Does the First Item of Business have the portfolio of questions? The first portfolio is about justice and veterans. If any member wishes to request a supplementary question, they should press the request-to-speak button during the relevant question or enter letter R in the chat function during the relevant question. I would call for succinct questions and answers to match. 1, Jim Fairlie. I would like to ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support greater use of community justice interventions. For nearly 15 years, the Government has delivered bold, effective justice reforms with a firm focus on early intervention, prevention and rehabilitation. We are currently consulting publicly on a revised national strategy for community justice, which seeks to build on progress to date and encourage a further shift towards greater use of community-based disposals. Jim Fairlie. I would like to thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Can he share with me how the commitments in the promise implementation plan and the recently launched consultation on the children's care and justice bill support greater use of community justice among children and young people? As the question implies, we owe it to the Scotland and Young people as well as to victims and communities to promote an evidence-led, progressive and continually improving approach. The promise implementation plan and the consultation on the children's care and justice bill, which will be the responsibility of Clare Houghey, demonstrate our determination to support children coming into conflict with the law through age-appropriate systems and services. Our promise implementation plan makes clear that we will end the placement of 16 and 17-year-olds in young offenders institutions without further delay. We are also committed to fund care-based alternatives to custody and are consulting on new legislation. Our proposals for the children's care and justice bill include raising the maximum age of referral to the principal reporter to help to ensure that where any child requires the support and intervention of formal systems, age-appropriate support is available through the children's hearing system. We also intend to enhance the offer to victims, ensuring appropriate protection, support and information. Those actions are taken together to build on the clear synergies between our youth justice vision published on June 21 and the justice vision published in February. We are looking forward to expanding the successful whole-system approach and focusing on intensive residential and community alternatives across Scotland. Prison is often more appropriate than community service for some criminals, but sheriff's hands are being tied. Retired sheriff Douglas Cuisine describes the frustrating inadequacy of SNP's sentencing policies, which he says will be weakened further with plans to automatically release some prisoners even earlier on occasion. He has passed community services when he thought prison was necessary. We will keep Brown back our plans to end automatic early release so that criminals can be jailed when a judge deems it appropriate. First of all, criminals can be jailed when a judge deems it appropriate, but I see in addition to attacking the independent Lord Advocate, attacking the independent parole board, attacking the independence of the police that we now have the Tories attacking the sentencing council for Scotland. It is quite clear that there is a broad-based approach to attacking the justice system as a whole in Scotland, perhaps prompted by the headlines that we see down south, which say that the justice system is in complete free fall in the rest of the UK. That might be the motivation, but it is simply the case that, in reducing re-offending, community disposals are far more effective. Surely you would have thought that we would all, including victims, want to see a reduction in crime, and the most effective way to do that is to use community-based disposals on what continues to do so. 2. To our Scottish Government, what is the response to the Scottish Veterans Commissioner's most recent report on the health and wellbeing of veterans? I have written to the commissioner, thanking him for advance sight of the report on veterans health and wellbeing. Over the coming weeks, we will consider carefully its recommendations. I will endu course write to the commissioner again, although it will be the new commissioner at that point, to provide a more detailed response. Our action plan for taking forward the recommendations will also be included in that response. I would also like to again take the opportunity to thank Charlie for all his hard work and dedication to the veterans community in Scotland and to wish him all the best for the future. I have been in contact with Poppy Scotland, who once again highlighted the importance of veterans mental health. She mentioned the Veterans Commissioner's report, which states that mental health is the most common unmet need that has caused frustration among veterans. In November last year, the Scottish Veterans Care Network published their mental health and wellbeing action plan for veterans, but the Scottish Government has yet to provide a timeline for the delivery of those recommendations. Can the cabinet secretary provide the timeline today, please? I should say that we are establishing the Veteran-led Implementation Board for the plan, which will be led by Charles Wyn Stanley. I am not sure if that information was yet in the public domain. The first meeting of that board is scheduled for 19 May. We are in the meantime continuing to fund both combat stress and veterans' first point, which will allow existing services to continue over the next year as a Scotland-wired implementation plan is developed. Support for that board is being reviewed with the minister for mental wellbeing and social care. In addition, we have commissioned CME to run a veterans anti-stigma campaign this year. Veterans Scotland and other third sector partners will be contributing to this work to ensure that the experience of veterans' shape can help to influence the campaign. It would be useful, given Sandy Scalhane's question, if he was able to support the Scottish Government in the call to the UK Government to pay some money towards the establishment of the commissioner's office. If he has done so in Wales, I do not know what the logic is for the UK Tory Government to say that we will not fund Veterans Activity in Scotland and not fund the commissioner. If he is willing to say that he will support that, that would be most welcome. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and following on from the last question, I can ask the Cabinet Secretary how the £2 million funding announced last month for services that provide mental health support to armed forces veterans has been put to use. Will the Government's committee to ensure that veterans have access to the right support and help when they need it so that the Government works with a wide range of organisations and provides funding for the provision of mental health services for veterans? This year, I mentioned in the previous answer that we have continued to fund combat stress. That is £1.4 million of funding to combat stress, which provides, as the member knows, a range of specialist and community-based services for veterans resident in Scotland. We are also continuing to provide joint funding, along with six local health boards for the veterans' first point network, which will offer the one-stop shop for veterans no matter what their need is. The future funding of veterans' mental health services in Scotland will be determined by the implementation of the Scottish Veterans Mental Health Action Plan, which was published late last year. To ask the Scottish Government what work it and Police Scotland have undertaken to ensure that police officers have access to additional trained mental health workers. Action 15 of the mental health strategy committee to fund 800 additional mental health workers in key settings. As at 1 January 2022, we have achieved 95 per cent of the target. That includes over 26 whole-time equivalent posts to support those held in police station custody suites. Police officers and staff can themselves access mental health support, including a 24-7 help employee scheme programme, EAP, which offers professional support via a team of trained wellbeing and counselling practitioners, and also the trauma risk management or trim process supports officers and staff affected by potentially traumatic incidents at work. Willie Rennie. I certainly found that 29 per cent of officers were experiencing moderate burnout, and a further 16 per cent endured high levels of burnout, and one third of officers went to work when they were mentally unwell. Police Scotland has, as the ministers just referred to, an employee assistant programme, which aims to help officers with their mental health. If officers may need more support than the six one-hour sessions, they are told that there is nothing more for them. Why have the worst-affected officers been left without the support that they deserve? Of course, it is a Police Scotland responsibility directly, although it is the Government's responsibility. I am sure that Willie Rennie would say for the Government to help to fund those things, but Police Scotland works with a range of local and national service providers to provide a care and assistance to those in distress. There is a range of mental health services that can be accessed by first responders. I have mentioned the £2.1 million to expand the NHS 24 mental health hub to be available to the public 24-7. The £1 million to roll out the distress brief intervention programme on a national basis is also worth mentioning. It is also worth saying that there are additional supports for officers who can take on further assistance, I have mentioned EAP, but there is also the trim process. Beyond that, it is always open to officers to speak to those designated within the force in the area about issues that they have. That covers not just mental health and physical wellbeing, but all sorts of other issues that may cause stress, whether that is money or traumatic incidents that I have had to encourage. We will continue to fund those services for police officers. At the same time, of course, having more police officers in virtually anywhere else in the UK and also officers paid substantially more than anywhere else in the UK. Question 4, Natalie Donne, who is joining us remotely. To ask the Scottish Government what support it is making available to specialist services for victims and survivors of crime. Our victim-centred approach fund is providing £48 million to 23 organisations across Scotland over the period 2022-25. That will fund specialist services for people believed by crime. It will extend support and assistance for victims of human trafficking, and it includes £18.5 million for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence. We are also providing £38 million to over 120 projects through the delivering equally safe fund, tackling violence against women and girls and supporting front-line services that maximise their safety and wellbeing. I think that underpins our commitment to victims and survivors which is a key priority in our recently published strategy for Scotland's justice sector. Natalie Donne. