2. On behalf of the Labour Party, I wish everybody a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. I ask my question in that spirit.

To ask the First Minister what engagements she has planned for the rest of the week. (S5F-00688)

Engagements to take forward the Government’s programme for Scotland.

This morning, Audit Scotland published a damning report on Scotland’s police bodies; the report was laid before Parliament. The decision to publish it little more than two hours before we break for the Christmas holidays was made by the Scottish Government. What was the First Minister trying to hide?

The First Minister:

The report requires to be laid before Parliament by 31 December each year, and the accounts were only approved by the Scottish Police Authority board last Thursday afternoon. We have published the report to give Parliament due chance to consider it. The evidence that Parliament is able to properly consider and scrutinise it is right before us today, given that the Opposition leaders are asking questions about it.

This is a First Minister who, time and time again in the chamber, promises us openness and transparency. She tells us that she respects Parliament, yet that is how she treats it in relation to a serious report about the state of our police.

The Auditor General for Scotland estimates that the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland could face a funding gap of almost £190 million by the end of this parliamentary session. That will cause considerable alarm in communities throughout Scotland. Rather than having a force that is committed to keeping our communities safe, we have one that is desperately trying to balance the books. When will the First Minister realise that our public services are in crisis?

The First Minister:

On the timing of the report, as I said, we have until 31 December to publish the report and lay it before the Parliament. It is a nine-page report. I think that even the Opposition can manage to read a nine-page report in an hour and a half before First Minister’s questions. The fact that it has been published this morning gives—[

Interruption

.]

Order.

The First Minister:

That gives every Opposition leader the chance to ask questions at First Minister’s questions, as they are doing.

On the police’s financial position, as I have already said, the resource budget is being protected in real terms and the capital budget is increasing by, I think, more than real terms. We are continuing support through the reform budget and continuing to make the case for the police no longer having to pay VAT, which no other police authority in the country has to do. Will the Labour Party support us in asking the Tories to stop taking money out of the pockets of our police?

We can read the report in 90 minutes; it is a shame that it took the First Minister a week. If she had any confidence in the report, she would not have published it two hours before the Christmas recess.

As the year draws to a close, this is a good time to look back at the Scottish National Party’s record: the national health service and the police are in crisis; school standards are slipping; and the budget is unravelling in slow motion.

SNP MSPs should be embarrassed by the budget, not queueing up to get copies of it signed. There is a shortfall of £200 million in the police service budget and the First Minister says that she is protecting that service—God help our schools and hospitals. The truth is that the SNP is cutting £327 million from local services. When will the First Minister use the Parliament’s powers and do the right thing? Stop the cuts.

The First Minister:

In the unlikely event that Labour had won the election, the NHS budget would be going up by inflation; under this Government, it will go up by £500 million more than inflation. Funding for local services in the draft budget will increase by £240 million. That includes £120 million more for our schools and an extra £107 million for social care, to provide the services that we need to alleviate the pressure on our national health service. Therefore, it is a budget about protecting public services.

If we look back to the relative records of different parties over the past year, we see that Kezia Dugdale’s crowning glory has been to lead her party to 15 per cent in the opinion polls. [

Interruption

.]

The Presiding Officer:

I know that we are nearing the end of the term, but will members please listen to one another?

We have a couple of supplementaries.

I recently met a group of single parents from Maryhill who raised serious concerns with me about the planned closure of the local jobcentre by the United Kingdom Department for Work and Pensions. The plans are currently out to consultation. The concerns include, to name but a few: the distance, cost and time involved in travelling to the alternative jobcentre in Springburn; a poorer employability service; potential additional sanctions; and the impact on schooling and childcare.

I ask the First Minister to make representations to the UK Government on any concerns that the Government may share about how the proposed closures might impact on vulnerable groups. Does she agree that it would be best if Jobcentre Plus were to abandon the current DWP proposals to close eight jobcentres in Glasgow and if there were a fundamental review and rethink of how best to support vulnerable groups in the city?

The First Minister:

Bob Doris raises very real concerns. They are concerns that I share, not least because the changes, if they were to go ahead, would affect my constituents on the south side of Glasgow as well. I know that Jamie Hepburn, the Minister for Employability and Training, has already raised concerns about the impact of the changes on vulnerable groups in Glasgow and, in particular, about how they could reduce access to services and result in additional costs for those who would have to travel further to access them. He is also seeking urgent clarification on the future of Jobcentre Plus facilities across the rest of the country.

I understand that the DWP has extended its consultation until 31 January, and I have asked Jamie Hepburn to ensure that the views of the Scottish Government are expressed clearly and directly to DWP ministers by that date.

The epicentre of storm Barbara will be in the Highlands and Islands, where winds of up to 90mph will destroy property, cut power lines and dislocate road, rail, ferry and air services. Is the First Minister confident that the transport system is prepared for and resilient enough to cope with the forthcoming severe weather?

The First Minister:

The member raises important issues of concern. The Scottish Government resilience arrangements have been activated already to ensure that Scotland is as prepared as possible for the severe weather that is expected across the rest of this week. The relevant authorities have activated their plans to deal with any potential impacts, and extra staffing and on-call arrangements are in place over the festive period.

Yesterday, the Minister for Transport and the Islands chaired a meeting with key partners to discuss the Scottish Government resilience arrangements, and he will continue to chair the daily adverse weather meetings going forward. Of course, public safety remains our absolute top priority. I urge people to listen to the latest advice on local radio and digital channels, and to check before they travel.

Still on storms, as we approach the anniversary of storm Frank, an estimated 70 families have still not returned to their homes, and Aberdeenshire Council has spent more than £11 million on the clean-up bill.

The residents of Ballater and Kemnay are feeling forgotten, flood repairs are inadequate or non-existent, and people are rightly concerned that they are still at risk this winter. Can the First Minister reassure them that the Scottish Government is doing all that it can to protect them and their families from future floods?

The First Minister:

Yes, I can. It is an important issue. This time last year, I saw with my own eyes the damage that flooding did to many individuals’ homes, and, indeed, many businesses, across the northern and the southern parts of the country. I can assure the member that those who were affected and those who are still out of their homes as a result of the damage that was done last year have not been forgotten.

With our partners in local authorities, the Scottish Government has been doing and will continue to do everything that we can to ensure that the damage is dealt with, that those affected can get back into their homes as quickly as possible and that, through our flood risk management planning, we reduce—we can never eliminate it—the risk of it happening in the future.