Chamber and committees

I agree with Jamie Greene, David Cameron and all the political parties in the chamber that have supported international development over the past 20 years. It is simply very disappointing to see the Conservative Party walking away from that consensus.

I am proud to confirm that, as the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government set out in her statement to Parliament, while others are choosing to reduce commitments to international development, we in Scotland will increase our international development fund by a quarter to £16 million. We have also reaffirmed our commitment to climate justice, with more than £12 million allocated to support for vulnerable communities in the global south, particularly women and young people.

As the budget is currently in draft, we await final agreement through the parliamentary process before confirming allocations and spending plans for next year that reflect the proposed uplift.

The Scottish Government has a long-standing history of supporting young people to engage in the arts through programmes such as the youth music initiative and Sistema Scotland. We are proud that those programmes will receive an uplift in the 2026-27 budget, taking our annual investment in the programmes to £10 million and £2.787 million. Both programmes demonstrate the transformative power of culture, ensuring that young people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to enjoy music and wider arts.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I apologise—I could not connect to the system. I would have voted yes.

I have already raised our support for the creation of the Scottish public interest journalism working group, which covers the general point that Maggie Chapman raises.

In relation to STV, the timely recognition of the regional impact of developments—which is clearly an issue in the north-east at the moment, given the weather situation there—underlines how important it is that we have public service journalism covering such situations.

I give Maggie Chapman an assurance that the Scottish Government continues to meet Ofcom regarding a range of broadcasting matters, including STV’s proposals for regional news provision. I wrote to Ofcom regarding that matter, and I have met the chief executive to raise the Scottish Government’s concerns. I have urged the regulator to ensure that regional representation in news coverage is safeguarded and that the public service broadcaster’s service commitments to invest in news to help to tackle misinformation, which issue Maggie Chapman also raised, are upheld.

I join Annabelle Ewing in paying tribute to Winnie Ewing for her role in relation to the Erasmus scheme. Scottish Government offices in Brussels and European Union member states will be using their and our extensive network of formal and informal contacts across the European Union to ensure that Scotland’s interest and engagement in the Erasmus+ programme is firmly registered. At the time of our last involvement, Scotland participated overproportionately in the Erasmus+ programme. We will also be working with our higher and further education sectors in Scotland, as well as with youth, schools and others in Scotland that are in the ambit of the programme, to encourage maximum participation.

We looked closely at the Welsh scheme and came to the conclusion that there was no substitute for Erasmus. That is why we pushed so hard for the Erasmus+ scheme to be reintroduced. It might be of interest to Martin Whitfield and other members if I share a bit of information that I think is relevant. The United Kingdom Government has said that the UK and EU did not agree at the summit, nor as part of the deal, to home fee status for EU students. That would have been detrimental to students at Scottish universities. Students who participate in Erasmus+ placements are exempt from tuition and registration fees at their host institutions, but they may still be required to pay fees at their home institutions. It is important to understand that.

However, it should be clear to everybody that there is no substitute for the Erasmus+ scheme. That has now been acknowledged by Martin Whitfield’s colleagues in the UK Government, and we can agree on the point that Erasmus+ is the best way forward for students in Scotland and for European students who want to come to institutions here.

I am very content to look at the suggestions that Michelle Thomson makes. In case she does not know, I point out that, as part of our support for Ukraine, the Scottish Government has provided £300,000 for the Scotland-headquartered HALO Trust, for mine clearance, risk education and the training of de-miners, with a focus on employing women to help make communities safe.

The Scottish Government will continue to advocate for support for Ukrainian women and to contribute to Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, including through the UK-Ukraine 100-year partnership and initiatives such as the John Smith Trust’s Ukrainian women’s leadership programme.

The Scottish Government resolutely condemns Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine, as we have done since its invasion. We recognise the devastating impact that landmines have, killing and maiming thousands each year. They are indiscriminate and unpredictable, and their presence drives whole communities from their homes and land. The Scottish Government regularly discusses with the UK Government issues arising from the on-going war in Ukraine, and civil servants engage on the matter with their counterparts in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Rejoining Erasmus+ is essential. The Scottish Government has made a consistent demand for that since Scotland was recklessly removed from the programme under the UK’s disastrous Brexit. We welcome the current UK Government’s agreement that staying in Erasmus+ was always the right choice. We will now work with partners to maximise the benefits and take-up of the scheme.

However, every step to rebuild EU relations reminds us of what was lost through Brexit and what cannot be regained under the UK Government’s current negotiations process. Therefore, Scotland’s future is in Europe as a full EU member.