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. I know that there are many valuable organisations receiving funding and I am sure that that will provide essential support to many victims of crime. From speaking with organisations and my own personal dealings with constituents, it has been highlighted to me that there is a concern around support and stigma for people who are victims of facial disfigurement and facial scarring. Could the cabinet secretary provide any information or assurance on how that funding could be used to support those victims? I am happy to do so, but I would say to Natalie Donne that she may be interested and she may be aware of the fact that in Barnas Helena Kennedy's recent report on misogyny she has recommended action that could be taken in relation to people who purposely disfigure in particular women should be interested, I am sure, in that. On that important issue and recognising the profound impact, both where someone receives a facial injury as a result of crime or where those with facial disfigurements are very unfortunately on the receiving end of abuse, in both those cases we would expect that funded organisations will be able to provide practical and emotional support but also that they would refer to more specialist support including through health services where that is available so we will continue to work with funded organisations as a community of interest to ensure that those issues are recognised and we would welcome any specific suggestions from Natalie Donne as to how that might be done most effectively and we might build a better understanding and evidence base around those concerns. Supplementary Jamie Greene. Thank you, victims tell us that where the system is currently letting them down is a horrifying scenario where they bump into an offender in their community after they've been released from prison. Far too few of them are being notified about the release of an offender and that's a fact. Can I ask if the cabinet secretary is willing to redress this by supporting two principles in my victims bill? The first is ensuring that more victims are notified about the release of prisoners upon release and secondly the victims are further empowered to apply and request exclusion zones around their communities to ensure that they're not further being traumatised by simply bumping in someone in the supermarket. Cabinet secretary. I think that the suggestions have been made before by Jamie Greene and I don't want to dismiss them out of hand. I'm happy to consider those. I'm happy to look at when it's available the member's bill which has been mentioned the victims bill by Jamie Greene in detail when that comes forward. I think that there is a case that we have to increase the level of notification to make sure that it's more consistently applied. I'm happy to concede that point and to say that we are doing things just now which will do that. It's also true in relation to other aspects which again Jamie Greene has raised in the past for example at parole board hearings that kind of notification as well. I'm happy to take on board those points to continue those discussions. It is being done just now currently in terms of notification. Some victims of sexual assault have said that they feel like criminals in the trial process. In the vision for justice I welcome the commitment to improve communication with complainers on a single trauma-informed source of contact. Cabinet secretary confirmed that this will be treated with some urgency by the Scottish Government but would you also consider the inclusion of some legal representation within that process because one of the things that can concerns me is that you need to have an understanding of the legal system when you are talking to victims and complainers that myself and Katie Clark have been proposing. Cabinet secretary I think that it's a very important point that's been made by Paul McNeill here in relation to people's ability to understand legal process. We've had discussions in this chamber about not proven when it's been conceded that judges cannot even explain to a jury they're not allowed to explain differences between not proven and not guilty. If people don't understand the system then that's a major problem even if it's the case that all the lawyers understand it, if people don't understand it that's who it's meant to serve. So there is some sympathy for what Paul McNeill says all I would say in relation to legal representation for complainers. There are some compelling arguments there are some concerns including those from legal profession but we are looking at that very urgently we'll be publicising our thoughts on that very shortly so happy to look at we're not ruling it out but it's a complex area and happy to continue those discussions. A supplementary Rona Mackay To ask the Scottish Government how the sexual assault response co-ordination service known as SARCs will help those who have experienced a sexual crime. SARCs is a dedicated NHS service that can offer healthcare and support in the days after rape or sexual assault if a person is not ready or is unsure whether to report it to the police and that's called, of course, self-referral. Through the chief medical officer's rape and sexual assault task force we've invested £11.7 million in the four years up to 2022 to support implementation of the Forensic Medical Services Victims of Sexual Offences Scotland Act 2021 and to either enhance or create SARCs across Scotland. We know from listening to survivors that access to self-referral is an important aspect of giving people back control it's also a fundamental aspect of the medical examination facilities which we are looking to roll out and, of course, that may positively influence a person's decision to report to the police whilst ensuring that they are also able to access healthcare services following an incident. Question 5 To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association's announcement that criminal solicitors will no longer take on court appointments for those accused without lawyers to represent themselves. We are, of course, very concerned about the effect of the boycott on court users and on justice partners. Officials met with the president and the chief executive of the Law Society of Scotland on 13 April to discuss wider legal aid fee issues in light of the profession's call for a further increase to all legal aid fees of 50 per cent. As the budget for legal aid cases is demand led, the Scottish Government allocates a budget to the legal aid fund and in 2021-22 this was £138 million. So a 50 per cent uplift would add £57 million per year to the fund and that is unaffordable given the current pressures on public finance. I've been informed that the meeting was constructive and that it's hoped that the Law Society will report back on it soon so continue to engage with the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association and the Law Society of Scotland on a package of proposals worth £3.8 million which were offered to target specific areas of solemn and summary legal aid fees which had previously been raised by the profession as the most pressing of fee-related issues. The SSBA action which they have been forced to take by SNP Government neglect will lead to some of those accused of sexual and domestic abuse being unrepresented and that means further trial delays for victims of the most shocking crimes who may have to wait years for justice. Criminal defence lawyers tell me that after 15 years of SNP Government the system is collapsing and there has been a fundamental failure to address shortages in their profession. So when will the Scottish Government actually start listening to the profession in these meetings that the minister describes properly invest in legal aid to reverse these shortages and finally start tackling Scotland's huge court backlog? I would not accept the member's characterisation of the situation that we are in at the moment and I would say to the member that I do listen to the legal profession regularly and often and I take great care in listening and in trying to address the issues that they have. The member at a point there raised the issues of capacity in the system and I would remind the member that of course the Government invested £1 million into the traineeship fund quite recently. We also had the 5% legal aid fee rise in 2021 and a further 5% in place from this month. Now that represents more than £10 million rise in legal aid fees last year alone so I think that the Government is listening to the profession and it is continuing to invest. I am very concerned about the situation that is going on at the moment about their recent developments and I assure the chamber that officials and myself are continuing to discuss this with representatives of the profession on further fee reforms. I would say to the member that eligibility levels in Scotland and the wide scope of the remains in Scotland is quite different to the situation that is in England where the Conservatives of course are in charge of the legal aid system there where it has been cut, cut and cut again. So I think that there is a stark difference the situation that we have in Scotland and the situation that the Conservatives are presiding over in the rest of the country. Absolutely. Question number 6, Martin Wakefield. I am very grateful, Deputy Presiding Officer, for taking in response to the reported growing threat of cyber crime. Cabinet Secretary. We continue to work closely with Police Scotland and other Cyber Scotland partners including the National Cyber Security Centre to protect the public and organisations from cyber threats. In addition to that on-going activity which I highlighted to the chamber on 26 January, given the current heightened cyber risk the Scottish Government is currently working with the National Cyber Security Centre where a campaign seeks to educate the public on the following two actions everyone should take to keep themselves secure online. The first to underline that your email is where you keep your most personal and financial information. We ask that everyone should ensure they have a strong and separate password for their email address using three random words as a recommendation that can't be easily guessed. The second action is to enable two-step verification on your account so that criminals cannot access your account even if they have your password. Further information on those measures and other relevant aspects is available on thecyberscotland.com portal and victims of any crime should phone Police Scotland on 101. Martin Whitfield. I'm very grateful for the cabinet secretary's response and in particular the response individuals should take but recent years have shown that our cyber infrastructure has been tested by on-going cyber attacks with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency back in 2020. With the on-going war in eastern Europe raging on can the cabinet secretary say what steps have been taken to audit and improve Scotland's cyber security from the possibility of state-sponsored Russian attacks or indeed criminal organisations based in Russia who may use this conflict as a reason for attacks and also what discussions has the cabinet secretary had with their counterpart in the UK Government? I'm sure that Martin Whitfield would expect this. There has been substantial discussion with the UK Government about a very good collaboration. Although we have, for example, invested additional £1.5 million setting up the centre that I mentioned before, that's on top of £1.16 million which we'll invest in further in the vision of the strategic framework for a cyber