the old clock on a wall so it's three o'clock so let's get the meeting started like to have a pledge allegiance to the flag everybody stand please you want to lead us around the right front of the flag thank you any of the members have any conflicts of interest with any participants here today I guess not we'll move on and for any additions everybody had a chance to look at the minutes from the last meeting any additions or corrections if none I'll accept the motion that we approve the minutes as submitted second all in favor say aye opposed okay our first applicant today is Jack Westfall who was with us last time Jack you want to step up to the docket if you've got anything new for us today I submitted what Pat requested a survey and a plan architectural plan to scale which is what you'd requested and like to thank you for having me back okay Steve do you have anything that you'd like to comment about this thank you so at the last meeting the board had decided to table this item until this meeting until Mr. Westfall had a plan together and a survey that kind of indicated how close the the property the deck was going to be to the property lines the survey indicates that the south side of the deck which is the front of the property facing bluff Avenue is going to be 11 feet from the property line and to the west side which is north 11th Street is 4.8 feet from the property line so we had asked Mr. Westfall some questions in terms of deck design you can see that the deck design is definitely a pretty basic design a couple questions you know that staff had as we looked at this a bit more was all along kind of and you have some pictures in your packets or whatever along kind of as you go east we'll see what we can do keely to correct that and let me know by chance if you can hear this can't hear you all right so I'm gonna continue on and I'll expect that when keely can hear me she'll say so so one of the things that we are taking a look at is there's quite a few front porches up and down bluff as well yes we can hear you so anyways the only question that staff had regarding this matter was you know we're looking at the 11th Street side we're looking at the front side and a lot of the houses in that area have a number of front porches I think the applicant indicated last time that there was some reason that the upstairs tenant couldn't get down or you'll have to explain that again but it just seems like there's an ability to to do a nice and attractive front you know porch like that matches kind of like everyone else's but that's the only common staff would have with regards to this so I can answer any questions from the board or from if you want the applicant to explain anything further yeah lattice work I don't know if that showed up on the perspective drawing I had to go to Menards to do and not all that computer literate in Menards like it would be skirting you're saying yeah I can trust you as far as the plans themselves that you have before you I think there's some information possibly on the back of that page too and I don't think they list any information about it skirting Richard you got any questions but up at the last meeting that staff didn't really want to have just regular two-by-two wood spindles we were hoping for maybe a more decorative type railing that's going on there yeah I see that the two-by-twos are already there in the drawings also show on the drawing yeah well I think a different plan of attack for the railing would be better okay any suggestion I recommended putting you know lap siding on but one of the members didn't like that and you know I shooting in the dark I I can change that readily any ideas or whatever they would like to see I just don't think the two-by-two spindles is is nice looking for a front porch that's all you're gonna see it from 11th you're gonna see it from Bluff Avenue well they they make some very nice plastic decorative type railings that aren't gonna treat out turn gray they make some nice caps that you could put on the top there's all different kinds of options that aren't just wood wood spindles would you be taking care of this as these starts to build us somebody's gonna be inspecting us that would be me now I guess I don't know you know with Steve I guess if if you guys would be comfortable with it that you know he could present something to Steve and myself for approval I'm just throwing something out there but it can't be just two-by-two spindles you gentlemen longer than a month was whether or not it would get painted and the concept of waiting a year to paint it came up and at this point we don't know whether he's gonna paint this or not or intends to paint it but I think we're fine kind of in the same position we were last month is we really don't know what he wants and therefore how do you respond without this long list of this is what we want so here we are again yeah my and my comment would be is you have what they've presented so from that perspective you know when when Pat mentions that when we I mentioned that you know there is a design element that we believe that Mr. Westfall is in meeting as part of this with its present proposal you know it's all just treated lumber whether or not something stained if there's conditions we could always put a condition that he paints or stains or something like that if if the board would choose to elect to approve this you know the other option not saying this is you know what needs to be done is it gets denied and something else is brought in but those are kind of the options you have what Mr. Westfall is presenting to you and and if anything we could always condition painting staining things of that nature if necessary could I have a motion brought forward to either approve it or just approve this application Rob I would make the motion to approve the proposed location of the deck subject to a better facade or look from the street that can be defined and presented to the building inspection department if necessary come back to us but I approve the location of it and the concept of it I would suggest that we do but with the caveat again that it's got to look better than what's proposed is there a second to the motion I'll second it Don you seconded okay thank you could we have a little anybody got discussion yeah if you remind so so maybe what we could do is approve the location like you said and just with the condition that the applicant works with staff regarding the design of the deck and if the staff has any concerns we could bring that back to the board yes there any more discussion and I'll call a question is this to approve it with the subject to the all those in favor of approving the application signify by saying aye opposed all right welcome Keely so Mr. Westfall you received the approval for the location of the deck but then you'll just need to work with Pat and I and a little bit with regards to the design so what we're saying is the deck location got approved but just the plain kind of wood deck we're gonna have to kind of if you have some ideas or concepts in us we can talk to you about that to get that going good yeah I'll just bring in sounds good yeah Pat and I can speak to you on that then okay understood there young man understood yeah I think so thank you next one up the bat is mr. Mrs. Davis you want to put an addition on the garage would you step up the podium please hello I'm Eddie Davis my wife is not here today but we recently purchased a home on here on Avenue and we're looking to make an addition to the garage I think you have drawings in front of you sure so we're looking to expand the garage of the home that we just purchased on here on Avenue currently we have a two car garage you're on a corner there on a corner are you going to go towards the east is that what you're talking about we're going towards the east correct so we've got enough room to do that do you have a survey of the property that you're going to read an awful lot of lines are going to be we do have a survey I don't have it with me today they didn't ask me to bring it but I can certainly provide it I have plans that show we're essentially doubling the size of the garage and the idea behind that is to keep all of our cars vehicles bicycles and everything out of the garage I'm sorry out of the driveway area we're also going to be on a separate permit hopefully applying and getting approved for correcting the driveway right now we have an old driveway that's just full of cracks and it's buckled and so we're looking to just improve the property and the plans show that what we're going to do is not just going to add a wooden addition to it we're going to keep it looking the same it'll be the same type brick it'll be with the same window spacing in the same ridgeline for the roof and we just think it will improve the property and keep things off the street in terms of vehicles we've got some trees that are overgrown that we would like to remove from the driveway area and just make it look a little bit better so you're not really going to tear the garage on yours going to put an addition to it to the roof right so we're gonna pour a slab behind what's existing and then continue that brickline on the north and the south side and then go to the east and then end it there so it'll be essentially doubled the size of what it is now there's some plans on the TV to Steve do you have anything yet a couple comments with this on the like you mentioned the mr. Davis I think one of the key things is going to be just the the survey to see where we're at because I think there's we have a five foot set back to the alley and I'm not sure the existing building is five feet from the alley so that survey is going to be key because we haven't addressed that particular issue okay the other the other item on this is that this total garage square footage is 1500 square feet the maximum size garage typically is a thousand square feet so 1500 square feet is you know quite a bit over almost a 500 square feet larger than what we permit often times a four car garage is 827 square feet and we allow up to a thousand square feet so it's a large building so staff does have concerns based on that of the size the the one thing the applicant is doing is trying to tie in the design with the existing you know from that perspective a design wise it's it's a nice looking structure but we would have to check that setback and we you know and like I said typically the maximum is a thousand square feet so so this is not just an easy one for staff to say hey yeah we should do this the you know hardships I'm not sure what that is in this particular instance but anyways those would be staff's comments so the survey would help tremendously I think right now what we're looking at is the survey shows that the footprint of the garage is smaller than the footprint of the house I know there was a concern about where would the water go from a roof line like that there has to be consideration for that so I can provide the survey right right because one of the things is is if by chance not saying this gonna get approved or denied but if that survey is shows that the building is closer than five feet then this matter would have to come back because we're just taking a look at square footage we don't know we don't have any idea where you know on that lot it's located so if it meets it it would be fine but if it's too close then we'd have to come back in and announce that variance as well okay I know so I can provide the survey that's easy it's already been done I didn't bring it with me today I didn't think I needed it but I know that the garage where it meets the alley there's a retaining wall it's not five feet but I'm not sure where the easement actually is I mean that'll show on the survey yeah I was over there and it looked what about three feet to that wall maybe it's close yeah it is and it's been there so we have the original blueprints from 1921 so that it's it's old yeah it's an attractive so I don't know if it would help to bring those as well but we can certainly provide the survey sounds good but do you have any questions Rob Don Richard comments so we have three cars we're about to my wife's mother's about to move in with us she has a vehicle so it'll be for we've got two motorcycles we've got four bicycles yard stuff snowblower lawn more so what we're looking to do is keep the cars out of the driveway off the street in the garage covered for a very you know number of reasons I mean it looks better there's more space on the road so it will definitely be spaces well used thank you there was one item that the board should be aware of a gentleman at 232 here on Avenue at John Farley this is not the neighbor directly to the east this is two doors down to the east indicated that they're unable to change their schedule to be at the meeting today they had a couple of comments and those are as follows first we have building code and zoning ordinances for a reason they should be enforced and followed unless the situation makes them following them unsafe or impractical ordinances should not be varied simply because property owner wants to deviate as is the present case second although I have not seen the construction