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I am very impressed by the club to the approach by the councils and | :00:17. | :01:24. | |
they have chosen to be a pathfinder for the regional partnerships | :01:25. | :01:29. | |
drowned. We have continued to invest in Ayrshire and last month, North | :01:30. | :01:34. | |
Ayrshire was selected for one of the two pilots that will benefit the | :01:35. | :01:43. | |
growth deal aspirations. We recently met with the Secretary of State for | :01:44. | :01:49. | |
business energy and raised a meeting between the secretary to establish | :01:50. | :01:54. | |
how the growth deal fitted in with the industrial strategy framework. | :01:55. | :02:01. | |
The timeline starts by initially aligning local Godman and private | :02:02. | :02:07. | |
enterprise finding that can -- going to commitment from the Government. | :02:08. | :02:15. | |
This will be an ongoing project, process as many projects, online. | :02:16. | :02:20. | |
Can the Minister told Parliament if they have done this? I would say to | :02:21. | :02:28. | |
the member that the process that would follow is whereby we take the | :02:29. | :02:35. | |
proposals from the local councils and their partners and we analyse | :02:36. | :02:39. | |
those and see which ones are best susceptible to support which will | :02:40. | :02:43. | |
generate economic growth. The councils are aware of that process. | :02:44. | :02:49. | |
They made that point clear and have said that what we would like to see | :02:50. | :02:53. | |
is the UK Government having moved away from the city deal model, once | :02:54. | :03:00. | |
all the cities in Scotland have been through that process, to talk about | :03:01. | :03:08. | |
the industrial strategy. If that is the case, it is much better that we | :03:09. | :03:13. | |
were together on that to maximise the benefit. We have asked for the | :03:14. | :03:17. | |
UK Government to be part of the Ayrshire growth deal. They refuse to | :03:18. | :03:23. | |
do that but it is possible that through the industrial strategy we | :03:24. | :03:31. | |
could work together. We will in the meantime process the proposals with | :03:32. | :03:36. | |
the growth job partners. I submitted a motion for members business on the | :03:37. | :03:44. | |
growth deal, nonpartisan. The UK Government has displayed a | :03:45. | :03:47. | |
encouraging attitude and expressed an interest in it so far. She then | :03:48. | :03:55. | |
wrote to ask all in on MPs to lobby the chance to back the deal. Does | :03:56. | :04:05. | |
the Cabinet Secretary agree it is disappointing that not a single Tory | :04:06. | :04:11. | |
or opposition MPs supported a debate in this chamber and nor did the | :04:12. | :04:14. | |
Chancellor even mention it in his budget speech. Let alone allocate a | :04:15. | :04:23. | |
single penny of the money required to generate and stimulate the | :04:24. | :04:26. | |
lasting economic growth that Escher needs? What I can say is I have | :04:27. | :04:33. | |
expressed my desire to take forward discussions with the UK Government | :04:34. | :04:37. | |
to support this deal. I have done that both in writing and face to | :04:38. | :04:42. | |
face and it is unfortunate we have not have that explicit support from | :04:43. | :04:46. | |
the UK Government to the growth deal itself. I am still hopeful that we | :04:47. | :04:54. | |
can have some involvement by the UK Government including possibly | :04:55. | :04:57. | |
financial assistance to some of the ambitions of the growth deal. We | :04:58. | :05:03. | |
wrote to the Chancellor to asking to join us and partake discussions but | :05:04. | :05:06. | |
the UK Government failed to make that commitment. I have recently | :05:07. | :05:17. | |
discussed support for the Ayrshires. I will continue to push the UK | :05:18. | :05:27. | |
Government on this matter. How is the Scottish Government supporting | :05:28. | :05:32. | |
local authorities to providing welfare and advice? Local | :05:33. | :05:34. | |
authorities have duties to fulfil in the provision of advice support in a | :05:35. | :05:41. | |
number of areas. The Government will spend 21 million on advice related | :05:42. | :05:49. | |