resilient Scotland. Although we're doing those things, building on what's been done with the UK Government it's been done in collaboration. It has to be, many of the powers are reserved so it makes sense to do that and there's a very effective relationship. There have been ones in Ireland on public authorities there and that's a very big concern for the Scottish Government to make sure that our public authorities are as secure as they can be. Much of this work is led in government by the Deputy First Minister. We take it extremely seriously and just to reassure the member there is a very effective relationship with the UK Government on this issue. I'd like to ask the Scottish Government how measures in the water safety action plan will support awareness of water safety among school pupils. We're working with stakeholders to improve water safety on several fronts including awareness and some measures such as work to improve signage should benefit all age groups and others focus specifically on children and young people. For example, coinciding with the National Fire Chiefs Council's Be Water Aware campaign next week we'll see the launch of age and stage water safety education lessons developed by Education Scotland and Water Safety Scotland and the resource to be hosted on the Education Scotland national improvement hub aims to support those between the age of 3 to 18 to develop valuable life-saving knowledge, skills and understanding. I thank the minister for that response as people continue to take advantage of the great outdoors I'd like to ask the minister what has been undertaken on Scotland's drowning prevention strategy to support safe open water swimming? The 2018 to 2026 drowning prevention strategy is a collaborative piece of work between Water Safety Scotland and its members and it's complemented by the stakeholder action plan which I launched last month and both approaches are informed by an appreciation of the challenges of open water swimming and they're very different to those of indoor pools because of risks posed by things like currents, obstacles and of course and importantly cold water shock. A key focus has to be on education and raising awareness and both documents set out the work that is being done in this area and there's always value of course in that practical experience which is why one of the actions identified in the action plan is to review the scope for developing expanded opportunities for young people to experience being safe in open water environments and the Scottish Government has enhanced the funding available to ROSPA which supports Water Safety Scotland so that such work can be progressed as quickly as possible. Meantime a range of site specific work is being undertaken by relevant authorities for example the Loch Lomond and Trossach's national parks will highlight the importance of wearing buoyancy aids or life jackets when participating in all water sports and focus on being visible in the water for open water swimmers. To ask the Scottish Government for an update on the roll out of the new water safety promotions targeting high risk areas such as the locks and reservoirs in the Loch Lomond and Trossach's in my constituency. Minister, I think you may have dealt with some of that already but so briefly please thank you. Yes, it is of course a pertinent question raised by the member given the tragedies that have occurred in the national park in recent years. The national park authority has developed a water safety policy and accompanying risk assessment procedure formalising its approach on its owned and managed land and it's now upgraded and installed public rescue equipment and I saw some of this myself when I was at Balak for the launch of the action plan last month and the follow-up phase involves assessing and addressing sites outwith the immediate Loch Lomond area. I can squeeze in question number eight if I have questions and answers. To ask the Scottish Government what role prisons have in the assessment of prisoners including other mental health prior to the release. People in custody are subject to a range of assessments both to me and their general wellbeing. NHS provide access to appropriate mental health support and assessment including more specialist care where that's appropriate. SPS work collaboratively on pre-release arrangements with community partners and this facilitates access to people in its care to support multi-disciplinary assessment for example to access through care services. Thank you cabinet secretary. In December 2019, Stuart Quinn was released from Peterhead prison and the next day in Aberdeen he murdered Alan Gettys. I keep in touch with Alan's sister Sandra who strongly believes that her brother would still be alive today if Quinn's previous convictions and psychopathic behaviour had been properly assessed and there are lessons to be learned to ensure something that less never happens again. Will the cabinet secretary meet with myself and Alan's family to discuss what more can be done to improve the system when a prisoner with a serious unresolved mental health issue is released from prison? Can I first extend my condolences to Mr Gettys' family and say yes of course I'm willing to meet with a member and the family that's concerned and also to say this is of course an extremely difficult thing to do and it is the case that we should always continue to improve over time because as is in this case people's lives can depend on that so happy to meet with a member and the family concerned. Thank you that concludes portfolios on justice and veterans we now move straight to portfolio questions on finance and the economy I'll allow a very short pause for front-benchers to quickly change their seats Thank you, so as I say the next portfolio is finance and the economy and if any member would wish to request a supplementary question they should press the request to speak button or enter the letter R in the chat function during the relevant question I call question number one, Emma Roddick To ask the Scottish Government whether it's had any feedback from businesses that are making use of financial support to trial a four-day working week Minister Richard Lochhead The pandemic has intensified interests and flexible working practices and we have of course seen the positives of adopting alternative working practices for a better work-life balance as well and we recognise as many other benefits to a four-day working week also Therefore the Government has committed to establishing a £10 million fund to allow companies to pilot and explore the costs and benefits of a four-day working week and we're committed to developing a comprehensive design for the pilot over the next year supported by initial £500,000 of funding Emma Roddick I thank the minister for that answer Does he agree that UK employment policy is not fair for workers and that rather than relying on a callous Tory Government which cares little for those who bear the brunt of its outdated race of the bottom policies which harm workers and deregulate an already skewed market this pilot which puts welfare and mental health impact of a good work-life balance at its heart demonstrates that Scotland could do better if we had powers over employment law Minister Yes, I agree with everything Emma Roddick has said and of course the recent P&O scandals highlighted that UK employment policy has should be improved dramatically Having employment powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament to allow us to protect and enhance workers' rights including for instance making a minimum wage and tackling inappropriate use of zero-hours contracts to give but to examples and we are doing what we can within our limited devolved powers such as piloting a four-day working week to bring the benefits that Emma Roddick gives us examples That's up for mention Mercedes Villalba Thank you It's clear from the trials that a four-day working week provides benefits to workers and businesses like better work-life balance and greater productivity The Scottish Government has the power to introduce a four-day week into the public sector so can the minister confirm when the Government will expand four-day working week trials into the public sector and can the minister confirm if workers in non-unionised workplaces like many of those in the hospitality sector will be covered by future trials Minister As I said my response to Emma Roddick we agree that there are many benefits potentially from introducing a four-day working week and that's why we are taking the very ambitious and radical step to setting the cost of £10 million in this Parliament in a pilot to look at the cost and benefits of a four-day working week in Scotland and indeed several Scottish businesses are already choosing to switch to a four-day working week with no cut and pay and officials from the Government have been meeting with and gathering information from these companies and also there are pilots under way elsewhere in the UK and other European countries as well and we'll get evidence from those and we'll take into account the points that the members raised as we take forward the arrangements for the pilots Question number two, Julian Mackay who is joining us remotely Thank you Presiding Officer to ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking pardon me to implement the Fair Work Convention's recommendations on building fair work in the construction industry Minister Richard Lochhead Scottish Government is supporting plans for a more sustainable, productive, innovative and diverse industry and we very much welcome the results of the Fair Work Convention's construction industry inquiry and we do thank the Fair Work Convention and its construction industry inquiry group for the extensive research that they have undertaken and of course the inquiry makes a range of recommendations on how to enhance the sector's fair work and to remain competitive making it more appealing to workers and these are being considered by ministers The vision for Scotland of course is to be a leading fair work nation by 2025 where fair work drives success, wellbeing for people, businesses, organisations and society and we look forward to considering the recommendations of that particular report Julian Mackay Thank you Minister for that answer Given the extent of subcontracting within construction has the Scottish Government considered mechanisms to go further and ensure that fair work criteria is implemented throughout the construction supply chain and not just to those employed directly in public procurement Minister Julian Mackay raises an important theme and yes we are giving further consideration about how subcontractors and contractors can be subject to fair work first criteria and so on and already the Scottish Government is now asking fair work questions for participants who are part of tender submissions and it is the intention and delivery of any commitments made including fair work criteria will be monitored throughout the construction projects that are taking place in Scotland and also in the forthcoming civil engineering framework the Government will also be trialling a performance monitoring regime which will review on a very regular basis, prompt payment and community benefits in all projects awarded under that particular framework and the Scottish Government's civil engineering framework will be tendered later this year and supplementary, Jamie Halcro Johnston The minister will be aware of the conventions observations that the existing labour