or blueprints it's not difficult to envision in addition of 26 by 27 would be a complete eyesore on the property as a side note prior to building our house I reviewed our building plans and blueprints which were a hundred percent compliant with all ordinances with their neighbors across the street next door and received their approval before proceeding with the project third the only way this proposed deviation could even be considered is if the architectural structure and external building materials match the existing house house and garage unmatched roof lines and materials would be an aesthetic disaster in summary I'm against the variance and I hope the zone board enforce the existing ordinance so I can comment on the last one obviously you see the plans before you that do show that the whole that the garage is to be constructed in a similar fashion to the existing building in terms of building look materials and design they are coming here obviously because it's a little bit bigger and that's you know that's the reason why they're here today was to propose that so just wanted to make sure the board was aware of that letter from Mr. Farley so the honors correct my thinking clarify my thinking actually we're looking for a survey on this to see really it's onto the lot lines also yeah I mean what it comes down to we'll need a survey but there's the board whether we make a decision to approve or deny if it's denied it doesn't matter if it's approved then Mr. Davis would submit that survey we would verify what that setback is and if it doesn't meet the five foot then we'd have to come back to the board to have the board consider that variance as well so one of the big items yours were 500 square feet over what's existing and what's allowed 1,000 square feet is allowed and 1,512 is proposed I can't remember was it it's a two car I think right now probably about 600 it's somewhere in that range 2026 yeah I don't have it I think that was about probably about 650 somewhere maybe a little bigger I think your new ones that eight something so let's be close to that 28 by 27 yes whatever that math is yeah and I think we are going eight I think it was like a 800 square foot addition so it must be right around 800 so what we really want to see is the survey as it shows how it's laid out with the house and then going back towards the alley and then of course the setback from easement is gonna be hard to change because the original garage is there right if you have recommendations for I guess the retaining wall that needs to be short up if it needs to be redone because it's probably about as old as the garage sounds good yeah I think I think if something was approved then I would imagine the contractor will work with inspection on that aspect they would have to for sure just a quick question at all I'm there so we just moved from Houston so we just bought the home my wife is from Sheboygan she was born and raised here her mom is here her dad is here so we have got two young kids and so we were looking at as time went by the kids were getting older a better environment for for them for the family so we looked we've been looking for a year and that was the house that we found it had its quirks air condition was one of them it doesn't have it so we're working on that so we're doing a lot of other things to the house but just needing some space for the garage but it was just a move back from my wife she's really happy so welcome weather's better Rob oops how far from the east property line will the new east wall be if I had to I would have to guess because the survey shows that but we've got I would say at least 20 feet from the east property and so there is an existing fence there so there's a fence that is going between our garage now and the house to the east that we would replace of course because it's an older fence and there's no point in keeping that so as the construction will go along those are the improvements that we would make but we're not going all the way to our property line by any stretch we've got I would say a good 20 feet to the east property line when the when the new addition is done there is going to be 20 feet left you're saying I would guess that but I'd have to look at the survey so I'll have to submit the survey to the committee so they can look at it but it's it's not right on top of the fence line or the property line I could comment a little bit on that Pat what do you think we were thinking it was at least probably around 10 it was gonna be close to 10 so 10 somewhere in that area and just so everyone knows along that east property line the minimum setback is three feet so it only has to be three feet along that property line I apologize for that math that don't but there's also an old structure that's like an old playhouse that would be removed so that corner would be kind of cleaned up I mean that's where the fence goes from where the garage is now to that east side then come south to the neighbor's house yes I'll entertain a motion from somebody make a motion to deny at this point any discussion on that I'll call the question a motion to admit and seconded to deny all in favor say aye Richard okay motion is defeated you gotta ask who's so so there is a motion to deny there were two eyes so what is Ed are you for or against it the motion to deny meaning deny I'm for denying Rob I'm against denying okay Don I'm against denying it as well dick and Keeley it was for denial so that's four to two so the motion would pass to deny the request and that would then mean that you could build you could submit something to build up to 1,000 square feet but it was denied to let you build what you're after okay so come back with a survey showing something well survey number one but then plans that show up to a thousand correct okay yep okay thank you okay you got to show us the bigger picture if you show us the picture of what it's gonna look like we're more apt to say yeah but when you don't give us anything to look at there's nothing we can do okay understood thank you thank you the next applicant is Ashley Sanders just up on a podium please okay you want to put a fence up correct well build off an existing fence actually maybe what you could do is just kind of give us a little explanation of what's there now and what you're looking to do and why you're looking to do it okay so we have an existing fence that runs around the like from the side of our garage around the rear perimeter of the house and then it comes straight up along the house we live on a corner lot so then there is a very large portion of the yard that goes off by the sidewalk that is not fenced in and what we're looking to do is build off the back property where the fence was and bring it up to the front corner of the house on that sidewalk area as I understand it you also do not have a survey of any kind I can I can comment on that would it be possible to get the plans on the screen please when you have an opportunity that way it'll be easier for everyone to see there is a plan that was submitted and if you take a look you can see what where they're at on the TVs and so you can see the the garage in the house this is along 28th Street and this is along Michigan if you follow the arrow on the right hand side the yard space you also have pictures that I presented to all of you for that address so if you want to take a look at that you can see the yard as well so they're taking a look at the area along the Michigan Avenue it's a corner lot so that's why we're here again it's corner lot so that's why we're here again and so what they're taking a look at is to have the fence approximately six feet back from that property line take it to the front edge of the house and then run that fence east or north towards Michigan six feet away from the front property line and then all the way west to their rear property line along their neighbor and you can see they have a little bit of a vision triangle because there's a driveway there so they are there a corner lot and they're looking to utilize that space and we've talked about some of the fence designs and things like this and again this is one of the ones that when we as a board have looked at these have either required a shadow box style fence which I believe is what miss Sanders is proposing or other better design fences so I don't know if that explains it for everyone what is I guess what is her plan of what material she's going to be using on that fence okay so we already have the existing fences a six foot solid privacy fence so I know that that isn't allowed what we would plan on doing is using the shadow box that is the similar style to what is already there but that it's more open are you willing to use mine on if that's necessary yes okay what is the recommendation by the city thank you do you have any comments back I'm sorry what could you repeat your question Keely what what is the recommendation from the city I think from a staff perspective it's very similar to others we've looked at in the past and I think as long as we had the design and the vision triangle concerns addressed we would be acceptable and would not object to the proposal even though it goes to the front of the house it goes to the front of the house but does not go any closer than the front you know if they're still all front yard it just goes to the front most part of the house and I believe there is 33 feet from the house to the sidewalk does that make sense I'm just trying to follow the picture so the fence is the fence gonna go so when you're looking at the house from the front it are you gonna look at the front of the house and it's just gonna follow the line of the fence is what I'm wondering or is that going to be back so so what it's gonna do is when you're looking at it from 28th Street and you're staring at the front of the house to the right-hand side is the street yard that we're talking about and it will be either equal or just step back a little bit from that from that it would be the northwest corner of the home so you would see some fence in line along Michigan Avenue yeah I'm sorry along 28th Street that makes does that make sense yeah does anybody else have questions or I'd make a motion looks like you can make a motion okay so in these situations I'm just gonna explain a little bit to the owner that when you're dealing with a major road we are requiring people to put up a vinyl fence so if you're willing to do that I would make a motion that it would be approved based on you using vinyl fence material only okay then I guess my question would be is that for just this addition or are you asking me to replace my entire fence with vinyl the addition is fine okay okay as long as you see it from the front or you see it from the front or the side of your house even the portion of the back of your house if you're seeing it from the road it needs to be vinyl okay so so the the motion is made to approve provided this fence is a vinyl fence design yeah second to a motion there's no second so it doesn't there is no second so the motion failed so if someone else would like to do a motion I would make a motion to approve it as every road presented with the shadow box stipulation as is the code so the other guys we've done when it's on a major road superior geely I can name every single road that we've approved it and their vinyl you indicate that that is a policy and it is not and this is also not a major road but Michigan Avenue is so there's been a so there's been a motion and a second to approve as shadow box so I guess if you want would you like me to go through and call the roll would you like me to call the roll Ed Ed approve Rob approve Don yes and Keely no the motion passes with the condition that it can be a shadow box so thank you thank you next up the bed is Bella Cruz you want to put some cement on that alley in the back there yes I heard Marcelo de la Cruz my wife Esmeralda de la Cruz and yes we're asking for a variance going up to the property line since there is already an addition in the back alley from my neighbor I would like to just put up my concrete slab up to hers since again it's right on the property line I did get a email from her that she is not objecting to this that what I'm planning to do if you would like for me to present it this hers yeah that'd be great anything else yeah I guess you know with regards to this you know the three oftentimes the three feet is kept there from the standpoint of having place to put snow on different things like that we've tried to keep accessory buildings and pavement especially when there's an opportunity to maintain that three-foot setback so staff was objecting to the request because it doesn't appear there's a hardship to maintain it and that there's plenty of area in the yard to pave with maintaining that three-foot setback the gentleman did submit email as he said from Kathy Jung Blues I believe owner of 2326 South 9th Street and they have no objection to allowing a concrete slab to be poured next door to butt up to their existing slab so just so everyone's aware as I understand it the neighborhood of north he's got a slab off to the alley you want to extend to the south all the way