Chamber and committees

First, I express my sympathy to Mrs Rollinson for the loss of her husband. The attack that Mr Findlay talks about was unspeakable, and the criminal justice process has taken its course. I extend my sympathies to Mrs Rollinson on her loss. I cannot comprehend how she will be feeling.

Mr Findlay raises an important issue, but it gets us into territory that he knows that I have to keep well out of, which is decisions that are made about independent prosecutions that are taken forward by the Crown. As a society, we pride ourselves on the fact that the constitution of our Parliament and our criminal justice system is founded on the independence of the judiciary and the independence of the Crown in determining approaches to prosecution. Those have been fundamental building blocks of our society.

It is important that Parliament expresses its view when it considers that issues need to be addressed to ensure that concerns about sentencing policy and prosecutorial policy are reflected by Parliament, when it is appropriate for Parliament to do so. Ultimately, however, those decisions are taken independently by the prosecution service and the judiciary.

First, I express my thanks to the committed workforce at the FCDO in East Kilbride. There is a long history and tradition of contributing to international development activity from East Kilbride. It has been a source of great pride in that community and across Scotland.

I am not aware of any direct contact with the Scottish Government on that issue, nor of any updated economic assessment However, if any update to Collette Stevenson on that point is required, I will make sure that it is forthcoming to her, because we value that employment and recognise its importance to the East Kilbride economy.

I will have to look into the specifics of CCTV shift patterns, because it is not something for which I carry responsibility, so I will have to explore that point.

On the substantive issue that Pauline McNeill put to me, I want to make it clear that the overwhelming majority of the fans who attended the football match behaved perfectly well. We are talking about a minority, and their behaviour has to be addressed. It is just not acceptable for Christmas shoppers to have to go through what they went through on Saturday. Whether it is Christmas shopping or shopping on any other day, it is just not on.

The clubs and the police have a role to play. Police Scotland had the situation in the city centre—unpleasant as it was—entirely under control, and they adapted their operational planning to deal with the situation as it emerged. I therefore have every commendation for the police and the way in which they deployed their resources.

Fundamentally, it is unacceptable for football fans—even a minority—to behave in the fashion that they behaved on Sunday. There cannot be a repeat of that. The police will be planning to deal with it, but the clubs have to take action and those who are responsible have to be apprehended.

On Mr Findlay’s first point, I hope that my first answer to him gives him reassurance that I attach the greatest significance to the voice of victims being heard in our criminal justice system. If there are ways in which that needs to be strengthened—indeed, we have legislation before Parliament to do exactly that, which, in our former lives, Mr Findlay and I scrutinised together on the Criminal Justice Committee; we were able to co-operate there, so we might be able to co-operate on some of those questions—I assure him that we will look at those points. There is scope for the bill to be amended on the basis of the point that Mr Findlay has raised.

In relation to the tragic case in West Lothian, the Lord Advocate has made it clear that a renewed investigation should take place. The Crown will determine, on the basis of a police investigation, what actions, if any, should be taken—to do so is the proper role of the Crown.

Any question of a fatal accident inquiry, again, rests independently on the Crown’s judgment, and the Lord Advocate has made clear her position on that. We will, of course, hear more from the Lord Advocate as the case is considered.

That will come down to the delivery of actions, and the Government is focused on getting on with those things.

Let us take renewable energy as an example. Because of the policy certainty that is offered by this Government, we have, essentially, decarbonised Scotland’s electricity network by the shift to renewable energy.

We are delivering on many other aspects of our policy agenda, but I have made it pretty clear that we do not all have to wait for new plans and strategies, because we have lots of those things. The Government’s commitments to climate action and a programme of delivery are clear, and are what ministers are taking forward.

I look forward to engaging with Mr Harvie and his colleagues on how we can support that by passing the Government’s budget, because none of what Mr Harvie is talking about will be achieved if the budget is not passed and if the £4.9 billion that we plan to invest in climate action cannot be invested.

On the basis that a dog is for life, and not just for Christmas, the Scottish Government works throughout the year with key stakeholders, including the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, local authorities and other Administrations, to raise awareness of the responsibilities of prospective dog owners and of buying a pet safely. We particularly point to the Scottish SPCA’s Christmas campaign on the issue and we encourage prospective owners to consider rehoming a dog, instead of buying a puppy.

We welcome and support Christine Grahame’s efforts with the Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Bill, which will help to emphasise the need for people to act responsibly when deciding to buy a dog or to take one into their lives, and to be responsible owners in ensuring the dog’s welfare for as long as they have it.

I associate myself with Mr Sarwar’s remarks and express my good wishes to you, Presiding Officer, and to parliamentary staff for a happy Christmas. I express my appreciation to those in the emergency services, our volunteer community and our public services who will be working hard to keep everybody safe and supported during the Christmas break.

On the question of housing, the Government accepts that there is a housing emergency. We are not building enough houses. We have built more affordable houses per head of population in Scotland than have been built in other parts of the United Kingdom, but we are not building enough, which is why the Government has significantly increased the housing budget for the next financial year by more than £200 million. We have allocated £768 million, representing a 38 per cent increase in the housing budget, to help build the housing that is required to meet the needs of people in Scotland.

The Government has a strong record on building houses, but we have a changing society that requires more house building, and the Government is putting in place the resources to make sure that that can be the case.

I welcome the positive news of the deal between Harland & Wolff and Navantia. It has come about with a great deal of engagement from the Deputy First Minister, trade unions, management and staff, and collaboration with the United Kingdom Government. The deal will provide security and reassurance to employees at the Methil yard in Mr Torrance’s constituency and at the Arnish site in the Western Isles, in the constituency of Dr Allan. It is welcome news and I am delighted to see it.

I happily associate myself with the remarks of Mr Greene, who has made a substantial contribution in the Parliament to the issues of mental wellbeing and support for individuals who are wrestling with social isolation and loneliness, and I commend him for doing that.

A whole range of third sector organisations provide invaluable support. As First Minister, I have the privilege of encountering and engaging with many of them. It is heartwarming to see the vital role that they perform in our society, and they will be doing so over the Christmas break, when many of us will be appreciating some time of respite.

I therefore associate myself very much with Mr Greene’s remarks. I assure him that the Government’s budget will be focused on supporting third sector organisations. They are a linchpin in the delivery of many of the interventions that we need to put in place to support the mental wellbeing of individuals. Obviously, the Parliament will consider those questions in the spring to make sure that we have that support in place for those organisations.

I will read my earlier answer again, because it is printed and typed in front of me, so this information will have to be correct. [Laughter.] I am becoming slightly uneasy at the frequency with which the question is being put to me, so this wording had better be correct: I want to be clear that there will be no break in service for users of Contact Scotland BSL while we retender for the free service.

There is clearly an issue here, which I need to get to the bottom of, because, if I am getting it from both sides of the chamber, I had better make sure that it is absolutely watertight. However, that is the commitment that I give to the Parliament today and, because I have given Parliament that commitment, that is what is going to have to happen.