I am glad that the Scottish Government is finally taking charge of the future of education in Scotland. Our education sector has been racked by 16 years of SNP failure. The SNP has failed to support teachers and pupils with additional support needs, and it has failed to update an outdated and narrowing curriculum.

The situation in Sudan is not improving. Almost 1 million people have been displaced just one month into the conflict, and neighbouring countries are already overwhelmed with refugees. What discussions has the Scottish Government had with the UK Government about the possible influx of refugees coming from Sudan if the conflict continues indefinitely?

We welcome the Scottish connections framework and the picture that it paints of Scotland as a global nation. However, the UK and Scottish Governments should work together to maximise the opportunities that the diaspora network can bring. Much more could be achieved if the Scottish and UK Governments worked together to promote Scotland internationally. The failure of the Tories and the SNP to find common ground on anything to do with Scotland could hinder the impact and reach of our international efforts.

I agree and, as I said, withdrawing from such programmes can damage relationships.

An estimated 15,000 participants from Wales will take part in the Taith scheme by the end of August 2026. The Scottish Government must implement an international educational exchange programme now to ensure that Scotland stays visible and connected in terms of education.

My colleague Maurice Golden spoke about how the framework will encourage people around the world to consider Scotland as an area to visit, and it highlights the importance of our historical sites in teaching visitors and tourists. He rightly pointed out that the closure of so many such sites in Scotland should not hinder our tourism sector.

As my colleague Neil Bibby pointed out, Scotland must seek to improve our international air links to continue to promote Scotland and its heritage sites. Our airports are our link to the world. Proper investment into and the promotion of our international airports will encourage people to choose Scotland as a travel and holiday destination. This month, Glasgow airport is still running at only 86 per cent of its pre-Covid capacity, which leaves Scotland’s largest city with poor connections to international destinations and economic hubs. The Scottish Government should maximise the potential of our airports through direct flights to ensure a sustainable aviation industry in Scotland.

We welcome the publication of the document, and we wish for every success for the framework. We welcome the Scottish and UK Governments’ co-operation in achieving its success.

I thank Martin Whitfield for the intervention.

The framework commits the Scottish Government to working with the UK and other devolved Governments to utilise the UK’s full diplomatic footprint to achieve its aims.

Much can be done rather than just talking about independence and moving away from the United Kingdom.

I will continue. I have a lot to get through.

A UK Labour Government would ensure that it used all means to help boost Scotland’s international standing to create jobs and opportunities at home and abroad. I hope that the Scottish Government sticks to its commitment to work with all Governments in the UK to make that happen.

As my colleague Neil Bibby mentioned, the Scottish Government’s commitment to direct the National Records of Scotland to prioritise the development of online and digital resources is welcome. It will allow many of the Scottish diaspora to trace their ancestry and connections to Scotland.

Scotland is rich in history and culture. Christine Grahame rightly pointed out that culture is one of Scotland’s greatest exports. We have a lot to offer the world in shortbread, whisky, the Gaelic and Scots languages, medicine and much more. My colleague Daniel Johnson spoke about how important all those contributions are to the world.

He also spoke about the still-present evidence of Scotland’s key role in the transatlantic slave trade in our street names and monuments. As the framework outlines, we cannot and must not whitewash Scottish history. I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to deliberately reach out to historically marginalised communities and groups and work with economic institutions to better understand our role in their history. It is long overdue.

My colleague Neil Bibby already stressed that Scotland’s role in global history is not one of absolute goodness. It is important that we focus on addressing Scotland’s role in slavery and colonialism at home as well as abroad. Educating people about the legacy of Scotland’s colonial past will help us to overcome the racism and xenophobia that, unfortunately, still exist in our society.

As Martin Whitfield and Willie Rennie said, one crucial way in which Scotland could be better promoted in the international arena is through an international student exchange programme. The UK’s withdrawal from the Erasmus programme meant the loss of opportunity for thousands of Scottish students to travel and study abroad. The opportunity was also lost for the thousands of international students who would have wanted to visit and study in Scotland. If the Scottish Government is serious in its ambition to

“build a more vibrant, visible and connected Scottish community around the world”,

it must replace the Erasmus scheme. The Welsh Labour Government has already implemented the Taith scheme to replace Erasmus, with funding of £65 million over five years.

Outside Parliament today, there is a construction and traditional skills demonstration, with young people from the industry delivering mini master classes to school pupils. I spoke with students who emphasised the importance of industry-based courses at colleges and universities across Scotland. They highlighted how important skills-based labour courses are to our heritage sector and how positively they can contribute to industry recruitment overall. Can the minister advise how the withdrawal of funding to universities and colleges is expected to impact on those essential industry-based courses?

As has been said, any death results in a sad time for the family. Do families have an opt-out option? For example, in some faith communities, people want the burial to take place as soon as possible. As the witnesses said in answer to the convener’s questions, there is a shortage of professionals, so people might have to wait a very long time. What value is given to those families? How much information is given to them when organs are removed from the body?

It does, but the situation is never clear, because every case is different, as you have said. Most of the time, the family feel that they are not getting the information that they should be getting. There should also be an opt-out option. It is not clear whether the family is allowed to say that they do not want to go through all that difficulty.