said and I quote yes they will no equivocation No caveats No Gray areas but we now know the messages have been deleted and crucially it's for the judge to decide what is relevant not for individual ministers and officials to decide what is relevant and again this is about the conduct of the Scottish government so can the first Minister tell us of the 70 ministers and officials how many have failed to comply with the do not destroy notice and how many have deleted messages first Minister can we just be absolutely clear about this Ana Saar members Anna Saar is asking me to demand from Individual Witnesses their witness statement so that I can see what they have handed over or what they have not handed over because that is the only way I could know if former ministers uh have submitted information or not submitt information information is that would be in my view a pretty serious breach in terms of the confidentiality of the inquiry in terms of the organization which is what Anna SAR has also asked me about yes it is absolutely my expectation the expectation of the permanent secretary that potentially relevant information is kept recorded in the appropriate way and handed over to the inquiry when that is requested that is why of course we are in the process of handing over 14,000 messages and an is absolutely right 14,000 of those messages many of them I suspect I don't know cuz I haven't seen the detail but I suspect given that they were on WhatsApp groups as we understand as as as the deputy first Minister outlined earlier this week many of them may not be relevant and a s's right that is for the is for the inquiry to determin hence why I as first Minister will hand over all of my WhatsApp messages in an unredacted form because I go back to the point that I made to Douglas Ross the reason for this inquiry the Scottish inquiry being set up was to get to the truth of matters and that's why in the terms of reference the issue around the discharge of patients is is clearly one of the issues that the inquiry will examine and one that we will fully cooperate with presing officer the public can see and indeed the inquiry can see that the first Minister was unequivocal in June and now they can see how he's dodging responsibility in his answers give today and it's also clear that the section 21 notice was issued to the government not to individuals and ministers and officials and it's the government that's responsible for cating and providing that evidence to the inquiry so to advicate responsibility I think is frankly shameful and people will see that right across the country but the harsh reality is this presiding officer the first Minister has lost control of his government he doesn't know how many ministers or officials have complied with the do not destroy notice he doesn't know how many have deleted messages and he claims that the government's response to the inquiry is for individuals rather than for his government the first Minister promised this chamber he would ensure all material was handed to the inquiry and fo and this week we've seen how important these messages are so can I ask the first Minister why does he believe his government should be held to a lower standard than the Tories at Westminster what is he doing to identify those who do not comply with the do not destroy notices and what action is he taking against those who failed to comply or should we conclude that his word means nothing first ministering officer let me try to clarify again some of the issues that Anna SAR has raised it's important to say and this is crucial that when it came to the request from the UK government inquiry uh they in in June the inquiry asked us for details of the various groups the WhatsApp groups concerning uh coid 19 they did not request the messages themselves the messages themselves were asked for in September just a matter of weeks ago we then of course the government asked for a section 21 uh order uh because of the personal information in some of those messages and that was received and now of course we will meet that the deadline uh for the six of November to hand over 14,000 messages in unredacted form and I can hear Jackie Bailey shouting destroyed the 14,000 messages have not been destroyed we're handing them over and they include ministers past and present we don't know the ministers because again for confidentiality purposes but we know that they do include ministers past and present I go back to the point that Ana Douglas Ross have every right to ask about messages being handed over so I can give an unequivocal guarantee to those families who've been bered by coid that the messages that we have retained will absolutely be handed over and handed over in full and that as first Minister as the head of this government I will when submitting my statement be handing over my messages in full and unredacted presiding officer question number three Pam goel thank you presiding officer to ask the first Minister whether he will provide an update on waiting times for post cancer breast reconstruction surgery first Minister we recognize the importance of breast reconstruction surgery uh I'm aware that there's still unacceptable weights in some specialities but we are of course committed to delivering sustained improvements and year on year reductions through service redesign and also through National working waiting times are not published by individual procedure however the most recent National St statistics from June show that there was almost 7 and A5 thousand patients waiting for inpatient dayc case treatment in in the Plastic Surgery speciality in Scotland breast Recon Sur reconstruction surgery covers a range of procedures uh and delays can be caused by a number of factors and we know of course the impact that the pandemic has had but I can assure Pam goo we are working hard to ensure that we reduce those waiting times Pam go I thank the first Minister for that response breast cancer treatment is not just physically demanding it is emotionally taxing too reconstructive surgery gives women the chance to regain control of their bodies a Freedom of Information response I've received shows the average weit time for this surgery is nearly 400 Days in Greater Glasgow and Clyde but for my constituent it has been more than 3 and a half years since her masectomy she was told