force in this sector is aging around 85 per cent, male with low numbers of ethnic minorities and people with disabilities represented if the sector is to be expected to support significant goals like house building and meeting net zero a new generation will have to be brought in so can the minister comment on what he's doing and what cross government work is taking place to promote the sector and build the skills needed for the future Minister My colleague the skills minister regularly meets the trade association bodies to the construction sector as do other ministers and also we meet the training providers as well as the further and higher education sector to discuss some of the challenges facing the construction sector in Scotland at the moment, which of course like many other sectors in Scotland has had to cope with the fallout from Brexit as well as the pandemic and so on so I can assure the member that that is something that we are considering is how to help not just the construction sector but many of our sectors in terms of recruitment and some of the labour challenges to face in the future Minister, to ask the Scottish Government how much it's allocated in its budget for port upgrades ahead of holes 801 and 802 being completed Minister, Ivan McKee Over £580 million investment to support and improve Scotland's ferry services is announced as part of our wider five-year infrastructure investment plan in February 2021 that includes £306 million that incorporates the Ardrossan and Sky Triangle infrastructure projects The majority of the investment is driven by replacing life-expired infrastructures and supports the delivery of the two new and future vessels thus enabling increased flexibility across the ferry network Graham Simpson Can I thank the minister for that answer? In order for the Glen Sannocks to use Ardrossan the port needs to be upgraded but it's been stuck for four years there's been a ministerial task force which has been in existence for four years and yet the scheme still hasn't gone out to tender that process will take six months because the overall package of funding is yet to be agreed once work starts that'll take another two years so why is this project still marooned? Minister The Ardrossan project has faced a number of challenges in the planning and design phase notwithstanding the legal and commercial discussions with the statutory harbour authority pool ports group which continue with Transport Scotland the project is now entering the tender stage and I was confirmed at the recent Ardrossan task force meeting on the 23rd of February this year which is welcomed and we remain committed to finding a solution at Ardrossan that can deliver the needs of all partners involved Supplementary Kenneth Gibson Does the minister agree that the reason why Ardrossan harbour's upgrade is dragged on for years is the difficult on-going negotiations with peeled ports which he's just touched on and that such a scenario would not exist if the Tories hadn't privatised Clyde port ultimately leading to the Scottish Government having to deal with a company for whom the bottom line is paramount? Minister The member makes very interesting the observation that is absolutely the case that as I mentioned earlier we are committed to finding a solution at Ardrossan but there have been significant delays in those legal and commercial discussions with the pool ports have taken some considerable amount of time but as I said earlier we are happy that the project is now entering the tender stage and it is moving forward Supplementary Rhoda Grant who is joining us remotely Thank you for deciding officer The alternative arrangements which are being put in place when Uig harbour is being adapted will mean there will be a third less freight capacity from US This is unacceptable especially since the closure will last six months, will impact on everybody on the silence and will put businesses in jeopardy Will the minister ensure that there will be no decrease in freight capacity during the time of closure and everything in his power to speed up the time frame for those works Minister I indicated earlier answers that the Scottish Government is investing significant sums to upgrade support and improve infrastructure across Scotland's ports and regarding the specific issue that the member raises that I will ensure that my colleague the transport minister picks up this issue in response back to her with the details that she has requested to the Scottish Government what support it is offering to local authorities to help them to maximise the amount of levelling up funding that they receive from the UK Government Minister Richard Lochhead As the UK Government continues to develop and implement the levelling up fund without the consent, agreement or engagement of this Parliament or Scottish ministers the Scottish Government has been excluded from meaningful or formal involvement in that and the lack of respect for devolution has been further exacerbated by the fact that the fund enters into devolved areas meaning that the UK Government is encroaching into these matters that this Parliament was elected to deliver we will of course work with our regional partners in all their endeavours building on the close partnerships we have established since devolution Stephen Kerr answer to my question in the minister's response in Falkirk there has been a very welcome investment from the UK Government funding what I call the magic roundabout at the helix we have established investment opportunities at junction 6 of the M9 there is a new regional growth deal in the offing and the hope of landing one of Scotland's two free ports at Grangemouth at the same time the Scottish Government has cut the funding for fund prevention and frozen the council's capital grant are local councils like Falkirk to rely solely on the support of the UK Government to level up and power up in all areas minister well, if the UK Government the Conservative UK Government had stuck to its pledges and its promises made to the people of Scotland to unsuccessfully persuade Scotland to vote for Brexit then a lot more resource and a lot more money would be flowing to Falkirk central Scotland and the rest of the country but instead what we have seen is broken policies and the UK Government tramping all over devolution and threatening democracy in this country and I feel that if he requires more investment for his areas he should be making strong representation to his good friends in the UK Government minister sorry, it's up the mentally issue of on-bride thank you deputy can I ask minister what the Scottish Government's responses to the UK Government failing to replace EU funding as promised which will see south Asia shortchanged by 3.1 million minister Richard Lockhart well, the UK Government has clearly failed to provide an appropriate replacement to EU funding as we were promised if Brexit was to go ahead not only in south Asia shortchanged but across the whole of Scotland and the members laughing, Stephen Kerr for the record is laughing as we make that point and it's worth noting that our communities our communities and the economy are losing out due to the broken promises of the government he supports and the overall Scottish Quantum for the UK shared prosperity fund which we earmarked to succeed the European funds is only £212 million over three years with only £32 million in the first of those three years which in anyone's boot is an insufficient replacement for EU structural funds and indeed £36 million of that funding announced has already been ring fenn for the UK Government's multiply programme therefore the UK Government has been let down so the UK Government has let down Scotland and indeed South Ayrshire in communities the length and breadth of this country I'd like to ask the minister whether he agrees with me that the UK's so-called shared prosperity fund will distribute just £32 million around Scotland this year whereas it's estimated that EU membership would have seen communities around Scotland benefit from funding of £183 million and would he further agree that this adds financial insult to democratic injury for the people of Scotland The Tory Government's betrayal of Scotland over this issue is indeed an insult to democracy in this country and this Parliament and this Government and I would ask the members and the Conservatives in particular to remember that they are here to represent their constituents and not the UK Government in London and it is the case that we're only getting £183 million as opposed to the £183 million that we were expecting to replace the EU funds that we're losing out on because of a Brexit that Scotland didn't vote for Question 5 Emma Harper To ask the Scottish Government what financial resources it has allocated to help those across the Freeson Gallow in the Scottish Borders who are most impacted by the reported cost of living crisis Minister Tom Arthur The Scottish Government is taking a range of actions within our devolved powers to help people facing the impacts of higher energy bills the increased cost of the weekly shop the UK Government's national insurance hike and interest rate rises £290 million cost of living package builds on existing support giving £150 to all households receiving a council tax reduction irrespective of what banned their properties in and £150 to all other households in a banned A to D property by the end of April that equates to almost £7.3 million in the Freeson Gallow and £5.4 million in the Scottish Borders In 2021-22 we allocated £80.75 million to local authorities for Scottish child bridging payments worth £520 in both 2021 and 2022 reaching over 144,000 school-aged children as of December 2021 and our second child poverty delivery plan sets out how we will continue to tackle and reduce child poverty in Scotland including investing up to £10 million each year to mitigate the UK Government's benefit cap Emma Harper I thank the minister for that answer the cost of living crisis has been a decade in the making with rising cost compounded by damaging Westminster austerity does the minister agree that the UK Government should reverse the regressive national insurance tax hike the £20 a week cut to universal credit matched the Scottish child payment UK-wide and introduce a real living wage of £9.90 per hour and can they outline what representations have been made to the UK Government on these matters Minister I agree that, given most of the relevant powers are reserved, the UK Government must do more to help households cope with the cost of living crisis The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy wrote to the Chancellor ahead of his spring statement with some vital proposals to address the cost of living crisis including a call to reinstate the £20 universal credit uplift However, those were largely ignored and the Chancellor failed to take the opportunity to address the biggest challenges currently facing households I would also agree that all workers should be paid at least the real living wage Having employment powers in the hands of the Scottish Parliament would enable us to protect and enhance workers' rights including making the minimum wage a real living wage and not to call on the UK Government to take action to devolve those crucial powers In the meantime, we are already using the powers that we do have From 14 October 2021, we began mandating payment of the real living wage in Scottish Government contracts where it is a relevant and proportionate requirement and through