Chamber and committees

Scotland already has much of the infrastructure and institutions that make it well placed to become an independent state. The Scottish Parliament is a vibrant, dynamic and evolving democratic institution, representing the people of Scotland. We also have recent experience of developing new bodies to serve the people of Scotland, including Social Security Scotland, the Scottish National Investment Bank and Revenue Scotland, among others. We have set out the preparatory steps that we will be taking through the “Building a New Scotland” series. More detail on our vision for an independent Scotland is also set out in the series.

Stephen Kerr will be well aware of my long-standing support for the provision of military and humanitarian support to Ukraine. Given what he has just said, he might want to reflect on this: I can give him the assurance that the medical supplies that are distributed to Ukrainian hospitals will be used to treat all patients, both civilian and military.

I hope that Mr Kerr understands that we responded to a request by the Ukrainian Government. We received a letter from General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom, who, as I am sure Mr Kerr will know, was the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces.

He said:

“The act of generosity and solidarity demonstrated by NHS Scotland in extending a helping hand to Ukraine in its time of need exemplifies the true spirit of humanity and compassion ... The Ukrainian people are deeply grateful for the support and assistance provided by NHS Scotland, knowing that these supplies will make a difference between life and death for many.”

Since the onset of the current conflict, the Scottish Government has contributed £1.3 million in humanitarian funding for Gaza and the wider region. That includes £750,000 through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in December 2023 and £550,000 for the middle east through the Disasters Emergency Committee, Mercy Corps and the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund. The latter figure includes the further £300,000 that was announced at the end of April.

Civilians in Gaza are being bombed and left to starve by Israel on a massive scale. The impact on women and girls is horrific, as the UN commission’s independent inquiry set out in such harrowing clarity. Women and girls in Gaza cannot by any stretch of the imagination be considered responsible for Hamas’s atrocities on 7 October 2023, which also included horrific violence against women and girls, as noted by an earlier report by the commission.

Scottish ministers have consistently called on the UK Government to end all licensed arms exports to Israel. The UK Government’s decision to suspend some arms licences was welcome, but it should go further. The UK Government Secretary of State for Business and Trade said:

“there is a clear risk that military exports to Israel, where used for military operations in Gaza, might be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law”.

For that reason alone, all licensed arms exports should stop.

That work is in progress. In answer to Foysol Choudhury’s question about on-going discussions on the situation in Gaza, I can confirm that, tomorrow, I am meeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. If UNRWA has specific asks about supplying aid to Gaza, I am sure that members across the chamber will be interested in learning about them, and I will be happy to share that information with members.

Foysol Choudhury will understand that the response to the situation in Gaza is mostly a reserved function. I wish that that was not the case—I wish that Scotland was able to impose an arms export ban, but we cannot. Therefore, I urge him to use his good offices to ask his colleagues in the UK Labour Government to do the decent thing and end all arms export licences to Israel.

The Scottish Government has increased funding for Museums Galleries Scotland from £2.7 million in 2024-25 to £4.27 million in 2025-26. Through that additional funding, not only has a new capital fund been created but MGS’s small grants fund will open to non-accredited museums for the first time. A brand-new museums capacity and support programme will also launch shortly. It will provide £4 million of Scottish Government funding to support museums across Scotland as they innovate and test new ways of working that will sustain those vital organisations for years to come.

Mr Fraser should be very careful about seeking to smear people in this country who believe that it should be a sovereign state. That position is held by the majority of people elected to the Scottish Parliament, and it is beneath the member to seek to smear a majority in Parliament, notwithstanding our differences on the issue.

In the spirit of my answer to Alexander Stewart’s question earlier, I must confess that I am not aware of that area but I would be happy to ask my officials whether there is any such data, and, if there is not, whether it would be possible to compile it and whether that would be commensurate with the challenge that has been identified.

I am happy to be informed about the issue, because I am a strong supporter of our museum network around the country. We want the best displays in all museums, do we not? Therefore, I will take the encouragement from the member and reply to her in due course.

In answer to—[Interruption.]

I agree entirely with Humza Yousaf, and I commend him for his leadership on this issue. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is, frankly, a travesty. More than 400 Palestinians have now lost their lives while desperately trying to access the tiny amounts of food that are being distributed. Israel’s plan to entrust the distribution of aid in Gaza to private contractors has failed, with millions across the enclave at imminent risk of famine.

The situation is entirely man-made and preventable. Huge quantities of essential humanitarian aid are sitting on the borders, waiting to be delivered by established humanitarian actors with a proven track record of distributing it at scale in an effective, safe and dignified manner through more than 400 distribution points across the Gaza Strip. Those actors, who are best equipped to deliver life-saving aid, are being obstructed from doing their work. Without safe, co-ordinated access, the crisis will only worsen.