she would have a date for her surgery by 21st of October the date has come and gone does the first Minister accept that this is not good enough what steps will he take to cut waiting times for this surgery and ensure that patients such as my constituent are not left waiting for Years first Minister can I thank um Pam go for raising the case of our constituent I obviously don't know the details but Pam go can write to me if she hasn't done so already be happy to look at the the case the health secretary be happy to raise it uh with the Health Board because I do agree with Pam goal's premise that weights of that length are unacceptable um and Pam gool speaks powerfully around the emotional and physical impact uh of uh breast cancer in particular we have been uh of course uh working towards um improvements in waiting times uh we have met the 31-day standard as by the most recent statistics but I'm afraid fallen short where we need to be in terms of the 62 uh day uh standard so we'll continue to progress work in action to reduce those waiting lists I will ensure that cabinet secretary for health rights in detail to Pam goes about some of the actions we are taking but in the meantime if Pam go does provide me the details of our constituent uh we will of course uh Le with the Health Board to see if there's anything further that can be done question number four Claire Adamson thank you presiding officer to ask the first Minister what steps the Scottish government is taking to increase public awareness of fireworks safety ahead of bonfire night first Minister we have recently launched our annual public awareness campaigns across a range of media platforms these campaigns reinforced appropriate messaging around attending organized displays and how to stay safe over the bonfire weekend I encourage everyone to familiarize thems with those campaigns and with the firework code additionally we've distributed over 200,000 safety leaflets to retailers and the Scottish wholesale Association trading standard teams and third sector Partners to increase awareness of fireworks safety and the law at the point of sale it is of course illegal to buy or give fireworks to anyone under the age of 18 to use fireworks before 6:00 p.m.
Or after 11:00 p.m. that's extended to midnight on the 5th and it's also legal to use fireworks in the street or other public places ultimately this is so the public and crucially our Emergency Services can have a safe bonfire night clear Adamson thank the first Minister for his answer recent data from Scottish f r rescue shows that the number of deliberate fires in the 3 weeks up to November 5th has fallen by 30% since 2018 to 907 this H last year this is very welcome news but every year our emergency workers are subjected to immense pressure due to the misuse of fireworks compounded with antisocial Behavior with the first Minister agree that the public can do a real service to our Emergency Services by by taking the decision to attend a public display which is fire faren away the safest and most enjoyable way for our family to spend on the evening of bonfire night first Minister I do I do agree with that uh from CLA Adamson fireworks can be a great spectacle and enable communities to come together as injuries are less likely to occur at a public display we would always encourage people to attend one I know many communities Regional National organizations as well as local authorities do fantastic work to organize such displays as members know we have strengthened the law around access to the use of fireworks with the aim to reduce Demand on our Emergency Services the new law also makes attacks against emergency workers and aggravated offense that can be considered by courts when sentencing uh offenders so I would do as uh CL Adamson has articulated very well encourage people to attend those public displays where they are available Russell Finley thank you s P ministers claim their new firework control zones will improve Public Safety around bunfire night but my part's found that at least 28 of Scotland's 32 councils have no plans to introduce them this includes dunde where Riot police are on the streets to tackle gangs using fireworks to inflict chaos and Terror so can hums are useful explain why his rushed firework law is being ignored by councils suffering from severe SNP Cuts first minister is of course for local authorities to make an application for a control zone I'm assuming that conservative lead councils have also don't have control zones uh in place so I don't think we should be blaming uh local authorities nor indeed the government for the actions that we saw in Dundee we should be very very clear that those who misuse fireworks particularly uh endangering the public particularly endangering our Emergency Services they should be the ones that should be held to account for their Reckless actions we should be getting behind our fire service getting behind police Scotland to do if fantastic job and an ambulance service to do a fantastic job uh in the run up to bonfire night and bonfire night itself but we have brought forward legislation there are a number of applications in for a control Zone and of course they will be given due consideration Christine gri uh thank you very much presiding officer I declare an interest as convenor of the Cross party group on Animal Welfare first Minister the safety of people especially children is obviously Paramount but does the first Minister agree with me that we should be mindful of the effect of fireworks on our pets and they need life livestock to keep them safe too and if in doubt what to do to follow the advice of annual organizations including the NF us first Minister yes I do agree with that there's some excellent guidance from a number of third sector Partners n Fus is one of them I know from the sspca and others there's some very good guidance uh up because uh Christine gmes is right we we often focus on on members of the public that should absolutely include uh our pets uh as well who we know can suffer uh during the leadup to bonfire night and bornfire night itself but I would do as chrisan Graham has suggested for those who are unsure about animal welfare and safety during this period Please do look at a range of third sector organizations you can provide that excellent advice question number five foil