the Bute House agreement and subject to the limits on devolved competence we will also make it a requirement for grant recipients to pay at least the real living wage Alexander Burnett, who is joining us remotely To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the roll-out of the BR 100 programme in rural areas Minister, tell Martha As of 31 March 6,629 connections were delivered through our 100 contract build and 1,875 through the Scottish broadband voucher scheme which ensured every address across Scotland regardless of location had the ability to access a superfast broadband connection As Audit Scotland recognised our 100 contract build is hugely challenging with many premises in the hardest to reach locations Instead of pursuing a lower technology solution we chose to focus on delivering full fibre broadband that will underpin economic growth and connectivity for decades to come whether permitting deployment of subsea cables to service 15 islands will begin shortly Alexander Burnett The finance secretary recently wrote to the economy committee stating that the Scottish Government has delivered its commitment to ensure that every home and business could access superfast broadband by the end of 2021 That's absolutely ludicrous they expect people to believe this after failing to meet their own targets delaying the R100 roll-out by six years and suddenly thousands of those in Aberdeensia without a reliable broadband connection will not fall for this The finance secretary confirmed an answer to me that only 15% of the 3.3 million of the voucher scheme has been handed out and less than half a percent of eligible properties in the northeast made applications Will the minister commit to extending the scheme so that the remaining 85% will be needed? As the member will be available the main scheme is still available The interim scheme was extended to the 31st of March There was an extensive advertising campaign both local and national to promote the interim scheme and ultimately take-up did not reflect a level of demand which would necessitate the continuation of the scheme More broadly on the commitment to R100 by the end of last year that was of course not solely about contracts but also regarding commercial undertakings and the voucher scheme and as I made reference to the voucher scheme is still in place and I would also remind the member as part of the R100 this Government has committed 600 million pounds of investment and this compares with a call correctly 33.5 million pounds of investment from the UK Government Subdimentary Liam McArthur The interim voucher scheme which closed last month was intended to plug the gaps in coverage in the country predominantly in the north of Scotland not only has the take-up of that scheme been low but it's also from Government figures being demonstrated that the poorest amount of money has gone out to those in the north compared to the south and the central region Can the minister explain the logic of that? Minister As I said we are positioned with as the member is familiar with what the intentions behind the interim scheme was the original deadline date was 31 December last year we extended it to March but as I referenced and explained in my answer to Mr Manette ultimately demand was not of a sufficient level which we judged that the scheme was justified and being continued Subdimentary Audrey Nicholl I've been contacted by constituents who have been informed that they may have to wait until 2026 as has already been raised before getting connected to fibre broadband and community fibre broadband and the voucher scheme alluded to already is currently not a viable option for them Can I ask the Scottish Government how it's engaging with open reach and other stakeholders and what further opportunities to support rural communities connecting to fibre broadband are being considered? Minister As part of our on-going dialogue with open reach we continue to look for opportunities to make contract build particularly in rural areas where possible commercial investment also continues to play a key role in supporting digital connectivity and our full fibre charter for Scotland is providing a platform for the Scottish Government and operators to work together to maximise full fibre coverage including the recently announced extension of 100 per cent non-domestic rates relief to March 2034 surpassing a key charter commitment and offering the most extended period of rates relief in the UK Given telecoms is wholly reserved to Westminster we also continue to push the UK Government for greater flexibility on their plans for Scotland through project gigabit as we believe their current approach is likely to once again leave behind some areas but need improved connectivity most Question 7 Annie Wells who is joining us remotely To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the support it's providing to the high streets and businesses Minister Tom Arthur We published our joint response with COSLA to the independent report a new future for Scotland's town centres on 13 April It is a call to action for all who have an interest in the future of our towns setting out some of the ways in which we can all do our part in rebuilding, re-energising and reimagining our towns Since the start of the pandemic businesses have benefitted from over £4.6 billion The Scottish Government includes Covid-19 non-domestic rates relief that have saved businesses around £1.6 billion since 1 April 2020 We are continuing to provide 50 per cent retail, hospitality and leisure relief in the first three months of 2022-23 capped at £27,500 per rate pair This business support includes our £80 million Covid economic recovery fund for local authorities to support local economies The £6 million for the city centre recovery fund and our Scotland loves local programme Annie Wells Following years of neglect by the SNP on council and exasperated by Covid-19 Glasgow's high streets are in need of rejuvenation We all know many small businesses were forced to suffer endless delays in accessing Covid-19 grants Does the minister agree with me that it's time we bring together a Glasgow City Council business forum that can address current issues in conjunction with businesses as opposed to a top-down approach so that Glasgow's businesses can engage effectively with the council? Minister The heart, I believe, of town centre and city centre regeneration is a place-based approach and that involves bringing all partners to the table business of all kinds retail, hospitality, leisure all key to vibrant and dynamic city centres local authorities, economic development departments, chambers of commerce and indeed government That is the partnership approach that we have taken through the city centre recovery task force and government's continued engagement with other partners Glasgow is a dynamic and thriving city with a huge amount to offer Anyone who walks around Glasgow will see that while it is facing the challenges that many city centres are facing due to the changing nature of retail its potential is boundless and that is the opportunity to engage in talking about our city centres and town centres to talk them up and not talk them down to make cheap political points I can squeeze in question number 8 if I have brief questions and answers question number 8, Willie Coffey Thank you to ask the Scottish Government whether it has estimated the cost to Scotland of being removed from the European digital single market Minister Ivan McKee The Scottish Government understands the importance of Scotland's economic ambitions and one of the endless downsides of Brexit means that Scotland was taken out of the digital single market against our wishes which has resulted in a less stable environment for our businesses The European Parliament estimates the potential gains of a digital single market could be in the region of £415 to £500 billion per year as a result of higher productivity due to faster flow of information greater efficiency in traditional economic sectors and higher levels of e-commerce Recent analysis suggests that for Scotland a 1.9 per cent boost to GDP would be the equivalent to £2.9 billion Willie Coffey Thank you minister for that answer Could I outline what the Scottish Government can do to overcome this ridiculous stupid and damaging decision taken by the Tory Government and help Scottish businesses to access the increasingly important digital markets that Europe provides Minister I will continue to work where we can to influence the misguided policies of the UK Government to ensure that Scotland stays as close as possible to our European trading partners through digital means and others We shall continue to push to reverse the idea of Brexit and we shall of course continue to campaign for an independent Scotland taking its place at the heart of Europe Thank you That concludes portfolio questions On the economy, there will be a very short pause before we move to the next item of business Thank you


What is up you guys, welcome back to another one. If you're new to the channel, I am GullPony, I do car truck SUV reviews on YouTube. And today we are in the new 2020 Audi S4, courtesy of Sun Motor Cars in McKennaxburg PA. For more information on their inventory, please feel free to check out the link in the description box below. And so needless to say, I'm pretty darn excited to be in this one today for several reasons. First off, being this one has been completely redesigned for 2020. So it is a completely new look for this year. Also new infotainment screen I'm looking at right now. Remember reviewing this car in previous years. That is definitely all new. And to go along with that, there are just overall plenty of updates to the 2020 S4. So of course it will be going over all of those for you in today's video along with testing everything else out. So what do you say? Let's just go ahead and jump right into it. And as always, let's start with pricing. And so there will be a few different trim levels for the 2020 Audi S4. First one being premium starting at $49,900. Then you have the premium plus starting at $52,400. And lastly, the prestige starting at $58,350. And so regardless of trim level that you go with, the power plan on this one will be the same. Powering this beast is going to be a three liter twin scroll turbocharged V6 putting out 349 horsepower, 369 pound feet of torque sent to all four wheels through Audi's Quattro all wheel drive system that power sent to the ground through an eight speed automatic with paddle shifters, which you guys know we will of course be testing out in a little bit here. Top speed comes in at 155 miles per hour, zero to 60. Audi puts it at 4.4 seconds. But you guys know Audi always tends to under promise and over deliver. So car and driver actually recently put it at 4.3 seconds. So go with that one. With MPG numbers coming into 20 in the city, 27 on the highway, of course, taking premium unleaded fuel. And so before we do any kind of acceleration or paddle shifter test, I did want to mention there are of course some driving modes they're going to be labeled drive select. And those buttons are located just underneath of the climate control settings there. But it will give you several different driving modes to choose from including comfort, auto dynamic and individual. All of those adjusting things like the shift points, the throttle response, steering sensitivity and actually the damper control as well. That is one that is not always adjusted on other vehicles out there, but not