projects in 2017-18. Of this, 660,000 will be provided to local | :05:50. | :05:54. | |
authorities to provide support, advice provision for people affected | :05:55. | :05:58. | |
by debt and the UK Government's cuts. The Scottish Government has | :05:59. | :06:05. | |
provided some 6.85 million to citizens advice Scotland for the | :06:06. | :06:09. | |
provision of welfare advice across its network of 61 blue rose. | :06:10. | :06:15. | |
Additionally we estimate that about 5.6 million of funding for local | :06:16. | :06:19. | |
authority financial inclusion of related projects will be provided | :06:20. | :06:25. | |
between April 20 15th and June 20 19th through the European social | :06:26. | :06:29. | |
fund to support people affected by poverty and social isolation. In | :06:30. | :06:35. | |
2017-18 we are providing local government with a funding package of | :06:36. | :06:41. | |
10 billion and many councils are utilising this to both fulfil a | :06:42. | :06:45. | |
range of statutory duties to provide advice and additional welfare | :06:46. | :06:52. | |
support. Like the Minister I oppose Tory welfare cuts but it appears the | :06:53. | :06:55. | |
Scottish Government is happy to court agreements, formant anger and | :06:56. | :07:01. | |
waved flags and get on with the job of governing. We know that the | :07:02. | :07:06. | |
Government's recent benefits update campaign lasted a week and had a | :07:07. | :07:12. | |
budget of just ?6,000. I know the Minister has shamefully decided to | :07:13. | :07:18. | |
cut ?600,000 of funding to welfare support and advice services in grass | :07:19. | :07:22. | |
go alone. A decision the Tories would be proud of. How can the | :07:23. | :07:26. | |
Minister justified the shameful attack on the most honourable in our | :07:27. | :07:34. | |
communities? -- vulnerable. I think we knew that one was coming. It is a | :07:35. | :07:41. | |
matter of some regret. If members would not shout at me but let me | :07:42. | :07:46. | |
speak it is a matter of some regret the political point scoring yet | :07:47. | :07:50. | |
again is the form front of Labour's mind rather than looking at the | :07:51. | :07:54. | |
detail of what this Government is doing to support individuals across | :07:55. | :07:59. | |
Scotland are facing the damaging austerity cuts imposed by the UK | :08:00. | :08:05. | |
Government. Misinformation and misrepresentation of the fax service | :08:06. | :08:10. | |
our constituents poorly and I countenance Labour to think about | :08:11. | :08:14. | |
that matter. Would we have done is prioritise our use of the available | :08:15. | :08:20. | |
funding to those areas most in need, including those most affected by the | :08:21. | :08:24. | |
roll-out of universal credit and it is wrong to suggest that this | :08:25. | :08:30. | |
Government is not funding advice and support services in Glasgow because | :08:31. | :08:36. | |
we are as they are across constituencies in Scotland, and | :08:37. | :08:39. | |
finally can I say if the member had done me the courtesy of listening to | :08:40. | :08:44. | |
what I said previously in this chamber about the benefit take-up | :08:45. | :08:49. | |
campaign, he would understand that along the Citizens Advice Bureau we | :08:50. | :08:54. | |
jointly agreed on that first stage and that more of that work will come | :08:55. | :08:58. | |
forward over the next four years. Can I say a great deal more than | :08:59. | :09:02. | |
Labour ever did when they were the Scottish Government. | :09:03. | :09:08. | |
Question three. Thank you. To ask the Scottish Government what | :09:09. | :09:17. | |
benefits the Glasgow city deal will bring to Motherwell and Wishaw. The | :09:18. | :09:23. | |
Scottish Government is a Phil Parker in the Glasgow city deal which is in | :09:24. | :09:28. | |
its delivery stage and is contributing to 500 million over 20 | :09:29. | :09:31. | |
years and the ?1.13 billion Glasgow city region deal infrastructure | :09:32. | :09:35. | |
fund. The deal and powers Glasgow and the city region partners | :09:36. | :09:37. | |
including North Lanarkshire Council to identify and manage and deliver a | :09:38. | :09:42. | |