from the alley how many feet into your lot of your what taking us I am depends how far I would not like the cars to be too close to the edge of the alley so I was thinking more up to where her shed ends about 20 yeah that is my backyard and 25 feet from the edge of the alley because that is my trailer so my trailer is on an existing slab that's on my property basically just cut it across and for snow removal I don't see that as an issue because I would just throw it on to my yard it won't have to go to the sides as a gentleman had indicated so snow removal is not going to be an issue for me just throw it right in back of my yard I don't have to throw it to the sides I don't know if that was something that was a concern right now you have some friendly neighbor that's plowing out the alley is that correct correct I do not know who that would be I would like to know just for really would want to know yes I would like to know just again just for appreciation and gratitude for that gentleman that cleans or whoever cleans it I again we just moved in in October it was surprising to me that somebody had clear that alley because I did not know who that would be but I would like to know that but again I mean that would be some other you know the the only other comment I would make is if the board considers approving this you know we can't just allow it to just go to that other that other line because I don't know where the property line is so so if if this is approved to the north yes if this gets approved it should be limited to this gentleman's property because I don't have any idea and like the drawing says I don't know where the property line begins so I don't know either there was a some sort of accrued line shown by satellite with green lines I understand that that is not the actual property line I understand that but right that's what I was going by and again if I then I do understand the three feet the three foot rule fine I just don't want an eyesore of like I had put in my previous statements I wouldn't want that eyesore to have a three foot grass strip section that I would have to take care of I think a lot of times that gets put in there too because when people put up fences and things like that in your passenger tries to get out of the door and they can't get out because they're open in the door against the fence that's why that three foot is in there as well so what you're suggesting Steve was that he's three feet from that north lot line I'm suggesting that variance gets denied and he maintains the three foot setback Rob sorry well as I understand it as we look at these drawings your expectation is that your neighbor's concrete goes to the property line but if it doesn't then you're still gonna end up with a sliver of grass because you can't go over hers to her concrete correct go to the con so based on that I think a three foot strip makes more sense unless I would come back with the actual survey of the property line which I did not do because I don't think it was recommended but I could do that I could get a survey and find out exactly where the property line is you know that's something that the gentleman could do I guess it all comes down to whether or not you're gonna prove three foot the setback because if you're get not if you're not gonna approve the variance it may not worth be be the worth the time and energy other than to know where that property line is I mean it's always good to know but just so everyone's aware of that have you got any comments Tom could a different material be used in that three feet section instead of grass typically typically what you're looking at is either some it either has to be a paved surface or landscaping so I guess if you wanted to do say some type of hedge or something to that effect that would be you know allowed any anything that you had in mind or were thinking was a question killing yeah I would make a motion to deny the request I think he messes up his opportunity to put a garage in in the future which I would expect he will want to if he does the concrete as requests that would be another that would be correct I would again I just moved there in October so I already got a citation for parking on my grass so that's the come I need to do this before winter comes along because I need to park my vehicles on a pavement so again I mean it's just gonna yeah I just need that slab and I would like to do it as soon as I can I could have gone just get an approved I mean just a permit and start it but again I would like to see if maybe you guys would give me the chance just to extend it but again it's up to the city whatever they want to and and there's no problem even if this was to get denied there's still no problem in terms of getting a permit you just would need to remain three feet off the property well that's the thing right I mean but again it's my eye story that I got to look at yeah I think you know with a lot of the green space and things like that like I said there's reasons for fences there's reasons for snow there's lots of reasons and so that you have a motion and you know that didn't hear a second was there a second to Rob's motion or done you second it any more discussion on it I'll call a question Ed done I'm in favor to deny tonight that's what the motion yep yep Rob yes to deny done yes to deny and keely yes sorry sorry I was denied okay so the balls in your court if you got a survey and come on back I don't know if a survey is gonna help you well I'm the one that have to live back there so yeah I'm gonna have to at least challenge yeah I mean if you want to submit a survey and come back again you certainly can do that but I don't know that the answer is gonna change but you can get a building permit and build off that you know a slab with that three-foot setback well I will still need to get a survey to know exactly where my three or my three foot again correct so regardless I'm still gonna need a survey correct that's right thank you okay thank you last but not least mr. Reinhold looking to put an addition on to my garage on the north side of my property do you have a survey mr. Reinhold I don't have a survey do we Matt Matt's my builder it's in the packet I think you'll find it in there that'll be brought up shortly so it's on the screen garage at this point is that what you're trying to do come again you want to make it a three car three car garage but it'll go back if you look at some of the photos as well on the north side of the properties where we would add the garage and would go west roof lines would maintain it'd be a little bit setback so you'd have the current garage that's there I think it's 22 by 22 and then it'd be set back just a little bit and then go down the the side of the house from there you have a picture of what it would look like when it's finished I do have some plans here Keeley we don't have anything that's small enough to get into the packets but there are some plans that are going around and I would imagine the gentleman or his contractor could speak to how this is trying to blend in into the house what they're trying to accomplish in terms of design materials things of that so I'm sure they can speak to that but there are there is a set of plans here that does show how it is blending into the home and this is attached okay and what's the address of the property where is it located 4432 idle wild lane which is kind of okay by the dog park South 18th Weeding Creek in that area the one thing I would mention you know you know similar to the last one that we spoke about is you know the maximum size again of our garages are a thousand square feet in this particular case we're looking at 1300 square feet I'm assuming based on the drawing that it says 28 feet and the garage additions 18 18 wide that it's going to be a 10 foot setback they would have to have a minimum of that on that side or no they could get that down to five couldn't they because they have enough on the other side so so from a setback perspective they should be good so it all comes down to once again how it looks and the fact that the maximum square footage is that thousand square feet which is definitely a four car garage here so I don't know sir if you have anything else you guys would like to add with regards I think in the pack you'll see the things I would be putting in there both possibly up to I always have at least two cars possibly three but there's both this trailer everything else you'd normally have in a garage even some things that aren't in there that are you know stored other places but but the main thing is that we want the home to maintain its appearance so it doesn't let's add it on I think if you look at the drawings that you have there at all blends in well and won't be nice or and the things that I've currently stored outside would be inside the garage then at that point yeah keely just so you know from a design perspective it appears that they've done a nice job the only staff isn't totally objecting to this one it just comes down to the thousand square feet they've done a nice job from a design perspective it is a little bit bigger of a lot it is meeting the setbacks so with the addition that you put on how many do you know how many feet you'd have to the north lot lane you got to have a total of 15 feet on a setbacks right you have to have a total of 15 feet so it's 10 5 what is that 20 I think it's 20 yeah 10 10 feet on the garage side and I think it's 20 something feet on the other side we got plenty of side yard setbacks that's correct and make a motion to approve I second it should we call roll call a question anybody else got any comments all in favor say aye pose hi keely you're going along with it yeah it's five months yep it's approved congratulations thank you very much appreciate it motion to adjourn are any other business nope no other business maybe a motion to adjourn we got another meeting coming up right afterwards so if we can move on out so they can get in thank you keely


What the heck is the best glue bottle? Hola woodworkers, Paul Carlson here, small workshop guy. Doing a little bit of glue up, I thought it'd be a good opportunity to tell you what small workshop guy, that would be me, Paul Carlson, what my favorite glue bottle is. My second favorite is actually just using the glue bottle that the type bond comes in, the type bond two or type bond three. The key there is to make sure you wipe this top after each application and close it so it doesn't solidify on you up in the opening. I saw some other content creators and woodworkers using the glue bots and so I gave those a try and luck everything, I'm not sufficient just to buy one, I go ahead and buy two, don't know why. And I have tried those and they are certainly good in some applications where I'm trying to get up under something and I can't tip the bottle up because they work kind of differently, you squeeze it and then it can go up. But frankly, in a lot of cases, I had difficulty getting the glue out and or I would tip it and that would act counteractive. So I saw a fellow named Russ and he did a whole YouTube video on his favorite glue bottle and I thought, you know what, I'm gonna try some different ones. So we finished up some honey Dijon mustard. So now let me unveil the best glue bottle and there's two of them, they're identical. These are actually from Whole Foods, or Safeway I think, organic brand, although that doesn't matter. I think anything similar to this, you can pop open the top and that kind of will stay out of the way and you've got just the perfect size of opening there. Plus it's easy to squeeze it. So let me show you, without a doubt, this is what I grab every time I'm ready to do glue up. So I don't even use these anymore, I need to transfer all that glue out of there. So I'm gonna show you how it works. So here's what I like about it.  So if I'm gonna do a big panel, this works really, really well for getting a lot of glue down quickly. So I find it extremely controllable. I just like the feel, I like the size, I like the heft and I like the controllability over the size.  Guy named Matt Jackson always talked about cleaning up your glue and he referred to it as wipe the baby's butt and I thought that was an excellent way to remember it.  Some articles I read that were really, really detailed said, you know what, you need to compress the glue into the fibers of the wood. That's where the adhesion is gonna take place. Yes, on the surface, it's gotta be wet and make attachment to the other piece of wood, but it certainly will work better if you get it down into that wood. Well, that's it. That's my favorite glue bottle. What's yours? And why? Are you a glue bot fan? I'll put a link to glue bot down below, but I can't give you a link to the other one because it's a grocery item and you just have to get it at your grocery store. All right, I kind of made a mess out of all that. Give a little experiment with different glue bottles and try some mustard bottles and see what you think. Small workshop guy, hoping you stay safe in your workshop, signing out. What is really cool about these is you can pop open the top. You can pop open the top. Have I even opened this one before?


