We estimate that the increase to employer national insurance contributions could add around £500 million in costs for the public sector as a whole unless it is fully reimbursed. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations estimates that the national insurance hike will cost the third sector £75 million, which will affect many of our most valued cultural organisations, such as local theatres, museums and galleries.

The UK Treasury must fully fund the actual costs for Scotland’s culture sector. However, it has indicated that the sector will instead receive a much lower-value Barnett share of the spending in England. On 3 January, the First Minister and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities president, supported by 48 public and voluntary sector organisations, wrote to the chancellor to raise concerns about the impact of the increase to employer national insurance contributions and to seek clarity on funding.

I thank Neil Bibby for inviting me to pre-announce both Creative Scotland’s announcement, which is to be made at 10:30 tomorrow morning, and my statement, which will also take place tomorrow. He will understand that it is not appropriate for me to give any indications about those statements. I look forward to answering his questions in more detail, and I hope that he will be as enthused as I am about what will be, I believe, a foundational change to the funding of cultural and arts organisations across Scotland.

I commend Rona Mackay for her question, because she is absolutely right. Understandably, we spend a lot of time talking about revenue budgets and how they impact the culture sector, and perhaps pay too little attention to the capital side of things.

I agree that it would be helpful if the UK Government could provide more certainty around multiyear budgets. I recognise the importance of providing multiyear capital budgets for the wider public sector, including for our national collections, as well as for the third sector, business and other organisations.

I take the opportunity—it is the first opportunity that I have had—to welcome the ceasefire and to recognise both the loss of life in Israel from the horrific terrorist act, which also claimed the life of a Scot, and the tens of thousands, most of whom were civilians, who have died in Gaza.

We keep the relationship with UNRWA under review, as the United Kingdom Government has done. Any notion of providing funds was paused at the same time that the UK Government did so. The member is absolutely right that there will perhaps be circumstances in the future in which funding needs to be considered. I am happy to write to him to provide information about safeguards in supporting UNRWA and other United Nations agencies. However, we remain a supporter of the United Nations involvement in Gaza and the west bank through UNRWA.

I would strongly encourage local authorities across Scotland, given the new funding landscape, to look sympathetically at library provision. The last time that we discussed the matter was in relation to the review that was conducted by Perth and Kinross Council on the importance of libraries. At that stage, I asked whether Murdo Fraser wanted to forward to me the submission that I assumed that he must have provided to that review. I am still waiting for that submission, so if he is able to forward it on to me, I would be very keen to read what he provides.

That is a very interesting question from Alex Cole-Hamilton about energy efficiency. It is not just about what we can learn here, in this country. While I was in Germany last summer, supporting Scotland in other circumstances, when the national team was on the sporting field, I met the galleries in Stuttgart, which are world leading when it comes to energy efficiency.

I agree with Alex Cole-Hamilton that we should be looking at what we can learn—whether from here or anywhere else—about how we can reduce the costs and overheads of our national galleries and other cultural institutions so that they can maintain a healthier financial balance sheet. My officials and I would be happy to discuss that with the National Galleries of Scotland.

The Scottish Government wants to ensure that everyone in Scotland has access to culture.

Through its regularly funded organisations network, Creative Scotland provides, with Scottish Government funding, nearly £14 million per year to organisations across the Lothian region, which includes £4.1 million that is specifically for cultural venues and theatres. The Scottish Government has also provided £10.3 million towards the redevelopment of the King’s theatre in Edinburgh, and it will provide the national collections with just over £78 million in the 2025-26 draft budget.

I urge Sue Webber to look out for Creative Scotland’s announcement tomorrow on multiyear funding for cultural organisations and venues, and I hope that she votes for the budget provisions.

When we have portfolio questions, I reflect on the passion of colleagues across the chamber for the support of important cultural venues, which I share with Sarah Boyack and other colleagues.

I have already been questioned about the situation affecting the Brunton theatre, and I have expressed my willingness to look closely at any plans and to look sympathetically at any way that we can ensure that cultural provision in East Lothian Council and all other parts of the country is appropriately supported.

As a first step, I encourage Sarah Boyack to look closely at the announcement that Creative Scotland will make tomorrow about multiyear funding support for cultural venues and organisations. We are turning a tanker in the provision of support for the culture sector in Scotland and are heading in the right direction. As we do that, we need to ensure that there is support for organisations and venues across the country, whether they are supported through multiyear funding or not.

It is worth putting on record that the Scottish Government recently made changes to allow Historic Environment Scotland more financial freedoms in relation to its commercial income.

I am keen to support Historic Environment Scotland in a number of ways, which I discussed with the chief executive only a few weeks ago. That included skills such as stonemasonry. I am sure that she and HES colleagues will look closely at the suggestions that have been made about the website.

I commend Alex Cole-Hamilton for his question, notwithstanding the fact that other colleagues have asked about that subject, too.

The Scottish Government is in regular dialogue with the National Galleries of Scotland as it is one of Scotland’s non-departmental public bodies. My officials are currently working with National Galleries of Scotland to understand the challenges that it is facing, despite it being set to receive £27.4 million in 2025-26, which is a 9 per cent increase since its 2024-25 allocation.

I welcome the decision by the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Green Party to support the budget. With its record increase in spending outside Covid, it is a solid foundation for further support for national and local cultural institutions, including our galleries.