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It is a fact that COSLA said it, but do you accept that the evidence that it presented is factual in its content?

It will not be easy to find 300 more volunteers in such a short space of time, will it, minister? What are your concerns about what might happen, given that it is currently difficult to recruit CHS volunteers?

And they do not stand up.

I will move on.

We will have to increase capacity in the children’s hearings system, because the bill will increase demand for its services. What do you estimate that that increase in demand will be?

It seems somewhat incoherent to me that someone can get married at 16 but you are saying that the age of a child goes up to 18. Your Government just introduced legislation that was going to give children as young as 16 the ability to legally change their gender.

It is critical to the functioning of what is required of local authorities by statute. Do you accept that?

No, and I—

I am trying to unpack what COSLA told us about the cost implications arising from what is in the financial memorandum accompanying the bill. As has been said, COSLA highlights the impact on social services from the inaccuracy of the costs.

I am still not clear on whether you accept what COSLA says—

Okay, convener. I will move on.

Minister, do you also accept the issue with regard to the difficulty—perhaps, in COSLA’s view, the impossibility—of transferring savings that will, theoretically, occur in the criminal justice system into local government, as the convener outlined? What is your response to that?

Sorry—I am a bit confused. You say that you accept that there are inaccuracies.