Prosthetic leg balance challenge. Okay, so my prosthetic leg side balance is pretty terrible. The most I've ever gotten is like 10 seconds So let's see. All right, looking confident. Form is absolutely fantastic Whatever that's supposed to be, but you look like you're losing it. You're definitely losing it looking so shaky. It's going. It's going. It's it's gone


This is stock number 90255A. We are here at Summit Automotive in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. You're new and used light duty truck and RAM headquarters. Today we are checking out this super clean 2019 RAM 1500 Crew Cab 5 foot 7 inch short box. This truck has the 5.7 liter V8 Hemi motor and from this HD video you will be able to tell that this truck is extremely clean. All the way around inside and out. Billet silver is the color we shoot all of our videos in 1080p so if you have HD capabilities turn them on right now because it's like you're right here looking at the truck with me and definitely your best way to check out the vehicle be forcing in person and if you want to check out more photos of this truck you can click the upper right hand link on this video it's a link to this truck on our website so click that check out some more photos. It comes with the 20 inch factory alloy rims with chrome covers necks and rhodium 275 55 hour 20 tires with just about all the tread left didn't see any denser dings on that front fender headlight lenses are nice and clear it does have the front bumper parking sensors they are cleverly hidden in the black there didn't see any denser dings on that front bumper passenger side fenders in excellent shape and the passenger side rim no scuffs or scrapes on that as you go down this side of the truck you can see just how clean the body is how reflective and mirror like that paint is we take these HD videos so if you are far away or even if you're close by and just cannot make a trip down you can still see the truck here the truck and have confidence in the vehicle that you're looking at before you even get here we even offer a summit fast-pass option where you can apply for financing get payment quotes appraise your trade basically do the entire deal right from the comfort of your own home on the computer on our website so when you get here you're all ready to go that's why the videos help out so you can have confidence that you're dealing with the right vehicle and the right people back rims in excellent shape and the back tires have just as much tread as the front tires as we come around to the back of the vehicle see the rear bumper is in excellent shape no dents or dings on that dual rear exhaust backup parking sensors full towing package which includes receiver hitch four pin and seven pin wiring and the tailgate is in excellent shape as well I do like those Ram logos they got on the new 19s beds in pretty nice shape no major dense very nice locking tailgate tailgate shuts nice and solidly and as you go down this side of the truck just as clean as that passenger side no denser dings on the box there thing I like most about the 19s is besides the whole redesign is just that it has the capitalist feel feel it's a really nice feature and for full disclosure this back rim is in excellent shape as well down the rest of this side of the truck very very clean you do get the heated mirrors with the built-in directional signals and the blind spot mirrors inside the bighorn package gives you the gray and black cloth interior there are no rips there are no tears on the seats both of these seats are heated you get a driver's side lumbar factory floor mats power windows power locks power mirrors with the power fold-in option auto headlamps power pedals tilt and telescopic steering wheel which is new for 2019 this one only has 4934 miles you get the digital instrument cluster digital speedometer outside temperature display compass display comes with the heated leather wrap steering wheel cruise controls on the right as well as gear selector and Bluetooth and information center controls on the left comes with the 8.4 touchscreen radio AM FM and Sirius XM radio capabilities this is the 4C radio so you get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capabilities as well plus you get an HD backup camera those are dynamic grid lines so they turn as you turn the steering wheel to show you where the truck will be headed and it's nice if you're hauling up to a trailer because that center line lines right up with your receiver hitch there your heated seats and heated steering wheel buttons last thing on here you can do the heated seats and heated steering wheel up here as well you can check out the backup camera without even putting it in reverse and then you can do the climate control up here or you can do the climate control down here if you like the more tactile buttons eight speed automatic transmission push button four-wheel drive with a neutral feature CD player two USBs two USB C's and an aux jack stability control to a hall and front and rear parking sensors you can turn those off you can see it does have the keyless entry with the remote start 115 volt 400 watt plug-in then you do get a cup holder right there with coin slots and if you're not using it you can put it back and then have all that room for storage passenger seat and floor mat are in excellent shape as well no rips or tears on there smells very clean inside this truck headliner is an excellent shape comes with the homelink buttons for your garage door security systems and lane systems map lights and your power side mirror window button we'll take a quick look at the back seats and then we will check out under the hood back seats all redesigned for 2019 has a factor or the latch child safety system power slide rear window with the built-in rear defrost these seats do fold up what's new is that it's completely flat back here now you also get the RAM bins which they always had and then removable bins for easy clean two USBs and two USB C's 115 volt 400 watt plug-in nice wood grain trim on the door there and it does have the child safety locks right there as well we will take a quick look under the hood I would personally like to thank you for checking out the video today we work really hard at them to make sure that you get the most accurate representation so you can make a smart buying decision from the comfort of your own home and hopefully make the sales process a little easier on everyone under the hood we have the 5.7 liter v8 hemimotor engine bays very clean runs very smooth this RAM has been fully safety Dan inspected by our service shop has a fresh oil and filter change all the fluids have been checked and topped off and this truck is 100% ready to go to see more pictures of this truck or one of rather 450 new and used cars trucks SUVs minivans wranglers half tons three quarter tons one tons you name it we got it go to our website www.SummitAuto.com full pictures and descriptions of every single vehicle from two locations all at SummitAuto.com and if you'd like to check out more HD videos you can go to youtube.com slash Summit Auto remember to like subscribe and share on this video and all the videos that you see there fact any second you will see links to subscribe to our YouTube channel and left linked more used inventory light-duty RAM trucks on your right if you haven't been our website on the bottom link to this vehicle on our website click those checks out and we really look forward to helping with this super clean 2019 RAM 1500 crew cab 5 foot 7 inch short box big horn thanks again


Do you know that India as a country stands third in cyberbullying? Do you know that in India one in four adolescents have seen a mocked image or a video of themselves and 50% of these were not reported to the police? Do you know that a total of 37% of parents across India, which is highest in the world, said their child was bullied online, with 14% of the total saying that bullying occurred on a regular basis? Well, I, Hemant Batra, public policy tutor and talker shall be talking, revealing something very important about cyberbullying and harassment. So keep watching this video. Do you know that globally, on an average over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online? About the same number have engaged in cyberbullying. Do you know that more than one in three young people have experienced cyber threats online? Do you know that over 25% of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through the cell phones or the internet? And shockingly, over half of young people do not tell their parents when cyberbullying occurs. All across the world, over 80% of teens use mobile phones regularly, thereby making cell phones as the most common form of technology and a medium for cyberbullying. What is cyberbullying or cyber harassment? Well, as the name suggests, it is a kind of bullying, harassment, intimidation or stalking using electronic means, including online bullying through social media or messaging apps or software. It has become more and more common, notably among teenagers, as the digital domain and field has expanded enormously with the advanced technology. Cyberbullying takes place when a person, more often, as I mentioned, a teenager bullies, intimidates or harasses on the internet any specific individual or generally anybody, particularly on social media sites. Serious and harmful bullying behavior which can lead to criminal consequences can include posting rumours, threats, sexual remarks, a victim's personal information or morphed images or derogatory labels including hate speech. The sad and tragic consequence of cyberbullying on the victims could be that these victims may experience depression, increased suicidal tendencies, lower self-esteem and a range of negative emotional responses including being and feeling nervous, anxious, sleepless, worried, distressed, frustrated, outraged, angry, miserable and so on. Internet trawling is a common form of bullying that takes place in an online community in order to provoke an extreme reaction or it could well be for sadistic pleasure. In some cases, cyberstalking which is another kind of bullying or harassment by using electronic communication to stalk a victim may actually present a plausible and real threat to the victim's safety, life and liberty. Children in India reported the third highest online bullying rate after China and Singapore. All the 25 countries surveyed under a commission project by Microsoft Corporation to understand the global persuasiveness of online bullying. Although in India there is no specific law which focuses on cyberbullying, there are adequate provisions in three statutes which treated as a serious criminal offence. For instance, under Indian Penal Code, there are sections like section 499 for defamation and section 292A dealing with printing grossly indecent matter intended for blackmail, section 354A regarding sexual harassment, section 354D about stalking, section 507 dealing with criminal intimidation by anonymous communication and section 509 which deals with expressions intended to insult the modesty of a woman. Under the Information Technology Act, section 67A dealing with publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form and publishing or transmitting material containing the sexually explicit act etc. in electronic form. Even in section 66E, there are certain provisions dealing with violation of privacy which could well be invoked. Finally, there is a newer law named the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 which is known in short form as POXO Act. It protects children below the age of 18 years from any form of sexual harassment, sexual assault and pornography that includes cyberbullying as well. I must remind you that in India the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Home Affairs have launched dedicated helplines and portals for reporting crimes against women and children including cybercrimes. So you may like to visit cybercrime.gov.in to report cyberbullying online harassment and cyberdeformation particularly against women and children. That is all for today, hope to see you again next time and I am sure you would have gained some insight out of this video today which is an extremely important topic. Please feel free to comment on this video and do not forget to subscribe to this channel. Thank you and see you next time. Bye for now.