chodri thank you preing officer to ask this fast Minister what action the Scottish government is taking to ensure the dentist are suitably funded to be able to continue taking on NHS patients in light of reports that some dentist in Edinburgh are seizing to accept NHS patients Al together first Minister this is a serious problem that has been exacerbated of course uh by the global pandemic and there has been pleased to see an improving picture in NHS denry since the pandemic uh building on that progress is an absolute priority for the government we've been working closely with the British Dental Association Scotland and The Wider sector on payment reform which actually launched just yesterday this is the most significant change to NHS dentistry in a generation provides practitioners with a whole new suite of fees that are designed to provide a full range of care and treatment to NHS patients I'm very confident that reform will provide longer term sustainability to the dental sector and encourage dentists to continue to provide NHS care helping to further mitigate some of the access challenges that we are seeing Bo CH thank the first Minister for the answer uh my my constituent CLA was informed that her dentist would be privatized from January and they would need to start paying monthly fees or leave this is not an isolated issue another family in the west of Edinburgh were also informed their dentist would be privatized both families were not able to find another dentist taking on NHS patients in their areas can I ask the first minister to outline what action the Scottish government have taken to support dentist and their staff to ensure they remain accessible for all first minister I've said this is an extremely important issue that foil Char trry has raised and I hope that uh when we can provide him with the details of the payment reform uh he will see that we are doing our very best working with the sector to incentivize NHS Dentistry just by way uh of example a dentist providing a full set of Dentures will now receive uh 36680 that's an increase of over 60% in terms of a surface filling we've increased the fee by almost 45% so we're trying to incentivize that NHS uh Dentistry because of the issues that foil TR is absolutely right uh to uh to to to uh mention I would also say that we are working with the BDA and others in relation to the Recruitment and Retention of dentists particularly in areas where we know the problem is most acute so I will ensure that the cabinet secretary for Health and Social care does right to fil try with a full uh detailed response of all the actions that we are taking this regard question number six Mark Rosco thank you to ask the first Minister how the Scottish government is making public transport more affordable first Minister we are taking a range of actions to deliver an affordable public transport system for people right throughout Scotland earlier this week we announced that2 million pounds will be made available in next year's budget to progress fee travel for people seeking Asylum here in Scotland we also this week announced the expansion of the existing National fairy concession travel scheme to all Island residents under the age of 22 uh right now passengers throughout Scotland are also benefiting from low fairs as a result of our decision H to trial to Pilot the removal of peak fairs on Scot Rail and with thanks to the most comprehensive concessionary travel scheme in the UK over two million people are eligible to benefit from free bus travel with over 3 million Journeys taking place every single week Mark crosco can I thank the first Minister for outlining those successes free bus travel has been described as life-saving for people seeking Asylum and when those people having escaped from persecution war and suffering are now forced to live on just six pounds a day the very least that we can do is to extend a hand of help does the first Minister agree with me that it is our responsibility to use the full extent of our powers to welcome those forced to flee their homes and does he agree that by extending free bus travel to people seeking Asylum we're showing that we are a country and a parliament that is proud to protect all those who seek safety here first Minister I think that is absolutely well said by Mark Russell and I agree with every single word of it we have long campaigned together and we have done so often with other political parties the greens included against the UK government's inhumane Asylum uh processes uh that have left Asylum Seekers many Asylum Seekers who are not able to work of course uh almost to the point uh of destitution in fact many of them in destitution so Mark Russell's right to challenge the Scottish government to see what more we can do to try to help and try to assist and that's why I'm pleased we've announced 22 million will be made available next year's budget to progress fee bus travel for people seeking Asylum it's an issue that our green colleagues have been Keen to pursue uh with urgency and indeed with pay so this announcement is the next step in making sure that our transport system our country is fair and accessive ible to all and I could not agree more with Mark rusell that where those who where people are seeking safety Sanctuary from war from persecution from povert extreme poverty from hatred then we have a responsibility all of us to step up to ensure that we help them as best we possibly can gam Simpson thank you I'm sure the uh first Minister would agree with me that the UK government's TW bus Fair caps scheme is a very positive initiative um it's made a real difference for thousands of people and encouraged more people to use the buses so when can we expect to see something similar here in Scotland first Minister we have yes that that lackluster response from his non colleagues is probably uh quite merited because we have of course the most comprehensive uh very comprehensive uh concessionary bus travel scheme the most comprehensive concessionary travel scheme in the UK and of course we have just expanded that as mentioned in my response uh to Mark ruskell and the point of course that Mark rusell makes and I agree with entirely is that we are having to step in here because for Asylum Seekers the origin of course of this question Asylum Seekers are suffering so badly because