programme of investment in infrastructure. The corner punisher | :09:43. | :09:49. | |
projects have been identified, accounting for a total capital | :09:50. | :09:53. | |
investment of around ?170 million. These projects include potential | :09:54. | :09:57. | |
investment in roads and the structure to improve access, and to | :09:58. | :10:02. | |
improve road and pedestrian links in the town centre. The Ravenscraig | :10:03. | :10:09. | |
site in my constituency has been a national priority since 2013. Can I | :10:10. | :10:14. | |
have the assurance of the Cabinet secretary that when capital is being | :10:15. | :10:21. | |
considered a cross portfolio areas that the unique opportunities that | :10:22. | :10:25. | |
this site has in relation to infrastructure and central belt | :10:26. | :10:29. | |
location and land be considered to ensure for the regeneration of the | :10:30. | :10:34. | |
site can be achieved. To the great to the member that in relation to | :10:35. | :10:37. | |
the Glasgow city region deal it is up to the partners to prioritise | :10:38. | :10:41. | |
projects, which are being supported by both ourselves and the UK | :10:42. | :10:44. | |
Government but the Scottish Government is committed to working | :10:45. | :10:47. | |
with North Berkshire Council and other parties on options for the | :10:48. | :10:52. | |
father redevelopment of the Ravenscraig site. Over ?45 million | :10:53. | :10:57. | |
has been invested to date to deliver a first phase of development. Market | :10:58. | :11:00. | |
conditions have rendered impossible to deliver the proposed phase two of | :11:01. | :11:05. | |
the Ravenscraig Ltd master plan. That is why in August 2016 Scottish | :11:06. | :11:09. | |
enterprise approved a contribution of up to ?415,000 to part fund the | :11:10. | :11:14. | |
development of a new master plan that will enable Ravenscraig Ltd to | :11:15. | :11:21. | |
create a new master plan that is due in late an early summer. There have | :11:22. | :11:28. | |
been cross-party concerns over some of the projects in the Glasgow city | :11:29. | :11:33. | |
deal, both schemes in particular have been plucked off dusty shelves, | :11:34. | :11:38. | |
having when the sometimes the decades, dusted off and thrown into | :11:39. | :11:42. | |
the mix on the back of business cases which frankly don't stack up. | :11:43. | :11:47. | |
The link road in North Lanarkshire and Stewart Field Way any skilled | :11:48. | :11:51. | |
rider just to for which there is little to no justification. Claire | :11:52. | :11:55. | |
Adamson is right to point out that Ravenscraig would be a useful any | :11:56. | :11:59. | |
other city the money to be spent in as far as I can see there's nothing | :12:00. | :12:02. | |
going on there. Such are the concerns of the local government and | :12:03. | :12:05. | |
communities committee that will be doing at an enquiry into city deal | :12:06. | :12:09. | |
so does the Minister agree with me that the Glasgow city deal should be | :12:10. | :12:13. | |
rough rest in order to deliver the economic growth across the region? I | :12:14. | :12:23. | |
would not want certainly to roll out a fresher look at these things but I | :12:24. | :12:27. | |
point to the fact that the basis of the city deal includes an assurance | :12:28. | :12:30. | |
framework that the UK and Scottish Government have signed up to. If | :12:31. | :12:33. | |
that is dissatisfaction terms the dues framework and the member might | :12:34. | :12:38. | |
want to take it with the UK Government to they share the | :12:39. | :12:42. | |
dissatisfaction. I have not had that feedback as things stand but it is | :12:43. | :12:46. | |
the case that perhaps the new local authority elections will provide us | :12:47. | :12:48. | |
with the opportunity to look afresh at these things. As to whether | :12:49. | :12:52. | |
projects were taken off dusty shelves, the projects were put | :12:53. | :12:57. | |
forward by local authorities and we agreed to support them. They chose | :12:58. | :12:59. | |
the priorities and we have backed them up. To ask the Scottish | :13:00. | :13:05. | |