every vehicle has an adaptive suspension. So we'll of course get more into that later. But what do you say? Let's just go ahead and put an undynamic driving mode here and what I'm going to do now to test out the paddle shifters. I'm simply going to bump the shifter back one more time that is going to give me full manual shifting mode here. What do you say? Let's go ahead and test out the paddle shifters and let's see how quickly they are going to react for us here. All right you guys, let's get set up from a standstill and here we go. Yeah, definitely instantaneous paddle shifters. I always remember that with Audi though. Their paddle shifters are ridiculously quick. So if you did want to use them, it's worth it actually in the Audi S4 because they do react super quickly. So that is definitely a huge plus in my books. But to go ahead and take it out of that manual shift mode again, slide the shifter all the way to the back that is going to give full control back to the S4 and do believe you guys know what we have to do next. Now let's go ahead and do a quick little acceleration test here and let's see how quickly we can get this new 2020 Audi S4 here up to speed. All right you guys, once again from a standstill, three, two, one, go. Oh my goodness. You know what's funny you guys, I don't know why. Maybe it's the Quattro all wheel drive system but this thing feels faster than my 2019 for Mustang GT that supposedly hit 60 in 3.9 seconds. Perhaps it's because the power is grounded, it's sent to the ground, there's no spinning whatsoever and that's why this acceleration is absolutely breathtaking. You can feel it in the pit of your stomach and that's a good thing. Absolutely wonderful acceleration for the 2020 Audi S4 without a doubt. But so anyways, to go along with that acceleration as always, braking is equally important and so upfront you will find 13.8 inch ventilated front discs.  Braking feel is amazing, quite honestly. Certainly no brake pedal delay, a very firm braking feel which I like in a car like the Audi S4 so wonderful braking feel, it goes very well with this car. Touching on suspension and handling both in the front and the back, you have a five link front and rear independent suspension along of course with that adaptive damping system and so that really is gonna give you the best of both worlds.  Again, hence the term best of both worlds and again that is actually going to adjust based on your driving mode as well. That is what I was mentioning earlier to you guys. That dynamic driving mode is going to firm up that adaptive suspension giving a little better handling around the back roads, that's a plus too. Do you wanna mention in addition to that though there is a sport package that adds an additional $2,500 but that's actually gonna adjust the suspension a little bit too giving you a sport rear differential which uses torque vectoring to change the torque distribution to the rear axle from side to side so that's gonna give you a little better handling also a little better acceleration at that. Also go along with that package red brake calipers as well and in addition to that there is a dynamic steering package that adds $1,150 to the price but overall as far as steering feel goes I wouldn't have minded a bit heavier of a steering feel especially for the car like the Audi S4 but having said that it's perfectly fine. It's not quite as heavy as a lot of the other cars in its segment it's not quite as heavy of course it's my 2019 Ford Mustang GT but this is more of a luxury sports car I guess you could say. So it is basically right on point for what it is I guess but as far as ride quality goes that's been perfectly fine my short test drive today and again that's partly due in fact because we do have that adaptive damping suspension and that's always gonna help with ride quality so that's a huge plus. Cabin noise is perfectly fine and really the only exterior noise that I'm absolutely loving is that exhaust note and we will do an exhaust clip in a little bit here because there is some crack live notice in the S4 so that's a huge plus but really the exhaust note is all I'm really getting coming into the cabin so there's no pronounced wind noise I mean you're always gonna get a little bit of wind noise but it's definitely nothing to worry about there it's just that exhaust note which I absolutely love that is a good thing you guys. A part of what's absorbing that exterior wind noise actually is there are dull paint acoustic front side glass for the windows if you go with the prestige trim level at least so that's gonna absorb a lot of that hence a little bit quieter of a ride so that's a plus there too but touching on visibility a few things here first off I'm looking at a frameless rear view mirror a very high-end clean look if you will so I do like that but as far as visibility goes really with any sedan especially the S4 you're gonna be able to see perfectly fine out the back as I am showing you guys right now so certainly no issues whatsoever with visibility there rain sensing windshield wipers also coming standard on all trim levels meaning when the S4 detects any kind of rainfall or mist the windshield wipers will turn on automatically for you there one less thing you have to worry about with that so you can better focus more of your attention on enjoying the drive in this very enjoyable car and last thing I wanted to mention there is a head-up display coming standard with the prestige trim level and that of course is gonna display things like your speed limit how fast you're currently going and some safety features up on that windshield so again you can better focus on more enjoying the drive so that is a huge plus as well but that about rounds out the performance segment of this review let's now go ahead and take a look at the exterior of this beautiful Daytona gray pearl 2020 Audi S4 all right and here she is you guys completely refreshed for the 2020 model year let's go ahead and start up front new headlight design is going to come in the 2020 Audi S4 and really the A42 of course but LED headlights coming standard on all trim levels that will of course come with the automatic feature meaning when it starts to get dark out at night they are going to turn on automatically for you there so you never have to worry about that LED signature daytime running lights also coming standard end if you were to go with that prestige trim level that is going to add matrix LED headlights essentially super bright kind of like BMW laser light so it's essentially just the very brightest the very most wattage allowed by law more or less and that prestige trim is also going to add on top of that headlight washers as well then taking a look in the middle of it all Audi single frame front grille a new grille design for 2020 you guys probably already can tell that honeycomb design of course with that signature S4 badging that is all pretty standard found in previous years and then looking down at the corners there are some air ducts of course directing air around the wheel and tire combination for a little better aerodynamics there but now let's go ahead and make our way to the side of this one chrome windows surrounds coming standard black windows surrounds coming with a black optic package that goes for $1400 by the way if you are interested that package is also going to add gloss black side mirrors in addition to that as well of course but aluminum side mirror housings coming standard with the S4 and they will be power adjustable heated side mirrors with LED integrated turd signals and if you were to go with the premium plus or prestige you will actually get memory settings for those side mirrors as well then taking a look down at the wheel setup 18 inch five spoke alloy wheels coming standard for all trim levels 19 inch V spoke alloy wheels coming standard with the black optic package so a little different wheel setup again if you were to go with that black optic package and taking a look at the back of this one rear spoiler coming standard for all trim levels there is a new taillight design for 2020 LED taillights by the way that comes standard for all trim levels course S4 badging located in the lower left hand corner of that rear trunk and there is some aluminum trim found kind of close to the rear diffuser near the bottom that kind of ties in with the aluminum trim on the side so that's a good look to it black finish actually if you were to go with the black optic package where you're currently looking at that aluminum trim and just below it all dual exhaust outlets with quad bright tips so I do believe you guys know what we have to do next as always here is that exhaust clip it's open now since we are around back when it comes to opening that rear trunk there is a button of course on the key fob simply press that button twice to go ahead and open that rear trunk also a button on the driver's side door and there's a button of course on the trunk itself so any of those ways are perfectly fine and it should also mention there is a hands free trunk release if you were to go with the premium plus or prestige trim level so that's going to be there for you too once opened up cargo capacity is going to come in at an even 12 cubic feet if that was not enough space those rear seats do fold down there is a 40 20 40 split giving you a ton of additional space back there if you needed it then make your way up to the rear leg room that is going to come in at 35.7 inches so for reference I mean even six feet tall this is how much base I have back there do want to also mention for those rear passengers they will find a rear center armrest with cup holders there is rear ventilation back there as well and there are rear side window sunshades if you were to go with what's called a warm weather package that adds $650 so we don't have those today of course but they are going to be there for you if you wanted them and of course as rear passengers do have a couple USB charging ports as well but then make your way to the front seats leather alcantara surfaces come as the standard setup I should say that's for all trim levels diamond pattern stitching of course that is what you're currently looking at right now with some S embossing towards the top portion of the front seat 12 way power adjustable front seats with four way power lumbar coming standard and they do come with pneumatic side bolsters a massage function which I've pretty much had on the whole drive today so that has definitely been quite nice especially if you have a bad back that's kind of cold driving home getting a massage on your way home from work but heated front seats coming standard ventilated front seats coming with that warm weather package that gives you the rear side window sunshades and overall when you factor in the massaging seats definitely a nice place to be in the front we'll say that but now let's go ahead and take a look at the steering wheel it is tilt and telescoping it is leather wrapped for all trim levels you do have the S badging at the bottom portion of the steering wheel and it is a flat bottom by the way I do love that also like the perforated leather grips on the left and right hand side of the steering wheel definitely makes me feel more in control so I do like that design element to it but overall let's now go ahead and make our way to the startup actually let me start by showing you guys the key you do have your S logo on the one side and when you flip it over lock unlock and again that button to pop the rear hatch but it is of course