Maggie Chapman is right to raise the fact that there is a broad range of Scottish charitable and third sector organisations that want to assist Palestinian people in their present time of great need and distress. It is not just the fire engine that she has talked about that is being prevented from entering Gaza; much of the aid that the international community would wish to provide to people in Gaza is not getting through either. I will use every and any opportunity that I can to add my voice and the Scottish Government’s voice to appeal to authorities everywhere that have a locus in this to allow aid to get through to help the people of Gaza.

I agree with Karen Adam. It is important to say that the Scottish Government has set out and will continue to set out the opportunities that will come from being an independent country. We have set out our plans for the economy of an independent Scotland; for rejoining the European Union; for a new constitution with democracy, rights and equality at its heart; and for an inclusive and welcoming approach to citizenship, as well as a migration system that meets Scotland’s needs. The First Minister is also setting out our four priorities for government through a series of speeches. We will continue to speak about the issues that matter to the public so that people can have an informed choice about the future options that are available to them.

Indeed, I agree. Brexit has been a huge backwards step that has sharply reduced access to our greatest international trading market while bureaucracy, costs, delays and complexity have been imposed on Scottish businesses. Recent Scottish Government modelling estimates that leaving the EU will reduce Scottish gross domestic product by at least £4 billion in the long run, measured against today’s GDP, compared with what the figure would have been under continued EU membership.

The Scottish Government is doing what it can to mitigate the damage of a Brexit that Scotland did not vote for, to minimise divergence from the EU and to ease Scotland’s return to the EU as an independent country at the earliest opportunity.

I am delighted to hear Mr Stewart’s welcome of the positive impact that arts learning, arts teaching and participation in cultural life has on young people.

We have increased the culture budget in Scotland by the biggest single increment ever and the intention is to continue the growth of that budgetary support for the culture sector. I would welcome Alexander Stewart’s support for that. I note that he voted against the budget, so I will work very hard to persuade him next year that he should vote for the continuing increases in culture funding that the Scottish National Party is delivering in government.

The first part of Mr Rowley’s question was about whether there are discussions with education colleagues about the provision of support in education and training in relation to the creative industries. The roll-out of the screen sector element of the curriculum across Scotland that I mentioned, which has a positive benefit in Fife too, is an example of that.

Mr Rowley has drawn my attention to a specific issue in the region that he represents. I would be grateful if he could forward the details to me so that I might be able to reply to the second part of his question in a more considered and broader way.

We are proud that our record funding to Creative Scotland this year supports a wide range of exciting new entrants to the multiyear funding programme, serving smaller, often rural communities. That includes Glenkens Community and Arts Trust in Dumfries and Galloway and the Lyth Arts Centre in the Highlands, which join existing members of the geographically diverse cohort such as Deveron Projects in Aberdeenshire and Dance North Scotland in Moray. It demonstrates that we are committed to ensuring that our support for the sector is distributed across Scotland, reaching the communities who need it most.

Although it is for locally elected council representatives to make decisions on how best to deliver services in their local communities, the Scottish Government recognises the significant challenges that the museums and galleries sector is facing.

The Scottish Government is developing a museums capacity and support programme in partnership with Museums Galleries Scotland and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which will invest £4 million in 2025-26, taking a collaborative and strategic approach to enable positive change across the sector. That will ensure that those vital organisations have the resilience to continue to deliver for Scotland’s communities and for the nation as a whole.

The Scottish Government has a long-standing history of supporting youth arts programmes. That includes the youth music initiative and Sistema Scotland. Both will receive a 3 per cent uplift in 2025-26, taking annual investment to £9.78 million and £2.68 million, respectively.

We are also providing £12 million to local authorities to support free instrumental music tuition, and Screen Scotland’s groundbreaking film and screen education programme is supporting Scotland’s next generation of film makers. We are also calling on the United Kingdom Government to negotiate a youth mobility agreement with the European Union to ensure that young people can access the international opportunities of the creative industries.

I am absolutely delighted to join Pam Gosal in commending the campaigners. One of the underreported developments in recent years, with the financial distress that has been felt in the cultural sector here and elsewhere in the United Kingdom, which has been existential for many, is that a great number of important cultural venues have been saved from closure. We should all be grateful to those who have been involved in the campaigns to retain them.

I assure Pam Gosal that, like me, colleagues in Creative Scotland are absolutely seized of the need to ensure that the funding streams that are available can go to venues and organisations around the country. That has already been rolled out in part through Creative Scotland’s multiyear funding programme. Other funding streams are also available.

I agree that such events highlight the essential role that local museums play in preserving Scotland’s renowned industrial and maritime heritage, while delivering significant benefits to communities across Scotland.

As already mentioned, that is why we have increased funding to Museums Galleries Scotland from £2.7 million to £4.27 million this year. In addition, the Scottish Government is developing a museums capacity and support programme in partnership with Museums Galleries Scotland and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, in which we will be investing £4 million in 2025-26. I am pleased to say that that increased funding will offer additional support to the sector as a whole.