I think that I said at the evidence session that I would get back to the member on that.

I want to address the reference to 24 genders; I have answered a question on that before. The Scottish Government recently updated its guidance to public bodies on collecting data on sex and gender to include a coding framework for free-text responses. The framework is there to help official statistics producers categorise people who identify as trans and who have completed an open-response question about their trans status.

The categories were developed based on responses to the question in the 2022 census. As I have said before, the framework should not be interpreted to mean that there are a particular number of genders. It should be used only as a guide to classify responses to the recommended trans status question in surveys.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the collection and analysis of data on gender inequality. To build the strongest evidence base, we continue to advance quantitative, qualitative and lived-experience evidence collection. In the equality data improvement programme, 28 of the 45 actions relate to improvements in sex and gender evidence, demonstrating the breadth of action across Government. We recognise that there is more work to be done to improve the collection, analysis and use of data and evidence on gender inequality, and we are continuing to work with our stakeholders to do so.

I thank Tim Eagle for raising the amazing work that that organisation does. The Scottish Government is committed to continuing to support the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution to provide emotional, practical and financial assistance to people who live and work in Scottish agriculture.

We have provided funding of a total of £50,000 to support RSABI in financial year 2023-24, taking the total Scottish Government support to £565,000. We are in discussion with RSABI on future funding requirements. The funding supports it to deliver important services such as emotional, practical and financial assistance to those in the agricultural sector.

I will give a brief response. Beatrice Wishart has raised many issues that also cover colleagues’ portfolio areas, so I will connect with them and issue a more detailed response.

The Scottish Government continues to deliver a range of interventions to support people seeking asylum who live in Scotland. Working with partners, we have reaffirmed our approach of supporting integration from day 1 in the third new Scots refugee integration strategy delivery plan.

Many of the essential services that support people seeking asylum are devolved and are delivered inclusively for everyone who lives in Scotland, as far as that is possible within United Kingdom immigration legislation and rules. This year, we are providing £3.6 million of grant funding to the Scottish Refugee Council for a comprehensive nationwide refugee support service.

It is estimated that a third of the people living in Scotland who are seeking asylum may already be eligible for free bus travel through the national concessionary travel schemes on the basis of age or disability, because those schemes are delivered inclusively. We are committed to exploring whether we can extend free bus travel to all people who are seeking asylum before the end of the current parliamentary session, subject to the successful passage of a Scottish budget that contains the issue and an agreed way forward in terms of practical delivery. I call on Paul Sweeney to urge members on his benches to support that budget in order for that to take place.

I understand Mark Ruskell’s frustration and I am on the record as sharing that. This is not a position that the Government wanted to be in. We have had a very challenging fiscal climate and we have had to make incredibly difficult decisions in order to deliver balanced and sustainable spending plans for the financial year 2024-25. At that time, it was unaffordable to progress the piloting of free bus travel for all people who are seeking asylum in Scotland. I took responsibility by making that announcement in person.

I refer the member to my previous answer regarding the forthcoming budget.

I thank Mr Yousaf for making the case for immigration very successfully. Scotland is an outward looking and welcoming nation and we can be proud of being such a welcoming country. We celebrate, value and protect diversity in our communities.

We all have a responsibility to confront hatred and prejudice wherever and whenever they appear. Scotland is a diverse, multicultural society, and that diversity strengthens us as a nation. The delivery of our new Scots strategy is a crucial way to help us to build inclusive and cohesive communities.

To support the delivery of our social isolation and loneliness delivery plan, we implemented the social isolation and loneliness fund in March 2023. In communities across Scotland, 53 projects are currently operational, providing opportunities for people to connect. At the end of year 1, projects reached 11,293 individuals, with a focus on priority groups that are most at risk of social isolation and loneliness.

We know the impact of social isolation on mental health, and that is why we continue to support the national rural mental health forum to build the confidence of rural organisations to deliver mental health support to their members and networks.

Alex Rowley raises important points, and I am well aware of the value that is added by local groups. Of course, Fife Council is Labour-led, and I ask all councils to consider the point that he has raised.

I highlight the work of Befriending Networks Scotland, which I mentioned earlier as receiving £40,000 a year for three years, covering 2023 to 2026. I have visited some of its projects. It supports befriending services across Scotland and currently has 118 Scottish members. Approximately one in four of its members are independent community organisations that operate in rural areas. Several national organisations serve rural communities through telephone befriending or commissioned services.