Mae oedd gennynt eich cwestiynau. The next item of business is First Minister's questions, at question number 1, I call Douglas Ross. Ar ôl, I begin by putting on record the best wishes of the whole chamber and the people across Scotland to His Majesty The King and the Duchess of Rossy. We wish them both a speedy recovery to good health. Last week, in response to the horizon scandal, the First Minister said this. I think the idea of almost a mass exoneration is one that is very worthy of consideration. In a letter to the Prime Minister just eight days ago he said and I quote, it is right that normal processes for appeals are set aside. In a statement this week, the Lord Advocate, his Government's top legal adviser said and I quote, in Scotland there is an established route of appeal in circumstances like this. Humza Yousaf has said that there should be a blanket exoneration, but the Lord Advocate believes that the current process for appeals shouldn't change with each case being considered individually. So can the First Minister tell not just Parliament but crucially all the victims of this scandal, what the position of his Government actually is? Douglas Ross, for the question, can I also associate myself with the remarks and wish a speedy recovery to King Charles and, of course, the Duchess of Roth see 2. In relation to this issue, let's first and foremost begin by paying tribute once again, not just to Alan Bates but to those hundreds of sub-postmasters and mistresses right across the United Kingdom that should not have had to wait for an ITV drama in order to see justice or indeed in order to see compensation. But, of course, it is important that the UK Government has acted, Douglas Ross is right, I wrote to the Prime Minister. I should say that I have received the response back from the Prime Minister. The response is a positive one that he is willing to work on a UK-wide basis. I should say that I am happy to release that response, so I think that we are waiting for number 10 to confirm that they are also happy for us to do so. That detail in that response does say that the UK Government is willing to work with the Scottish Government in order to look at a UK-wide basis for mass exoneration for those who have been wrongfully convicted. I listened very carefully to what Laura Advocate had to say, both in her statement and, indeed, in response to questions. She was making the point, of course, that there is a current appeals process through the Scottish Criminal Case Review Commission as well in order to investigate mass miscarriages of justice. But let me just be clear, so that Douglas Ross has no misunderstanding, we support the UK Government looking at legislation for mass exoneration of those who are wrongfully convicted, and we have written to the UK Government, got a positive response back, and we hope that the legislation can apply on a UK-wide basis. Douglas Ross does not actually clear up the case here in Scotland. The First Minister says that it does, but, of course, the UK legislation will apply in England and Wales, but this issue is devolved here in Scotland. We have his top legal officer who sits in the Scottish Government Cabinet saying something quite different to the First Minister. Let me quote again from the Lord Advocate on Tuesday. It's an important process because not every case involving horizon evidence will be a miscarriage of justice and each case must be considered carefully. That's the Lord Advocate's current position. What that is is a refusal to change the process and accelerate the system because there may be some guilty people. Surely it's better to accept the tiny possibility that a guilty person will have their conviction overturned than allowing dozens of innocent postmasters to live with the stain of guilt for a minute longer. What discussions has he had with the Lord Advocate since her statement on Tuesday and does he agree that those convictions must be quashed as quickly as possible? The Lord Advocate and I are due to speak again tomorrow, I believe, but what I would say to Douglas Ross is that Lord Advocate, when she was speaking in the chamber, of course, was speaking as the independent head of prosecutions. That is an important part of her function, which is distinct, of course, to her position when she provides legal advice as a member of this Government. It's still my preference, I should say, that there is, on a UK-wide basis, through an LCM. That would be the preferable route. Now, there are complexities to work through that. I think that the choice that Douglas Ross is presenting as a binary choice is not the correct one. The best position for all of us is urgently seeing the mass exoneration for those who were wrongfully convicted. Of course, for those whose conviction was sound and is sound, nobody wants to see necessarily their conviction overturned and being able to apply for compensation. If we can get the best of both worlds, if we can get to that position, that is the best position to get to. That is why we are willing to work with the UK Government, who presumably also don't want sound convictions overturned if they can avoid that. We will work with the UK Government in that respect. However, let's not forget about what we are dealing with here. I am afraid that is a scandal that was born in Westminster. It is a post office that is wholly reserved, wholly responsible to UK Government ministers. I said that it lied to UK Government ministers, but UK Government clearly did not interrogate the post office strongly enough. Therefore, the public inquiry is important, and I will judge the UK Government to make sure that they fully co-operate with that public inquiry. The Crown Office is wholly devolved here in Scotland. That is why the situation is very different here. The post office could not prosecute these individuals here. It was the Crown Office.  She pled guilty in 2009 at Selkirk Sheriff Court to a charge of fraud after thousands of pounds disappeared. Judith Lawyer told us that the Crown Office displayed a worrying lack of skepticism at the post office's case, particularly as there was no trace of the money anywhere. Judith was even asked if she had blown it all in a lavish holiday, or if she had a gambling problem. Her conviction was finally quashed just last week, but Judith Lawyer said that the Crown Office should have launched a review of all past post office prosecutions the minute it became aware of the horizon problem in 2013. It did not, and it took a further two years for prosecutors to dismiss on-going cases that relied on horizon evidence. Can the First Minister explain why prosecutions in Scotland continued for two more years after the Crown Office became aware of concerns with horizon? Does the First Minister agree with the Scottish Conservative calls that the Lord Advocate at the time, Frank Mulholland, should come to this Parliament to answer questions on this scandal? First Minister? First of all, can we be clear what it took was an ITV drama in order to get the UK Government to make sure that they took action, even though they were being told by hundreds of sub-postmasters and ministers up and down the country, that they had been lied to? Let's not forget that that is what spurred the UK Government into action, not the pleas and desperate pleas of sub-postmasters right up and down the country. Let's go back to the point that the Lord Advocate made very clearly in this chamber that the Crown was, in her words, misled and given false reassurances by the UK post office, time and time and time again. I have to say that hearing the harrowing testimonies, including the one from Judith Douglas Ross, just articulated, there are many institutions that will be answerable for what they did and the action that they took. I would fully expect—and I am certain that it will be the case—that the Crown Office would also fully co-operate with the public inquiry under way in terms of why the Crown chose to prosecute cases post-2013. Again, the Lord Advocate laid out the fact that, of course, there was guidance to prosecutors in 2013 involving horizon cases, and they stopped prosecuting cases in 2015 that were sufficiently dependent on horizon data. Of course, the current Lord Advocate is responsible and answerable for the Crown. Of course, she has already answered questions about what took place in 2013, and she has already said that if MSPs want a further opportunity to question her, she will make herself available. Douglas Ross Of course, my question was about one of her predecessors, and I think that it is crucial that this Parliament hears from Frank Mulholland. It would just be interesting to know if the First Minister supports those Scottish Conservative calls. All of this matters here in Holyrood, because the Crown Office is a devolved institution. The procedure by which those convictions can be quashed will be set by this Government and this Parliament. However, the process set out by the Lord Advocate could see that taking far, far longer in Scotland than it should. Myra Philp worked with her mum, Mary, at the Post Office in Ochtermachty in 2001. At 7am, Post Office auditors burst through the door and demanded the keys to the shop. Mary, a former policewoman, was suspended, but she immediately suspected that her eyes in was to blame. The Post Office, on the other hand, blamed her teenage grandchildren. Auditors accused them of breaking in during the night overriding the time lock and taking the money. Mary was not prosecuted, but she lost her business. She died in 2018, the year before Alan Bates was supposed to admit that her eyes in was desperately flawed. Myra told us this. My mum died not knowing she was right. The Lord Advocate is head of the independent judiciary in Scotland, but she is also the chief legal adviser to the Scottish Government and the Cabinet. Does the First Minister accept that, if we follow the position that the Lord Advocate laid out to the Scottish Parliament of her preferred process, it will take far too long for postmasters wrongly convicted and some could die before their names are cleared? Can I give clarity, once again, not just to Douglas Ross, but to Mary's family, to all the other sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses right across Scotland? The UK Government last week announced that it was looking to bring forward legislation in the UK Parliament in order for mass exonerations to take place when it comes to wrongful convictions. I have written to the Prime Minister to say that we welcome that process. Not only that, as the First Minister, we will be willing to work with the UK Government for that legislation to take place and have effect on a UK-wide basis. That could be through an LCM. I should say to Douglas Ross that, if an LCM, for whatever reason the UK Government, if that is not possible, we are already working on contingencies in separate Scottish legislation if that is required. I hope not. If there is a possibility for an LCM, that would be the easiest and quickest route. I, as the First Minister of Scotland, will decide what legislative route is brought forward to this Parliament in order to exonerate those who are wrongfully convicted. Let's say once again that harrowing testimony that Douglas Ross has given in relation to what Mary had to suffer and no doubt the consequences are still felt by her family. That happened on the UK Government's watch. That