of the inhumane laws of the UK government and because of those inhumane laws because of the fact that UK government are inflicting destitution upon many of those Asylum Seekers we are proud to have to Proud to step in but we shouldn't have to step in we shouldn't have to continually mitigate the worst excesses of the UK government far better we had these powers in our own hands presiding officer Alec browley was officer the origin of the question was how do we make bus travel more affordable and the fact is that well we have a good comprehensive uh policy in place for those up to 22 those over 60 it's that bit in the middle that people are finding very difficult and it is people on low pay and low income that are asking the question so the point about the 2 when Andy Burnham introduced the 2 fairs in Greater Manchester the the usage went up by 10% within a month when are we going to look seriously at helping that group of people who are low paid struggling most and finding bus travel una affordable first minister of course we can compare concessionary travel schemes right uh across the UK and I go back to the point that we have the most comprehensive concessionary travel scheme here in the UK when it comes to helping those let's hear the first Minister those young people when it comes to helping of course those with disabilities of course older people are all being assisted uh through this concessionary travel uh scheme uh that we have and that in turn of course is ensuring that there are millions of Journeys every week uh being made which of course in turn helped those bus companies particularly in the face of the challenges that they struggled with in the course of the pandemic I should say to Alexy we do also have um our Fair fairs review and that is to ensure sustainable and integrated approach is taken to public transport fairs and of course I'm sure Alex shley and others will take great interest in that uh when it is published but wherever we can act whether it's on our buses or whether it's from removing uh Peak faes on rail or in our fairies when it comes to the expansion of the concessionary scheme we will act uh whever we have the power to do so Liam MacArthur thank you presiding officer for those living in the smaller Isles in my constituencies fairies to and from the orty mainland perform the very same role as bus transport elsewhere in the country so can the first Minister confirm that young Islanders relying on these Lifeline routes will also be included in any future free fairy Fair scheme first Minister well of course H consider that very important point that Liam MacArthur raises and he raises an important and crucial point that uh these links are are Lifeline they're important uh to young people on Islands just as for example rail services or bus services uh would be on uh the mainland so we will give further details uh in due course but that point will be one that is given serious consideration we move to General and constituency supplementaries if we're concise we'll be able to get more members in and I call clar hoi I'm sure that members across this chamber will join me in welcoming the emergency access the lockone scheme beginning this week this will see access to potentially life saving Nolo owned kits which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose being expanded to community pharmacies right across Scotland can the first Minister say any more about how this will complement the Scottish government's ongoing work to widen access to Noone as part of the national mission to reduce drug deaths first Minister I'm very pleased that access to no own is being expanded to community pharmacies right across Scotland through our national mission to reduce drug deaths and indeed drugs harm we've already invested more than3 million in widening access to no lockone including through our Emergency Services like police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service however we are now going further and this new Nationwide service which launched on Monday is a welcome addition to existing Services it's been backed by £300,000 of Scottish Government funding and it will ensure that every community Pharmacy will now hold at least two life-saving the locks own kits I'm very grateful to all those in community pharmacies who are supporting our 250 million pound national Miss mission to reduce drugs death L Smith uh could I ask the first Minister when the chair of the elj uh independent public inquiry will be imp poost first Minister okay that issue is one that of course we have to consult with the Lord president I think Li Smith will be aware of that it will be for the Lord president to be able to to to to to nominate nominate an appropriate senior judge uh for the inquir so those discussions are very much underway I do uh understand uh the desire completely understood uh desire uh for those who've suffered so badly at the hands of Professor El Jamal for paace and urgency so there's no uh dether or delay at all uh from the government uh simply we have to go through the appropriate processes I will ask the cabinet secretary for health to write to L Smith with further details uh but but of course I just reiterate that point that currently the issue around a judge an appropriate judge being an appropriate judge being nominated as with the Lord president sarra boak thank you presiding officer can I draw members attention to my register of interests this afternoon the City of Edinburgh council is expected to declare a housing emergency following a call from shelter Scotland so will the Scottish government now accept that there is a housing emergency in our capital city and will the first Minister look at targeted Solutions and investment to increase housing Supply in Edinburgh first minister of course uh we will uh watch those proceedings very closely from Edinburgh city council there is simply no getting away from the real challenge that Edinburgh city council uh faces in relation uh to housing and that's why uh this government has a very good track record of not just building houses but of course socially affordable uh houses from April 2007 to the end of June 2023 have delivered over 123,000 affordable homes over 87,000 of which are for social rent including 22994 uh Council homes we of course are the party that also ended the right H