all keyless entering so all I am going to do simply keep the key in my pocket walk up to the S4 put my foot in the brake and press that engine start button which is located directly in front of the cup holders there and so but once started up first question everybody always asked me I'm just gonna get it out of the way that Audi virtual cockpit you can get with the premium plus and the prestige trim level so that of course is what you were looking at right now essentially what that is is a 12.3 inch digital gauge cluster which can be configured by using the steering wheel mounting controls on the left side and really the best button to control that is the view button that's gonna toggle between whether you want a larger gauge setup or a smaller gauge setup and that gives you a ton of things like how many miles you'll have left until you hit empty also some Bluetooth information and there's also going to be if you get a factory navigation system paired up with the S4 the map is going to be displayed up on that digital gauge setup so that is a huge plus although we don't have that today but on previous Audi's that I have reviewed that is probably the best part quite honestly if you were to get the factory navigation system at least but overall if you keep hitting that view button the gauges are gonna get smaller and larger so really even to this day Audi's had this for quite a while but even to this day Audi's virtual cockpit is still the one to beat in my opinion but let's go ahead and make our way to overall interior quality power sunroof coming standard on all trim levels black cloth headliner and although the black cloth headliner is pretty darn cool I wouldn't have minded seeing a microfiber suede headliner perhaps in the future but I don't know that's just my personal preference but three zone climate control coming standard on all trims LED interior lighting also a huge plus brushed aluminum interior accents with a little bit of carbon fiber accents too I'm seeing so that is definitely a huge win in my book there is carbon fiber accents and by the way this is authentic carbon fiber a lot of other manufacturers will actually use plastic to imitate the look of carbon fiber but this is actually the real thing in the S4 you have that on the doors just underneath all the air vents and also kind of in the center display around the shifter as well so I do love that and remember I was mentioning to you guys the microfiber suede that is actually found on the doors so I would have loved if they had brought that up to the headliner but I do love that it's on the doors I'll give it that stainless steel foot pedals illuminated aluminum door inlays that is definitely a huge plus as well again like I mentioned earlier to you guys the frameless rear Vermeer a very clean look there with a compass in the upper right hand corner just in front of the cup holders you have a USB charging port a 12 volt power outlet of course dual cup holders you have a little storage area just in front of the shifter there with the rubberized bottoms so things don't slide around as much just behind the shifter a letcher mechanical parking brake you actually have a little dial where you can control the volume and tune settings of what is on that infotainment screen which I will get to in a second here just behind that little tune button you do have what I believe is a key holder it fits this Audi key perfectly and when you open up the center armrest we'll actually find a wireless phone charger and another phone charger port just behind that wireless phone charger so it's a little bit of something for everybody I guess but now let's now get to one of the biggest differences between the 2020 and 2019 S4 being the tech display it is a 10.1 inch color touchscreen display Bluetooth and audio streaming Android Auto and Apple CarPlay coming standard for all trim levels factory navigation system coming with the prestige trim level however it is optional for the premium plus it goes for $1,600 if you wanted to go that route but really is a big benefit in any outage just because you can get that displayed up on the digital gauges which I think is the coolest thing ever but anyways you could check out your radio settings up on that screen as well of course by the way when it comes to the sound system we will get 10 speakers with 180 watts for the premium and premium plus trim levels and a 19 speaker bang and olfson sound system with 755 watts for the premium so what do you say let's go ahead and turn on the radio see what we got playing this morning and let's test out the clarity of this one that is new from Sanholo you guys just came out like two weeks ago it's called honest it's freaking awesome saw it but dang that was a ton of bass very impressed there well done Ali but last thing I wanted to mention to you guys on that tech display is when you do put the S4 in reverse you of course will find a rear view camera letting you know who or what is behind you which is always is going to lead us into safety so let me first start by mentioning although it hasn't been tested for the 2020 model year yet but the 2019 Audi A4 and S4 was an IIHS top safety pick so it's got that going for it more than like for 2020 of course as well front side side curtain airbags will come standard in the back you're going to have latch aka lower and kitchen tethers for children for the rear car seats also back there rear child door locks there's a tire pressure monitoring system but also standard Audi pre sense basic and Audi pre sense city and if you were to go with a driver assistance package that goes for $1500 that is going to give you adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist and lane keep assist as well and I did want to also mention there are rear side airbags available in the back for $350 if you wanted to go that route too but that about rounds out this one you guys thank you so much for watching feel free to follow me on social media at the bottom of the screen there if you like be sure to hit the subscribe and the bell notification button if you're into new car reviews that is what we do here on this channel after all I hope you appreciate you guys watching more than you know and I will see you guys all in the next video stay gold


Hey you guys, how are you guys doing? So as you can tell girl, my hair is wet and I figured I'll do a quick little video because I haven't done one of these in a long time on how I Style of my hair and I do quotes because they were ain't really gonna be no dang on style But basically how I moisturize my hair after wash day So I just washed my hair you guys and I need to get back I think I need to up my wash day because currently I'm only washing once a month I need to do every two weeks. I think the products I'm gonna be using excuse me is the Apogee Carrington and Green Tea Reconstructor the ORS Olive oil hair lotion and then they sweet almond oil. Now I when I'm cleansing my hair I wash my hair up minimum two times And I went in with y'all use cheap products I use suave Coconut but then I went over with I think it was the can to wobble protein hair mask Just a little bit like half a cup. That's a little bit for me And I did that all together. I left it on for a few I combed it through and then I rinsed my hair out with hot water and then cold water So let's take this down one thing. I want to say too. What's that? Oh, there is a hair clip. I Rarely bring water out of my hair because water is moisture, right? So instead I use these These are JB Swaddle and Blankets when he was the baby. Y'all seen these before It is soaking wet and so now My hair is trained To go a certain way like that. I'm gonna take my Apple watch off. Okay And so this is what my hair looks like with no Products, okay? So why my hair is still wet? I want to go ahead and start to moisturize my hair So let me hit go ahead and clip my hair up and I want to talk about My hair and that my hair growth And how things have been going clearly and one thing I want to say to you guys I feel like I have a lot I feel like I have some new subscribers and because I don't do that many hair videos anymore you guys my hair is very very dense I mean Need I say more is very dense another thing is my hair tends to Grow outwards and then down. I can't tell personally since it's already Dense when it grows it just gets bigger and then I get hang time. That's just how it always has been So I got a comment a couple it's been a couple of weeks ago now From someone saying why hasn't my hair grown? Well, it has But one thing is that if you haven't been following me that long, I had a little hair mishap I think it's been like four years now where I Cooked my hair. I'm spraying up the green tea. I Cut my hair And I cut it in all different it was all choppy So I went to Stylist or let pinder and she shaped it up, but she even told me at the time that I Needed more cut off and I think it went up to here Yeah Shoulder length it was cut to shoulder length, but it is what it is and now I'm back at Because at that time I was a little bit past bra length and so now I'm back at past bra length So it is growing and by the way, I have been cutting my hair a lot more and wanting with the olive oil Marsterizer hair lotion and castor oil What's the point girl? I've also have moved to Texas And so when I wear my hair in certain styles because it's so humid here again My hair booms out and you really don't see the length I mean look at some of my videos from last year in Phoenix compared to even my styles I just don't get that same type of length that you would typically see And it is what it is, you know One thing I will say going on with some going in with some sweet almond oil One thing is I will say is that I have an event. I'm going to at the end of next month September It's a black tie event. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm gonna wear my hair So what's the point girl? So I'm definitely gonna have to blow out my hair for that style But then I'm going to stop Adding any heat to my hair for the rest of the year. I know y'all think girl Let's just three months three more months. It is next year I'm definitely I'm going back to my minimizing using heat Yeah, so y'all I'm adding this moisture to my hair Gonna add let me go ahead and clip this up And I'm now I'm gonna squeeze the lotion in okay, and then y'all my sister did my nails. I was cute Now I like to go back and make sure that my ends are really twisted That's why I keep going back to my ends because sometimes they do come undone I mean it is what it is and this is what the back of my head looks like Now You know the color purple is coming, you know, they remake it and I'm getting ready for so this is what okay Anyway, I'm pulling my hair back and I'm using a stretchy band Okay, so that's how I moisturize my hair and Styling before I get ready to properly style my hair So I'll be back y'all for me will be a couple more days for you It'll be look at that ill for you will be about a week and I'm gonna be doing a nasty old super defined break out Okay