happened because of a post-office that is wholly reserved to the UK Government. UK Government ministers of UK-based parties time after time did not believe sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses like Mary and others who were being harassed by the post-office at the time. They have waited far too long for justice, and let me give an absolute confirmation and assurance to them that we will work with the UK Government and whoever else we need to to make sure that there is not a single day longer that we have to wait, not just for justice but for access to compensation. I echo the best wishes to King Charles and the Duchess of Rossy and wish them both a speedy recovery. Presiding Officer, confusion about the ban of exiled dogs in Scotland has brought dangerous dogs back into the headlines. Today the SNP Government will finally make a statement and I hope they take action, but like so many issues it is only when media pressure builds that SNP ministers respond. Too often they act on headlines rather than the evidence. In the last Parliament I sat on the Public Audit and Post Legislative Scrutiny Committee when it produced a report on the 2010 control of dogs act. The cross-party committee called for a review of the law and the focus to be on irresponsible owners and breeders. The Government accepted the findings of the committee and committed to a review in 2019, so can I ask the First Minister, nearly five years on, why are we still waiting? Of course, there was something that happened between 2020 and the current time, and that was a global pandemic, which of course undoubtedly resulted in the fact that other work had to be delayed. I think that most individuals would accept that. In terms of the exiled bully safeguards that the UK Government has brought in, it made that announcement without a single word of consultation with the Scottish Government. I suspect that if, at that point, I had said to Anna Sawa that, yes, we will take immediate action, he would have demanded what consultation we had had. It was right that Siobhan Brown took the time to have consultation with animal welfare stakeholders and those who are involved in animal re-homing centres. The Scottish Government still absolutely believes that the correct approach is not breed, but we have to also be able to respond to the fact that we have seen media reports of a number of people bringing their exiled bully dogs over the border to Scotland. We have consulted, we have taken time to engage and we will bring forward safeguards. It should be said that this is not a ban. Of course, people will still be able to have their exiled bully dogs if they, of course, meet the criteria of the regulations that are brought forward. Let me say to Anna Sawa that, when it comes to the stricter regime that we have in terms of the control of dogs act, in terms of the various notices and the stricter regime that we have here in Scotland, I am pleased that we have a stricter regime here in Scotland that is not available elsewhere in the UK. Anna Sawa I know that the First Minister is not good in the detail, but the review of the control of dogs act was in the programme for government in 2021 during Covid, so I am not sure that excuse holds any water. In 2022 alone, victims were treated in Scotland's hospital are reported 7,600 times for injuries inflicted by dogs. Those dogs were out of control, often mistreated or poorly trained by their owners. Many of the injuries people sustained disfigured them for life. Kirstine Hobson is a post-women in Oban. In December, she was brutally attacked by a German shepherd and sustained serious injuries to her face, leg and arm, and needed specialist plastic surgery. She will be scarred for life emotionally and physically, but nothing that the Government is announcing today would have helped Kirstine. The Government promised five years ago to take action against irresponsible owners and bearers, not just an individual breed. So if the Government can act on Excel bullies, what will it take for them to protect people like Kirstine and so many others that they have repeatedly promised to do? If it goes to Kirstine for the injuries that she has suffered, we are just to say to Anasawa of course that we did take action in the back of the work done in 2019. That is why we have a really important regime of dog control notices. That is the regime that I am talking about that does not exist in England and Wales. If Anasawa had the detail in front of him, he would know that. He would also know that there are currently more than 1,200 active dog control notices in place in Scotland. Excel bullie dogs represent 2 per cent of those DCNs that are in force. One dog attack is, of course, one too many. We have taken a whole range of actions to protect communities as best we possibly can. That dog control notice regime that we have will undoubtedly help in that regard. However, we will continue to work with Police Scotland, local authorities, the SSPCA and other relevant interests to keep communities safe from the very small minority. We should be clear about that. It is a very small minority of irresponsible dog owners for their dangerous dogs. Anasawa Y Llywydd, 7,600 treatments in hospital related to dog attacks in one single year. I do not think that the First Minister should be playing that down, because that would be of extreme concern to families across the country. Humza Yousaf was, of course, justice secretary when this Government promised to review the control of dogs act and still nothing has happened. People like Kirstine should not have to be fearful when they go to work and parents should not have to fear for their kids when they take them to the park. This Government has a responsibility to protect people, not just respond to bad headlines. Too often, sadly, that is the case. We saw it with the infection scandal at the Queen Elizabeth hospital, we saw it last week and again today with the post office scandal, and now we see it with Excel bully dogs. The Government must commit to stronger powers for councils and the police and make it clear that the responsibility for dogs lies with owners and breeders. Does he accept that we cannot wait until another 7,000 people are harmed before this Government fixes the control of dogs act? Anasawa Y Llywydd, his third question took no account at all of the response that I gave to his previous question. That is the problem, because Anasawa says that we failed to act if he had stopped just reading the pre-prepared script. He would have, of course, heard me say that we brought in a DCN regime, the dog control notice regime that came in that does not exist in England and Wales. The fact that we have that in place has meant that we have more than 1,200 active dog control notices in place, as we speak. We will continue to work with Police Scotland, with local authorities, the SSPCA and other relevant stakeholders to keep our communities safe. We have established on top of that an operational working group involving local authorities, Police Scotland, COSLA and key stakeholders to progress this work. We have also commissioned a national dog control notice database to help enforcement agencies to better monitor the control of dogs. When it comes to having to respond to the UK Government's actions—that is what we are having to do in this case—it would not be far better if we did not have to always respond to what the UK Government does and, instead, have the full powers here in Scotland, Presiding Officer. Question 3, Alexander Stewart. Thank you, Presiding Officer, to ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that Scotland has among the worst survival rates for some of the most serious cancers. First Minister. Cancer remains a national priority for the NHS and the Scottish Government, which is why we published a 10-year strategy in June 2023 focused on improving cancer survival and providing equitable access. It includes a focus on the less-survivable cancers and improving their outcomes. The strategy and the plan take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways in cancer from prevention and diagnosis right the way through to treatment and, of course, post-treatment care. It is very heartened by the fact that, overall, cancer mortality in Scotland has decreased by 11 per cent over the last 10 years, but we recognise that we have much more to do, particularly when it comes to less-survivable cancers. Can I put on record the fact that I know that Alexander Stewart has raised those issues on a number of occasions and the importance that he attaches to what is shared by the Government, too? Alexander Stewart. I thank the First Minister for that response. The Scottish National Party Government has been responsible for running health for nearly 17 years. That shows that, out of 33 countries of comparable wealth and income levels, Scotland ranks as low as 32nd for the five-year survival from pancreatic cancer, 31st for stomach cancer and 29th for lung cancer. First Minister, you should be ashamed that your Government has allowed the five-year survival rates for those cancers to deteriorate to some of the lowest in the developed world. What action will you take to resolve that? The First Minister. When, of course, there are those types of rates and survival rates, then there is work for the Scottish Government to do. There is no getting away from that. I have spoken often about my personal experience in relation to pancreatic cancer. I have lost a dear uncle to pancreatic cancer, so it is an issue that is very personal to me. I should say that, of course, there are areas that we will be comparing favourably to those 33 countries in terms of liver cancer. For example, survival rates in Scotland is 12th, whereas the UK overall is 21st and England is 25th. There are other cancer types where we are seeing progress, but clearly in other areas such as pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, brain cancer and lung cancer, there is still much more for us to do. In relation to what we are doing, I will make sure that the Cabinet Secretary for Health writes in detail to Alexander Stewart. However, what we are doing is trying to speed up the diagnosis where we can, and that is where we are investing in our detect cancer early programme. We are also investing in the rapid cancer diagnostic services, which are currently operational in five NHS boards across Scotland. The early evaluation from those rapid cancer diagnosis services shows that HPV liver and pancreatic cancers are among the most common cancers that are being diagnosed through that pathway. Overall, as I go back to this point and end in this point, overall, cancer mortality in Scotland has decreased by 11 per cent over the past 10 years, but less survivable cancers, as Alexander Stewart says, is clearly still work to do. David Torrance Thank you, Presiding Officer. While Labour MSP shamefully failed to support minimal unit pricing, a policy that has proven to save lives and reduce hospital dimensions since its inception, what assessment has the Scottish Government made on the impact of policies such as minute unit pricing on liver cancer rates in Scotland? Public Health Scotland's valuation of minimum unit pricing shows that MUP has had a very positive impact on health outcomes during the study period. It is estimated to have cut alcohol consumption, alcohol attributable deaths