Chamber and committees

I accept what you have said, except that we have circled, slightly. My concern is that we could be looking down the barrel of another £26.2 million and associated costs. Given that we recognise the role of the chair, any new chair may say, “Well, that is how Lord Bracadale chose to do things, but this is how I choose to do them.” Surely, that is the countering concern to what you have outlined.

I hear what you are saying but, again, there is a conundrum. Appropriately, you call to a higher power—that the issue involves public funds—and you seek to put your view that it would be appropriate for the inquiry to be brought to a conclusion. However, the Government thereby runs the risk of accusations of meddling in the independence of the chair. I cannot see how that circle can be squared within the current legislation and provisions.

You are being clear but we are not comparing apples with apples. I am not suggesting that there will be another £26.2 million of costs; I am suggesting that it is the right of the chair—and I do not want to labour this point—to make an assessment of the evidence that has been gathered thus far. I am not suggesting that the entire thing would be run again but there is at least the possibility that they might wish to further interrogate certain pockets of it. That, as a minimum, is a possibility. I am pointing out that, in terms of cost control and accountability, the conflict of interest at the heart of the 2005 act is largely unresolvable.

Thank you very much for that.

Since at least the ninth century AD, St Andrew has been revered in Scotland. His formal status was enshrined in an official act by the Scottish nation through the signing of the declaration of Arbroath in 1320. The document, which was written to the Pope, formally declared St Andrew as the patron saint, and he has remained so ever since. The date of 30 November is traditionally considered his day of execution, which was held to be on a saltire cross.

Of course, Scotland is not the only nation whose patron saint is St Andrew. Other places, from Ukraine to Barbados, have also adopted him, and he is patron saint of many other groups, from fishermen to singers and farm workers, as well as many others. His values can be said to embrace humility—perhaps reflecting the fact that he was a fisherman before becoming a disciple. Courage, faith, generosity and solidarity are also considered to be his values.

The former member of the Scottish Parliament Dennis Canavan introduced his St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Bill in 2005, and it became law in January 2007. Dennis Canavan is a well-kent figure in Falkirk district and has used his legendary powers of persuasion to convince me to convene the cross-party group on St Andrew’s day. I acknowledge his contribution.

We now have a recognised patron saint, a recognised patron saint day, a recognised symbol in the form of a saltire and a formal bank holiday. However, I feel that we still have more work to do to ensure that we use those values and our Scottish assets to their best advantage. I note the activities of the Scottish Government and its supporting partners, as were set out in a recent letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture to the cross-party group, as well as his planned visit to speak with us on 21 January 2026. I would like to hear more about what, specifically, is planned for this year.

Compared with St Patrick’s day celebrations and the promotion of Ireland, for example, Scotland still lags behind in utilising the opportunity of St Andrew’s day. I see clear examples of cultural diplomacy encouraged by the Scottish Government, but it is not yet at the scale that we need. I anticipate that the problem is one of both funding and capacity, and of having to deliver through people, partners and organisations, but a well-thought-out strategy is essential.

The year before becoming an MSP, I co-authored research into the Scottish business diaspora, with around 1,200 participants from 74 different countries taking part in the study. The results were very clear: there is a high regard for Scotland, from its cultural richness to its business acumen—for once, perhaps we can add its footballing prowess—but our diaspora were of the opinion that we could do much more to promote the richness of what Scotland has to offer and engage with them for both economic and cultural benefits.

Before looking furth of Scotland, let me reflect on the importance of the culture sector for those living in Scotland. According to the Scottish household survey, 88 per cent of adults in Scotland are culturally engaged, either having attended or visited a cultural event or place or having participated in a cultural activity annually. Findings from the survey indicate that, in 2023, 47 per cent of adults agreed that culture and the arts made a positive difference to their life, and 51 per cent agreed that culture and the arts made a positive difference to their local community.

Yet there is still comparatively little celebration of St Andrew’s day, which should be an opportunity to bring the entire Scottish community together in cultural celebration.

I will be as quick as I can, because I am respectful of the member’s time.

I have absolute respect for the fact that the member’s office set up and managed the inaugural St Andrew’s night in this place. My office then took it over, but that meant that, for two years, our local offices had to give up our resource to do that. We were unable to persuade the Parliament to carry on, leaving one of us to do that, which does not seem right.

Will the member give way quickly?

I am delighted to agree with my colleague Kenneth Gibson on that suggestion.

The approach thus far has been to encourage, rather than mandate. I do not disagree with that approach, but I think that the encouragement should be more encouraging. There are pockets of activity in some local councils, but there is no wholesale and unified approach encouraged by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, for instance. Some schools teach about St Andrew and the fact that his is our national day, but too many still do not.

This Scottish Parliament should do more, too. Each year that I have been here I have encouraged that, but I have never managed to get to the point where activities here, let alone a celebration, are the norm. The international strategy report, which was published two weeks ago, outlined Scotland’s considerable international trading footprint, including the fact that Scotland has had 135 inward investment projects secured. That maintains Scotland’s position as the United Kingdom’s top destination for foreign direct investment outside London. There has been £2.5 billion in export sales and £1.89 billion in capital investment, supported by international trade missions and ministerial visits.

Scotland is building many relationships to promote Scotland’s renewables potential, which includes offshore wind deployment and the supply of hydrogen to new industries across Europe, supporting the green energy transition and our climate goals. The beauty of Scotland is of course an important factor in attracting international tourism. I feel that the sector should be commended for the strides that it has made in supporting high-quality tourism in recent years. Modest though it may be, we have contributed £1 million towards humanitarian assistance in 10 countries. Other initiatives, such as the GlobalScot network and a number of international education programmes, are continuing to develop—so, there is good news.

Our arts organisations do superb work to promote Scotland culturally, and the cabinet secretary will be aware of the standing ovations that the Royal Scottish National Orchestra achieved on tour in Salzburg—but how much do all those organisations do, even when performing at home, to take St Andrew to the world and to bring him home? Again, my message is that so much more could be done.

Why, then, should we promote St Andrew’s day more effectively? It would represent an occasion for bringing domestic and international audiences together. It could and should celebrate the best of Scotland, bringing people together in a world filled with division. We can and should do more.

I respect what Mr McKee is saying about setting those targets locally but, in his discussions with local authorities, is he also prepared to press them to disaggregate the data that they collect in order to show data about women-led businesses? That is an area of oversight, and we are still struggling to get data about the amount of capital that goes to women-led businesses.

As the minister will be aware from my correspondence and our discussion, the rising pressures and demands are acute and are having an impact on many individuals in my Falkirk East constituency.

The Scottish Government’s director of mental health wrote to all health boards to seek clarification of what assessment and support they have in place, because of the diversity across different areas and because the local protocols are different, too. Have there been any findings from that letter, and is the minister able to give us any further information in that respect?