Government how many women in Scotland have been implanted with | :13:06. | :13:13. | |
transfer journal mesh since 2007. 13,006 and 65 women in Scotland have | :13:14. | :13:20. | |
been implanted since 2007. The Minister will be aware of the | :13:21. | :13:24. | |
devastation felt by Scottish mesh of survivors who feel that the review | :13:25. | :13:30. | |
into the use of mesh was a whitewash. The government is | :13:31. | :13:33. | |
confident it is not a whitewash when will they bring forward the debate | :13:34. | :13:36. | |
on this very important issue to the women and men of Scotland? As Neil | :13:37. | :13:48. | |
Findlay knows, the chamber had the opportunity to question the Cabinet | :13:49. | :13:53. | |
Secretary when she came with the statement to Parliament on the 30th | :13:54. | :13:57. | |
of March, the Cabinet Secretary is also due to appear in front of the | :13:58. | :14:04. | |
petitions committee and I think once that has taken its course if the | :14:05. | :14:09. | |
debate is required then her ministers are happy to agree. To ask | :14:10. | :14:17. | |
the Scottish Government what action has been taken to preserve green | :14:18. | :14:23. | |
spaces. Scottish planning policy requires local development plans to | :14:24. | :14:30. | |
identify and protect open spaces that have been identified as a | :14:31. | :14:36. | |
valued and functional. We aim to significantly enhance green | :14:37. | :14:38. | |
networks, particularly in and around our towns and cities. I thank the | :14:39. | :14:44. | |
Minister for that reply and in my own constituency of Glasgow Kelvin, | :14:45. | :14:52. | |
North Kelvin Meadows was saved after the community came together to | :14:53. | :14:54. | |
oppose the planning application from the development subsequently called | :14:55. | :14:59. | |
in by the Scottish Government. In the Cabinet Secretary advised by the | :15:00. | :15:03. | |
Scottish Government can offer in further support to save green spaces | :15:04. | :15:11. | |
such as Kelvin and others on how the support is communicated to the focal | :15:12. | :15:16. | |
communities? In other satellite has been a keen campaigner on the issue | :15:17. | :15:25. | |
of North Kelvin Meadows, so let me assure the Scottish Government have | :15:26. | :15:28. | |
taken action to support green space. I understand that North Kelvin medal | :15:29. | :15:33. | |
is owned by Glasgow City Council, so thanks to our community empowerment | :15:34. | :15:39. | |
act there is a right for community bodies to make requests to local | :15:40. | :15:42. | |
authorities for any land that they feel they can make better use of | :15:43. | :15:47. | |
through the asset transfer process. That may be an option there. Asset | :15:48. | :15:53. | |
transfer of course will give more communities the opportunity to have | :15:54. | :15:58. | |
control of land or premises to help them develop their own economies and | :15:59. | :16:02. | |
environments. Any community body interested in using assets | :16:03. | :16:04. | |
transferred to preserve green space in the area should get in touch with | :16:05. | :16:10. | |
the community ownership support service. This is a programme is | :16:11. | :16:13. | |
funded by the government to help community groups take on land or | :16:14. | :16:21. | |
build assets for their communities. Thank you presiding officer. To ask | :16:22. | :16:23. | |
the Scottish Government what progress it is making in closing the | :16:24. | :16:26. | |
attainment gap in the Scottish Borders. The Scottish Government | :16:27. | :16:31. | |
through the Scottish attainment challenges providing increased | :16:32. | :16:34. | |
support for local authorities, including Scottish Borders with the | :16:35. | :16:38. | |
work to close a poverty related attainment gap. The Scottish Borders | :16:39. | :16:43. | |
have received over ?315,000 from the attainment Scotland fund over the | :16:44. | :16:46. | |
course of the last two years and will receive 1.8 million in pupil | :16:47. | :16:53. | |
equity funding in 2017-2018. Head teachers have the flexibility to | :16:54. | :16:55. | |
target resources and interventions the noble close the attainment gap | :16:56. | :16:59. | |