and likely to have reduced hospital admissions. Public Health Scotland estimates that about half of liver cancers are preventable in the UK, and that is why we continue to take action on the most prevalent factors, particularly alcohol consumption. Prevention of cancers takes longer to realise, but we would be hopeful that MUP impacts will be seen in the future for liver cancers. Our cancer strategy plays a focus on less survivable cancers, including, of course, liver cancer as well. Jackie Baillie I recently met a courageous group of women from the west of Scotland who shared their experience of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and being forced to use their family's life savings to fund private treatment in England. According to target ovarian cancer, those in the west of Scotland cannot access life-saving surgery that women in NHS Lothian can access. Consequently, they face poorer outcomes when it comes to survival rates for the disease. It is nothing short of a national scandal that women with ovarian cancer are having to pay for the surgery that they need and deserve because of where they live. Can the First Minister tell us why women in the west of Scotland can't get surgery and what urgent action is being taken to end the life-threatening postcode lottery? Again, I am happy to ensure that the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Health and Sport is in detail to Jackie Baillie about what actions are being taken. I do not want anybody in the country to know what their condition is, but particularly when it is cancer to have to wait a day longer than they have to in order to get treatment. We know that earlier that cancer is diagnosed, the earlier that treatment begins, the better chances in relation to survival. That is why we have taken action to increase the number of consultant oncologists. For example, there has been almost 100 per cent increase since the SNP has been in position. We have increased the consultant radiologist by more than 66 per cent as well. On private healthcare, again, when Scotland is compared to the rest of the UK, we see fewer people having to sell fund for any private and patient day-case care, notwithstanding all that, the work that we are doing in order, particularly on variant cancer, is one that I want to see extended right across Scotland so that there is not a postcode lottery of care. I am sure that the Cabinet Secretary for Health writes in detail to Ms Baillie. To ask the First Minister, in light of reported concerns regarding food labelling being a devolved matter, what the Scottish Government's position is on what impact the UK Government's reported plans to roll out not for EU labelling on food and drink products across the whole of the UK could have on Scotland's food and drink industry? A Government shares the well-documented concerns that Food and Drink Federation Scotland, many food and drink businesses, have highlighted about those labelling plans. The rural affairs secretary, Mary Gougeon, wrote to our UK Government counterpart before Christmas for much-needed clarification on their plans, however my understanding is that she has not had the courtesy of a response yet. However, we will continue to press the UK Government for answers, not least to the questions of why they are insisting on pursuing a policy that would arbitrarily add costs to all agri-food businesses, not just those who trade specifically with Northern Ireland. That is a move that is disproportionate. It is wholly inappropriate, particularly when consumers are already bearing the burden of added food costs. It is just another example, frankly, of Conservative chaos harming our economy. For that response, I agree with the First Minister about the impact and the harm that this will cause many Scottish food and drink businesses. Would the First Minister also agree that, although that might be needed for goods being traded with Northern Ireland, there is no rationale for it for other trade? Has the Westminster Government shared why it intends to impose this regime? No, it has not. We have again listened to them, but we have not had the courtesy of a response. There is not any real evidence or convincing argument for why this labelling requirement is necessary. Those food and drink stakeholders in Scotland have added so much to our economy and are absolutely scathing about the UK Government's plans. The Food and Drink Federation director for growth, Dut, said, Our members are really clear that the Government's plan to extend not-for-EU product labelling on a UK-wide basis will hamper growth, hitting investment exports and jobs while increasing consumer prices and restricting the choice of products. The evidence is clear, the independent analysis is clear, that Brexit is damaging our economy, and that is why it is utterly unforgivable that not a single UK-based party is standing up against Brexit, or even proposing that we rejoin the single market—a market seven times the size of the UK. The people of Scotland should be given that choice. Do they want to stay in broken Brexit Britain, or do they want to make decisions for ourselves as an independent nation in the European Union? The UK Government will launch a consultation on a new food labelling scheme that will ensure that consumers know what they are buying and that they are buying high-quality British produce over imported goods that do not meet UK welfare standards. Does the First Minister support this move, and can he explain how he expects Scottish farmers and fishermen to continue to provide high welfare and environmental standard food when his SNP budget is cutting £46 million from the rural affairs portfolio? Another Brexit burden for businesses in Scotland to have to bear, even though, of course, we did not vote for Brexit, but the damage of the burdens of Brexit are being imposed upon our businesses up and down Scotland. I do not think that businesses are lining up to thank Rachel Hamilton's Conservatives for the imposition of Brexit. Quite the opposite. We have, of course, even the British Retail Consortium saying that, given that labelling is intended to prevent goods from GB entering the EU through Northern Ireland, it is unclear why such labelling is necessary for all goods sold in Great Britain. That will only add unnecessary costs at a time when the cost of living is already so high. The SNP is the only party that is standing up against Brexit, the only party that says that we should be rejoining the European Union. We should be rejoining that single market that is seven times the size of the UK market. When the choice is so clear, it is no wonder that the Conservatives fear the verdict of the Scottish people. To ask the First Minister what percentage of the premises contracted for delivery of superfast broadband under the R100 scheme have still to be connected. All homes and businesses across Scotland can currently access a superfast broadband service. The R100 contracts are going beyond that by extending access to gigabit-capable broadband that is over 30 times faster than our original commitment. Our programme remains on track to complete build and ensure that all contracted premises are connected by 2028. So far, over 36,100 premises have been connected and the remainder will be phased between now and 2028. The Scottish Government has prioritised investment in digital connectivity in the 24-25 budget, despite, of course, swinging cuts from the UK Government. Recognising, of course, that digital connectivity is a key building block for a green and growing economy. First Minister, the R100 scheme was meant to connect over 114,000 premises, mainly in our rural areas, by 2021. From a freedom of information request, we know that only 29 per cent of those premises have been connected, and the figures in the north are even worse, with only 15 per cent delivered. The scheme for North Scotland has slipped to 2028, seven years late. Does the First Minister accept that the abject failure by his Government is leaving our rural communities behind, and will the R100 scheme be delayed any further? First Minister, first of all, we have a strong track record of delivering successful digital infrastructure. Our broadband initiatives have delivered almost 1 million connections to date, but for Douglas Lumsden, to ask about telecoms. When telecoms is wholly reserved to the UK Government, you could not mark his neck with a blow torch, because we have a strong track record. In fact, when it comes to rural Scotland, we have invested three times more in the R100 north contract than we have in the central or south contract. Any suggestion that North of Scotland has been neglected is simply untrue. Despite the fact that telecoms legislation is wholly reserved to Westminster, the UK Government has invested just £49.4 million of the R100 programme. That stands in stark contrast to the £592 million that the Scottish Government has invested. If we left it to the UK Government, we would all be using dilup modems. I thank God and goodness for the SNP stepping in. Through our efforts, of course, we have delivered over 1 million broadband connections to Scotland today. Thank you. We must move on. I call Beatrice Wishart. Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister may recall media coverage of the eye-watering quote of £725,000 given to Shetland residents to get connected to superfast broadband. The broadband voucher scheme, even when pulled with neighbours, wouldn't have covered the cost. Another constituent is investigating the possibility of a community scheme, but finds that inflation has impacted the scheme's real-terms value. Is it time for a rethink of the current voucher scheme offer? I am happy to look at the important issue that Beatrice Wishart does raise. We have had some success when it comes to our R100 programme on a number of our islands and sometimes our most remote islands. Of course, Beatrice Wishart is asking me about Shetland in particular, but when it comes to our contract build on Fair Isle, it was delivered almost two years ahead of schedule in one of the country's most challenging rural locations. What I would say to Beatrice Wishart is that the issues that she raised are important. Of course, if there are tweaks that we can make, understanding particularly the complexities in our island communities, then we are always happy to consider that. To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that information on sexually transmitted infections is accessible in light of STIQD, and the reported rising number of cases of sexually transmitted infections in Scotland? Ensuring that people have access to the information and services that they need to make informed choices and to take care of their sexual health is absolutely vital, which is why there are outcomes in our sexual health and blood-borne virus action plan. The plan that was published in November just last year sets out the priority areas for action over the next three years, and it is backed by £1.7 million of Government funding. The Scottish Government is funding a number of projects to support those priorities, including the development of a new sexual health website that is hosted by NHS Inform and production of accessible animated information resources on key sexual health topics, including STI testing in a range of community languages. Vaccinations against STIs also continue to be important in the