Welcome to Toffy TV, we've got the brand new Everton Thay kit. Here it is. It looks amazing. Mint green with gun metal grey shorts. I am loving it. I am absolutely loving it. Very distinctive look. Something like Everton. We've had green before but I don't think we've ever had it in this shade and I'm really liking this colour. It's so much different from obviously the home kit and the Thay kit. Let's just say from the start it is pretty much the same design as the home and away kit. You can't get away from that. It is the same design kit. Some people will not like that. I understand that. I understand why they won't get it. Won't like it. But it is what it is. But the colour I think they've chose is very, very, very distinctive and something a little bit different. It's got the tonal badge like the home and the away. So the badge in green. It's obviously got the sponsor in the grey. It's got the Hummel chevrons in the grey as well. On the back of the shirt it's got a little 1878. The short grey with the mint little accent on it as well. The socks are the mint green with the grey chevrons on. There you go. You can see them. I think it's really smart without going overboard the bad. I think it's a really smart shirt that a lot of people are really going to like. I just like the little accents on the short. The green I think are really smart and I think people are going to like this kit. Kids tend to really like the bold colours as well. So I think they're going to really like it and it's something a little bit different as well. It's something people are always going on about. Give us something that we don't know and we have. Give us something a little bit different and I think that's what this shirt does. I think it's been very, very popular as I said with kids. The kids are going to love it. It's just really nice colours and different colours as well. So there you go. Let us know your thoughts in the comments on this one. What are your thoughts on this one? You're liking the colour. It's got like little pinstripes as well on the shirt. I don't know if you can see that but it's got little pinstripes. So where is the home kit at? The had the sound wave going across it. This has got just like little pinstripes. So I think even though it's the same design, I think the fact that the away one's got the blue colour and the fact that this one and the home kit have got the same colour on the collar or on the rounded neck or the same just makes them stand out a little bit different. But I think just because the colours are so different as well make them stand out from each other quite clearly. So I'm sure next season when Hummel have added a little bit more time, I can imagine them coming up with different designs. I think this year with it being Hummel's first year, I think they've just gone for the straightforward template and then have changed it up with the colours. So let us know your thoughts in the comments. Are you happy with this? Are you going to go out and buy it? Are you going to get a few kids? Or have you already got the home shirt or the away shirt? You're not really that bothered with this one. It'll be interesting to see how many times we wear it as well because in last few years we've been guilty of not wearing our third kit enough and it is really really smart. In fact last year we wore four kits. So the goalkeeper kit is exactly the same design as the other two goalkeeper kits but it's black with gold and I think that really looks smart as well. Something not really seen before.  I think that looks really smart. I think they've done a good job with the goalkeeping kits. The home one's very traditional in green. The away one has obviously very bright with the pink and with this third kit one it's black and gold as well. So I think it's like another three kits that kids can wear whether they're a goalkeeper or they're an outfield player. So they look really really smart. There you go. The new Everton third kit. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Don't forget as well if you're going to buy this shirt or the home shirt or any of the away shirt or any of the goalie shirt. There is a link in the description. If you go through that link you don't pay any more and a tiny, tiny, tiny bit of what you spend goes to Toffy TV and helps us out massively. So if you could do that that would really really help us. It doesn't cost you any more.  The link is in the description. You'll see it. It's in all our video descriptions. It's the link for Everton Direct but it's our personal link. So if you could do that for us that would really really help the channel. Thank you very much. There you go. The new Everton third kit. Let us know your thoughts. Thanks for watching. Give this video a like. Subscribe if you haven't already. If you want more great videos come and join us on Patreon. Again the link is in the description. See you later.


Atlantic City, New Jersey welcomes the fourth council meeting of an organization which is of major importance to the whole world. The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, UNRA, represented by 47 nations, convenes to solve the food famine which threatens more than half a billion people left destitute by war. President Truman's plea that Americans voluntarily share part of their food supply to help feed the many faced with starvation is applauded by UNRA delegates from all parts of the world. As retiring Director General Herbert H. Lehman, who will be succeeded by former New York Mayor LaGuardia, speaks for brotherhood among nations. The basic problems of understanding between men and between nations exist today, as certainly as they existed generations ago. UNRA has now given the first simple proof that this understanding can be attained. Now let the leaders of the United Nations profit by that experience and lead their peoples to a world of peace and security. The United States Navy presents first pictures of its peacetime Mars flying boat, world's largest plane. Designed for cargo, it lifts the greatest weight and has the longest range and is the Navy's successor to its wartime Mars, which supplied the far-flung Pacific Outpost. The Marshall Mars is the first of four such giant cargo craft, destined for service with the Navy's Air Transport Service. They will all be named for islands rested from the Japanese. Four huge motors give the ship a top speed of over 200 miles an hour, fast for a sea plane. Her wingspan is 200 feet and her gross weight over 80 tons, bringing more gas than the large railroad tank car. She's off to the Hawaiian Islands on the first leg of regular flights to the Philippines. For San Francisco Bay, she gives a farewell salute to the famous Golden Gate Bridge, at Wichita, Kansas in the very center of the United States. The housing problem brings out a circular dwelling built of aluminum and plastics. Instead of a foundation, this cornerless cottage is suspended from a central mast of stainless steel. The engineering principle with the safety factor of a suspension bridge permits new ideas like a revolving roof, which gives a complete change of air every six minutes. Using a model, the inventor shows how circular design makes the best use of floor space. Using new war-developed lightweight metals and prefabrication of parts by mass production, this home of living room, two bedrooms, two baths and a kitchen can be economically produced and will contain a compact heating and air conditioning unit. House hunters find many pleasant surprises. Those closet appears with a flick of the finger. In dust-proof hat rack. But most interesting of all is the conveyor belt linen closet. Recessed in the wall, the press of a button rotates the conveyor shelves. A roundhouse may seem strange, but in a housing shortage, people are giving attention to all new ideas. When the coal or seas, the aircraft carrier midway is on arctic maneuvers. She has an escort of three destroyers and a pipeline passed to the carrier refuels the small short-range vessels. Planes are covered against the coal. Masked against the bitter weather, the men experiment with protection for equipment in the far north. Hoses pump warm air into covered planes to keep motors from freezing. Plains lash at the vessel. Frost and snow present a problem. And on deck, the sailors test out the latest fashions for arctic maneuvers. Mechanical brush sweeps clear the flight deck for the plane take-offs. Propellers are turned over for a flight over the arctic ice cap, planes which take off with the aid of catapult equipment. The carrier gives her planes every advantage for the hazardous take-off. Earl Cassidy, commander of the task force, scans the nearby polar ice pack over which his planes are flying. In the first tests of modern carriers against the biting cold of the arctic, time in New Zealand, government laboratory experts come to collect eggs to keep lakes and streams stocked with fish. Catching the trout comes first. Neatly netted, the fish are tipped into a box, are stripped of their eggs and then released, few of which would hatch under normal conditions. At the government hatcheries, the eggs show first signs of life, the eyes which show as black spots. And this is how the trout look when first hatched. The yolk sacs remain attached until they can feed by mouth. Final form, each as long as a little finger, ready to start life in a fishing stream or lake to which they go in special cans. They are poured out by the hundreds, throw up into specimens like these to provide sport and food for the fishermen. In the temporary headquarters in Hunter College in New York City, the Security Council of the United Nations Organization opens its session. The delegates arrive at the Hunter College campus for this historic event, inaugurating UNO's permanent residence in the United States. Tai Chi of China, acting Security Council Chairman and Trig Bili, Secretary General of UNO. More members of the council meet the press. Andre Gromyko, Soviet Ambassador to the United States, is joined by Henri Bonet of France, the United States delegates to the Tinius and Sir Alexander Cadogan of England. The first major problem to be faced by the Security Council was the Russian-Iranian situation. Secretary of State James Burns insisted that the Russia-Iran controversy be taken up immediately by the council. The few spectators from the general public for whom seats are available file in to watch the machinery of international unity begin to function. The newly decorated chamber, before an audience composed mainly of invited world officials and newsmen, the first session of the council is recorded by newsreel cameras. The 11 members of the Security Council have as their duty the preservation of world peace. Dr. Quall opens the meeting. He will preside during the first month, expressing the hopes and will of millions of people in all nations. Secretary of State Burns addresses the council. On all the members of the United Nations, their rest, the duty to cooperate with the council in order to enable it to meet its responsibility. They must be willing freely and frankly to discuss their grievances before this council. Questions affecting the peace of the world must not be treated as questions of honor which cannot be discussed. Questions of honor between individuals are no longer left to the ordeal of the duel. Questions of honor between nations can no longer be left to the ordeal of the battle. Now, we must live by the charter. That is the road to peace. The road to peace is the road the peoples of the world now want to travel.


Dictiostelium-dyscoidium cells have evolved a mechanism to detect and respond to damage to their internal membranes. This mechanism involves the recruitment of two proteins, Traffy and Alex, which work together to activate the ESCRT and autophagy pathways. The absence of these proteins leads to impaired clearance of bacterial pathogens and increased cell death. This article was authored by Udmal Raykov, Manon Mottet, John Nitchka, and others.