I congratulate the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on its 75th anniversary, the success of the first show under new creative director Alan Lane, and the £750,000 in charitable giving that was provided during 2025. The Scottish Government-led brand Scotland partnership maximises domestic and international opportunities to promote Scotland. Through its work, we showcase the tattoo annually, amplifying its impact in Edinburgh during August and year round, alongside our other globally recognised festivals. Scottish Government officials will soon meet tattoo counterparts to explore further collaboration on international ambitions, building on previous partnership work such as tartan week and the Washington DC tattoo in the USA.

I gently say to Mr Bibby that, in my initial answer, I gave quite a lot of detail on the level of support—both direct and indirect—that the Scottish Government provides to libraries. He will, of course, know that library provision is devolved to local government. If he is keen on financial support for libraries, he would have a little bit more credibility on the subject if, rather than abstaining in the budget vote or voting against it, as the Tories did, he had voted for the increases that have been provided to support libraries.

The member did not even listen to the answer to the question before he raised a point of order.

I am not aware of any humanitarian aid being used in the way that Mr Halcro Johnston suggests. If I receive any reports of that, I will share them with him. I am sorry that he could not also take the opportunity, in his point of order, to condemn the genocide that is being waged against the people of Gaza, and the humanitarian situation there—[Interruption.]

I commend Mr MacGregor for his question. He is absolutely right: the Scottish Government recognises the vital role that libraries play as so-called third places—that is, welcoming, inclusive spaces that support wellbeing, digital inclusion and community connection. That is why we fund SLIC’s public library improvement fund, which supports projects that blend culture, health, social impact and other factors. One such example is the return journeys programme to help underreached groups to reconnect with libraries, which I had the pleasure of seeing at first hand in Falkirk last year. It is a powerful example of how libraries in Scottish communities, such as the ones in Coatbridge and Chryston, are evolving into trusted wellbeing hubs.

For the obvious reason that Mr Stewart set out, I am keen to support any place that helps with literacy and learning, but we must be open-minded with regard to new ways in which libraries can provide services to people young and old. I mentioned the potential role that libraries can play as so-called third places, to which people can go to support wellbeing endeavours and learn about digital inclusion and wider community connection, and I encourage Mr Stewart, his party and others across the Parliament to do what they can to help local authorities—which have the responsibility for the libraries in their areas—to adopt such an approach. I am sure that that will maximise the retention of the library network across Scotland, which is a goal that I support.

The Scottish Government engages proactively with European counterparts through bilateral partnerships, multilateral forums and cultural diplomacy, which includes a busy programme of inward and outward visits. Through our network of international offices, which includes key European hubs in Berlin, Paris, Dublin and Copenhagen, along with Scotland houses in Brussels and London, we promote Scottish interests, build partnerships and attract investment. Maintaining close relations with our European neighbours is essential in helping to mitigate the damage of a Brexit for which Scotland never voted.

The Scottish Government receives regular updates from a number of humanitarian organisations regarding the on-going humanitarian crisis in Palestine, including United Nations agencies such as UNICEF, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Disasters Emergency Committee and our humanitarian emergency panel members, which include the British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Save the Children, the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund and Tearfund. We are also collaborating with Kids Operating Room to establish the Gaza HOPES—healthcare for obstetrics, paediatrics, emergency, and surgical care—field readiness hub in Dundee, which will support a rapidly deployable hospital in Gaza to provide essential surgical, maternity and paediatric services and support the longer-term recovery of the healthcare sector in Gaza.

First, I take the opportunity to publicly welcome Mr Jones to his role as Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, following the UK Government’s latest reshuffle.

It is crucial that UK Government ministers engage meaningfully with devolved Governments and parliamentarians, especially in relation to the budget, given the impact that spending decisions at Westminster have on Scotland. Given that he now has responsibility for intergovernmental relations, I urge Mr Jones to pursue a good level of engagement with me and my ministerial colleagues, as well as with the Parliament and parliamentarians.

More broadly, the Scottish Government welcomed the UK Government’s commitment to reset its relationships with the devolved nations; however, we have become increasingly concerned about the extent to which that relationship has truly been reset. Several high-profile problems in intergovernmental working have occurred over the first year of the UK Government’s term. I hope that Mr Jones takes note of that and works to forge better collaboration, to ultimately benefit the people of Scotland.

VisitScotland works closely with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to promote Scotland internationally, using the event’s global profile to inspire overseas visitors to experience our culture and heritage. The collaboration is particular valuable during the tattoo’s international tours and major showcases, such as tartan week in New York. The tattoo strengthens Scotland’s reputation as a world-class events destination, helping to attract international audiences and drive sustainable tourism. Alongside our diverse portfolio of major arts and cultural events, it plays a vital role in promoting Scotland’s creativity, landscapes and warm welcome to visitors from around the world.

The Scottish Government welcomes collaboration between Scottish parliamentarians and members of other Parliaments, including through the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly—known as BIPA. BIPA provides a useful platform for members of the Scottish Parliament to engage with counterparts across these islands. I thank Ms Ewing and the other Scottish members of BIPA for their contributions to that. I am particularly pleased to welcome the reconvening of the BIPA plenary, which will take place in Weybridge from 12 to 14 October.

The Scottish Government also places great value on our partnership with Ireland, as is seen in the Ireland-Scotland bilateral framework. The framework acknowledges the importance of BIPA in deepening parliamentary connections.