protection of treatment and disease. Research published by the BMJ last year found that young people in rural and island communities face practical and social barriers to support for sexual wellbeing. Can the First Minister outline what steps the Scottish Government is taking to ensure access to timely STI testing in those areas? That is an important point that everyone rightly raises around the particular complexities and nuances that rural communities face in relation to sexual health care. Rural communities face very unique challenges when it comes to accessing healthcare, and sexual health is no different to that. That is why we do not believe that one size fits all when it comes to delivering healthcare in particular. NHS boards are the experts on their communities, which is why we work with boards to ensure appropriate tailored approaches that are very suitable to local needs. There are a number of projects that will be invested through our sexual health and BBV action plan, which include a significant focus on rural communities. Those include, for example, outreach services in Ayrsharn Arran and exploring the delivery of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis and primary care in Grampian. Carol Mocken Thank you, Presiding Officer. Given the importance the First Minister places on this issue, can I ask the First Minister to acknowledge that there are often limited access to in-person sexual health services, particularly, as was mentioned, in rural areas? Even in more urban areas, clinic times can be limited to one session per week, and NHS-informed indicates workforce pressures are causing operational hours to be changeable. Giff, in all of this, can I ask the First Minister what additional investment has been made in sexual health services to ensure that face-to-face appointments can be provided appropriately when requested? The point that has been made by the member is very important indeed. Of course, there will be a number of people who want that face-to-face service, and there will be a number of people who do not want that face-to-face service. All of us should collectivate that there is no stigma in relation to sexual health. People should be able to access the care that they want when they want it, however they want it, be it face-to-face or, indeed, otherwise. In terms of the funding that we are providing, I have mentioned the action plan. It is backed by £1.7 million of funding to improve sexual health and bloodborne virus outcomes. Grants totaling £800,000 have been distributed between a whole wide range of projects, including high-quality innovative projects with health boards, third sector organisations and academia. Many of them provide that face-to-face service that Carol Malkin rightly raises in terms of wider funding for the health service. I am very pleased that, notwithstanding the fact that we have swinging cuts from the UK Government in terms of our budget, we have increased our investment in the NHS to a record £19.5 billion. I move to general and constituency supplementaries, and I call Stuart McMillan. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The First Minister will be aware of the McLeur Solicitor's collapse, which happened in 2021, leaving an estimated 100,000 people affected UK-wide. The firm was a grant-based company with many clients locally. The trust's accession in Scotland Bill passed in December, and the current Regulation and Legal Services Scotland Bill will hopefully make similar situations in the future more manageable. However, would the First Minister provide an assurance that the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission will be supported if they require it to deal with the expected increase in complaints relating to McLeur's as former clients become aware of the collapse and as public information events take place that is similar to the one that was hosted at the Beacon in Greenock with the SLCC early this week, which was attended by 150 people? Yes, I am hopeful that the SLCC will be appropriate funded, and I will come to that point very shortly. I am aware of that matter. I appreciate, as Stuart McMillan has rightly said, the distress that this continues to cause. I can't comment on individual cases that the Scottish Government has taken proactive steps to mitigate against such a situation. In the future, Stuart McMillan is right to raise the issue of the regulation of legal services Scotland Bill, introduce his authorisation of legal businesses, bringing benefits such as greater consistency in regulating legal firms, enabling the regulator to identify and address deficiencies early doors. I understand the concerns that the member raises. The SLCC, in terms of funding, is funded by a lefi paid by legal professions in Scotland, and the SLCC requires to forecast trends and complaints when considering their budget in order to set the lefi. Any proposed lefi takes into account the consideration of potentially increases in complaints, such as complaints relating to the matter that has been raised. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Earlier this week, I attended a protest against East Dunbartshire Council's plans to close the Milan daycare centre. Milan provides a fantastic tailored service to elderly and vulnerable ethnic minority clients. Its service users all say that Milan should be a model for the rest of Scotland to follow, rather than something to be closed down. Does the First Minister agree that local services should cater to all communities, including the needs of ethnic minorities? And what can the Scottish Government do to save Milan and other centres like that? I thank Pam Goswell for raising the issue of the Milan centre. Just this week, yesterday, in fact, I met with the Scottish Hindu Foundation, a recently established organisation, on behalf of the Hindu community. It raised the issue of the Milan centre to me. I said that we would engage with the local authority in this case, East Dunbartonshire, in order to see what more we could do in order to assist. Of course, those are decisions that are being made by local authorities. That is why, of course, when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Deputy First Minister announced her budget, she announced an uplift for local government. I agree that community services are incredibly important. They should cater to the needs of all of our diverse communities. What does not help, of course, is that we continue to receive a £500 million cut in our block grant since 2022-23. Despite those swinging cuts, we have decided to prioritise local government by giving them an uplift in 2024-25. Glasgow City Council presented the service with an unworkable budget of £650,000 down from £1.5 million, but the funding was previously ring-fenced by the Scottish Government, which signed off a reduction in the funding in a letter on 31 May last year. That decision has effectively resulted in the closure of the service. Is the First Minister content that there is now no bed facility for women offenders with drug use as the main problem that has kept hundreds of women out of jail? The Lillia Centre in Maryhill, which is brilliant, cited by the cabinet secretary in her response, is not an alternative to custody disposal. Ministers surely cannot wash their hands of the tragic outcome. I know the 218 project well. I visited the 218 project in the past when I was on the Justice Committee many years ago. It is a project that I know is doing some excellent work. That is, of course, the decision that was made by Glasgow City Council on the services that they are able to fund. I am more than happy to ask the justice secretary to engage with Glasgow City Council on that particular issue, because I know that the excellent work that turning point 218 has done over the years. We know that, by giving that really intensive support to female offenders, we can stop that cycle of re-offending. It is a project that I know of and that I value very, very highly. Of course, we have maintained our budget in relation to the national mission, in dealing with drugs deaths in particular, but this Government that nobody should be in any doubt believes in community justice disposals. That is why I will ask the appropriate cabinet secretary to pick this issue up with Glasgow City Council. It was sad to hear that Marks and Spencer's have decided to close their Aberdeen, St Nicholas straight store. A blow that has been lessened by the fact that they intend to invest and expand Union Square in Aberdeen. However, the site of St Nicholas Street on Union Street is a very important one. I have asked the local authority and other stakeholders to come together to form a task force to ensure that we can have a bright future for that site and Union Street as a whole. The First Minister has previously ensured investment in our Union Street project to help with regeneration of Aberdeen city centre. Can I ask him if the Government would serve in such a task force if it comes to fruition? I hope that he will agree to do so. I will be happy to give that consideration. As the member has already rightly said, we value our city centres, our town centres and we are working hard to make sure that they are as vibrant as possible. A flourishing and vibrant city centre is essential for the social and economic well-being of our cities and of Aberdeen as well. That is why we provided, as the member said, £400,000 to the community-led Aberdeen Our Union Street initiative, which aims to revitalise the town centre building on the city centre's regeneration plans. However, if Kevin Stewart can furnish me with the details of the task force that he is proposing, we will give that due consideration. Liz Smith Thank you. Four months have passed since the Scottish Government announced a full public inquiry into Professor Eljam El, but we still have no confirmation of the appointed chair, no confirmation of the start date of the one-to-one clinical reviews, and as revealed by the Courier newspaper, no confirmation from you as First Minister that the public inquiry will start in 2024. Can I ask the First Minister for confirmation on all those points? The First Minister It is fully my expectation, of course, that the public inquiry starts in 2024. By that, of course, we should have a judge appointed, an inquiry chair appointed, very shortly, I would hope, because the Lord President rightly has been involved in the process of appointing an inquiry chair and discussions, I can say, are at a very advanced stage. Planning for the independent clinical reviews is also well under way, and further discussions are continuing early next week. We will see more as soon as we can, as with the announcement of the inquiry, we will ensure that former patients are informed directly wherever possible. However, I would like to say to those who have suffered greatly at the hands of Professor Eljam El. We do not want them waiting a moment longer in order for the public inquiry to begin, and I can give them absolute confidence that there is a lot of work happening somewhat behind the scenes at the moment with the appropriate authorities, including the Lord President, to ensure that an appropriate inquiry chair is appointed. The next item of business is a member's business debate in the name of Ruth Maguire, and there will now be a short suspension to allow those who are leaving the chamber and the public gallery to do so.