to buy that is protected an estimated 15 a half thousand uh social homes and of course aab boak could be very aware of the measures that this government has taken in order to control rent so we will of course continue to lay uh with Edinburgh City Council as we would with other local authorities in order to see what assistance we can provide uh in order to ensure that we deal with the real significant challenges uh they are facing in regards to housing coap Stewart thank you presiding officer can I ask the first Minister if he can provide an update on the Scottish government's latest engagement with the UK government regarding any plans for the medical evacuation of injured civilians from Gaza in the light of his commitment to treat the injured civilians in Scottish hospitals in the event that there is a medical evacuation first Minister I make the points that I've have made in the chamber before that the people of Palestine the people of Gaza they are very proud people they should not have to leave their land uh but of course many of them have been forced to leave particularly those from North Gaza uh to South Gaza and of course many uh are lying injured and dying in hospitals those hospitals vastly running out of fuel indeed vastly running out of medical supply so where we can bring those injured people uh for uh treatment here in Scotland in the ukuk then Scotland is certainly prepared uh to do that so officials are in regular contact with uh their counterparts in the UK Department of Health and Social care there's not been a request for the UK to receive medical evacuations from Gaza but we hope that if if that does come then the UK and indeed Scotland will be ready to play its part and i' reiterate the calls that I've been making for many weeks now that there must be an immediate ceasefire to allow a humanitarian corridor open to allow supplies partic including fuel to come into Gaza and of course for the bombing and the killing to stop we have seen horrendous scenes over the course of just the last week alone let alone the last three and a half weeks in particular the sickening uh bombing of jabalia refugee camp which must be condemned in the strongest possible manner Sharon Dy thank you presiding officer on Tuesday night in the kton area of D large gangs caused chaos by damaging property setting fires and blocking roads into housing estate prompting the intervention of Riot police this behavior is unacceptable and kirton's residents deserve better the police force is stretched due to funding constraints making it increasingly challenging to handle large scale incidents like this so first Minister will you get behind the police and reverse police funding Cuts first Minister was an officient response let's just first of all say very clearly that this was a very efficient response by police Scotland we should thank our police officers for all what they do every single day which is putting themselves In Harm's Way in order to protect the public in terms of the funding for police Scotland I've said on many occasions uh in this chamber in recent weeks of course we provided this financial year an increase to police Scotland in terms of their revenue uh budget so I'm very grateful not just to police Scotland but also to the Scottish fire and rescue service and and other partners for their Swift attendance and their efficiency in dealing with what was damaging and Reckless Behavior and of course there is an open uh investigation police investigation underway and I would urge anyone with information about that disorder to contact police Scotland and Carol mockin thank you presiding officer Apper low have called for a cancellation of school mu dat they have also identified through their research that and I quote income thresholds for free School Meal eligibility have barely risen in the last 20 years indeed delays to free School Meal extension mean that some parents and families are now feeling the impact of this government's inaction will the first Minister back calls for a cancellation of school meal Dee and will he consider an immediate uprating of income threshold to give Working Families some much needed relief and further reduce the likelihood of hunger in schools first Minister what I would say to kokin is of course we'll consider any suggestion not just from uh trusted third sector Partners like abber lower but indeed from right across the chamber as we head into the budget uh process but we have of course a very generous free School Meal uh offer uh that is available and as as per my program for government we will seek to expand that but we know of course that we still have significant challenges around poverty here in Scotland it is due of course to the Scottish government's actions including the game-changing Scottish child payment that it's an estimated 90,000 children will be lifted out of poverty this year instead of having to mitigate continually the harm for Westminster such as the two child limit such as the benefits cap such as the uh rape Clause all of these issues some of which we can mitigate some of which I'm afraid we simply can't it wouldn't it be much better to have the full powers in our own hands so we couldn't just reduce poverty but eradicate it all together thank you that concludes first Minister's questions point of order Doug I'm grateful presiding officer in his answers this afternoon the first Minister said of the requests for messages from the Scottish government and I quote the messages themselves were asked for in September just a matter of weeks ago however commenting on this at the UK Co inquiry Jamie Dawson KC said requests have sought not only information but also access to potentially relevant messages requests for such information and such messages were issued in late 2022 so is the first Minister able to confirm that the council to the inquiry is correct and if so will he revise the statement he made to Parliament um um the the point Mr Ross raises is not a point of order um obviously Mr Ross's comments are now on the record and um there may be a response or otherwise um is certainly the content of members contributions are a matter for the member themselves at this point we will move on well we will ask the the gallery and the Chamber will be cleared and there'll be a short suspension before we move on to members business