and the currently preparing the plans for the use of this funding. | :17:00. | :17:03. | |
Thank you. The attainment gap in the Borders remains one of the worst in | :17:04. | :17:09. | |
Scotland. Indeed the SNP's record on education in the Borders is not | :17:10. | :17:13. | |
good, class sizes are at a record high as teaching numbers dropped by | :17:14. | :17:17. | |
nearly 80, the number of supply teachers have plummeted by 40%, only | :17:18. | :17:23. | |
one in ten primary 1-3 tables or in smaller classes, a record low, and | :17:24. | :17:27. | |
the standard of education across Scotland which was once a world | :17:28. | :17:32. | |
leading is now only average. Teachers work incredibly hard on the | :17:33. | :17:35. | |
Scottish Borders but they aren't pupils are being let down by this | :17:36. | :17:41. | |
SNP government. Is this a record the Cabinet Secretary is proud of? We | :17:42. | :17:50. | |
know the cheerful optimistic tone that John Lamb and is going to be | :17:51. | :17:54. | |
taking to the Borders over the course of the next few weeks. I was | :17:55. | :17:59. | |
going to be genderless to Mr alignment to say to him that I know | :18:00. | :18:05. | |
he will be leaving us tomorrow but on the basis of the miserable tone | :18:06. | :18:11. | |
that he has expressed he can realise the significant investment that has | :18:12. | :18:14. | |
been made in the Borders and I look forward to making sure that the | :18:15. | :18:18. | |
young people and electors of the Borders understand the strenuous | :18:19. | :18:23. | |
efforts this government will make to close the attainment gap in the | :18:24. | :18:26. | |
Borders and I look forward to Mr Lamb at's -- to Mr Lambert being a | :18:27. | :18:37. | |
distant observer of that process. To ask the Scottish Government what | :18:38. | :18:40. | |
discussions it has had with the Welsh government regarding organ | :18:41. | :18:44. | |
donation scissor human transplantation Wales axe 2013 came | :18:45. | :18:51. | |
into full effect in December 20 15. Scottish Government officials have | :18:52. | :18:55. | |
been in regular contact with Welsh colleagues since the introduction of | :18:56. | :18:58. | |
the human transplantation Wales act and are due to meet soon to discuss | :18:59. | :19:03. | |
the operation of the act. Additionally the opt out system in | :19:04. | :19:07. | |
Wales is discussed in regular meetings on organ donation such as | :19:08. | :19:10. | |
NHS blood and transport board meetings and taking organ | :19:11. | :19:15. | |
transplantation to 2020 strategy meetings where all four governments | :19:16. | :19:21. | |
of the UK are represented. The Scottish Conservatives supported the | :19:22. | :19:23. | |
Scottish Government to hinder progress of an McTaggart 's bill | :19:24. | :19:26. | |
when the government took the view that we should wait to see what the | :19:27. | :19:31. | |
speedy in Wales was. The government at the time and to Kelly enlist | :19:32. | :19:35. | |
Parliament to bring forward fresh proposals in light of that. Where | :19:36. | :19:40. | |
now almost 18 months since the introduction of the change in Wales, | :19:41. | :19:44. | |
the car I have the Minister Wendy Eley introduction of new fresh | :19:45. | :19:47. | |
Scottish Government proposals will come? As Jackson Carla knows the | :19:48. | :19:55. | |
Scottish Government has recently gone out to consultation, including | :19:56. | :19:59. | |
a presumption in favour of moving to an opt out system, assuming it can | :20:00. | :20:06. | |
be introduced safely. The consultation responses are currently | :20:07. | :20:09. | |
being independently analysed and we will there from that analysis as | :20:10. | :20:15. | |
well as from the experience and evidence from elsewhere in the world | :20:16. | :20:21. | |
including Wales and we will look at that analysis carefully before | :20:22. | :20:25. | |
reaching a decision on the way forward. We expect to receive the | :20:26. | :20:30. | |
analysis in May and will continue to take steps in the months thereafter. | :20:31. | :20:34. | |
That concludes general questions. | :20:35. | :20:39. |