It is good to have you at the meeting. Your comments on democracy were well made. We have spent quite a few weeks getting evidence about how we scrutinise the keeping pace legislation, so the parliamentary connection is really important for us. Your observations about subnational state governments are important for us because European countries are still our nearest neighbours and we want effective links plus accountability.

For us, the priorities are that we maintain relationships; interparliamentary liaison work is important for us within the UK but, of course, it is important that we liaise across Europe, as well. What are the opportunities for us? We think about the top priorities post the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—the shared climate agenda challenges and the climate challenge that people in Germany and Belgium experienced this summer with the climate crisis—and we think about the relationships that we need to foster and how they link to our trade relations. What would be our best approach in keeping pace with colleagues in Europe, both at European Parliament level and at the level of the devolved states and the regional government agenda, which is very important for us?

Thank you very much.

I have a question for Dr Zuleeg. I would like to focus on two topics that are clearly of major importance to Scotland. Following the United Nations 26th climate change conference of the parties—COP26—in Glasgow, are there opportunities for the Scottish Government and the EU to link, in a practical way, activity on the climate crisis and on economic development? Would such a link be fruitful in putting priorities in for the Scottish Government over the next few months?

I have found it interesting to listen to your answers to my colleagues’ questions. I will ask about the priorities for how we make the connections, in terms of both our scrutiny of the Scottish Government and our parliamentary work.

Mr Salamone, I want to follow up in detail a couple of recommendations that you make in your report. First, you make a suggestion that the Scottish Government could

“better delineate the operation of Scottish offices within ... UK diplomatic missions.”

Can you tell us a bit more about what that would look like in practice?

Associated with that, you have also talked about the range of offices that the Scottish Government has. How could they be better used, and what do you think the priorities should be for their expansion in the EU? I think that you said that the existing offices were logical, but you also said something about needing more of a rationale for the best options for expansion in the EU. Could you focus on those two issues?

Your points about the need for an evidence-based approach are well made. You have answered my colleagues’ questions about the Scottish diaspora networks and the crucial issues of trade, culture and the climate crisis. There are clearly both parliamentary and governmental priorities on those issues, and it is a matter of seeing how those are played out across the EU.

The Northern Ireland protocol has taken up a lot of energy in other parts of the UK, but our committee has been looking at the trade issue and the alignment project. To what extent would those offices, and that Government connection, help with transparency on those issues?

That is a very helpful answer.

Following on from the questions that I asked Mr Salamone, where should we spend our energies as a Parliament? I would welcome your thoughts on the priorities for us in holding our Government to account and engaging in cross-parliamentary liaison, for example, in the context of the climate crisis and economic opportunities. Further to your previous answer, what advice would you give us as a Parliament working within the UK with the other devolved Parliaments and as a Parliament building links with Europe? Should we do that through the network of representative offices, or should there be direct parliamentary liaison? What would be your recommendations for us as a committee?

Thank you. That is helpful. I am conscious that we are at the start of our parliamentary session, so these may be issues for us to reflect on. My thanks to both the witnesses.

That is useful feedback for our Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee and our Economy and Fair Work Committee. Our challenge is in scrutinising overall relations between Scotland and the EU following Brexit. Your comments about interparliamentary liaison, particularly your diplomatic answer in response to the convener, were very useful. We will want to keep pursuing that issue.

There is also a challenge for us in relation to the keeping pace agenda on trade. To what extent can we make better use of our Scottish offices in Brussels and other parts of the EU with regard to keeping in touch with developments that take place in the EU? The Conference on the Future of Europe was mentioned earlier. Are there useful lessons that we can learn from that project that would allow us to anticipate what happens next in the EU? Such bilateral relationships would at least allow us to see what was coming and to think about the areas in which it would suit Scotland and the rest of the UK to align.

The cabinet secretary claims that she has given councils a fair settlement but, in Edinburgh and across the Lothians, we see massive service pressures every day as a result of historical Scottish National Party underfunding and a growing population. In the past year, the integration joint board has had to take £7 million out of reserves in Edinburgh to meet the immediate care crisis that we face, but constituents are getting in touch almost daily to say that, because of the shortage of care workers, they are not getting the urgent care-at-home support that they need now.

Will the cabinet secretary accept that an extra 50p an hour for care workers does not begin to address rising prices, or the huge increase in housing costs that we have seen in Edinburgh?

I, too, thank the minister for advance sight of her statement. I agree with the importance of funding to support our culture sector, our venues and those who work in the sector. However, will the minister acknowledge the huge impact on cultural venues and organisations of the requirement to draw down their reserves before they qualified for Scottish Government funding during the pandemic? Those organisations are now under massive pressure, given the length of time that they were unable to operate—which the minister has acknowledged—and the long financial shadow that Covid-19 has cast over their capacity to recover and get back to where they were pre-Covid. What financial support can she offer them today?

I also agree that culture is critical to our collective wellbeing. Will the minister commit to offering the same support and recognition that she has offered to Arts Culture Health and Wellbeing Scotland to develop, to the arts in education recovery group to support those who have worked tirelessly throughout Covid to ensure that young people have access to cultural experiences?

Finally, will the minister consider arts prescribing to help people to recover from Covid? As she mentioned, we have some great programmes, but do we not need everyone to be able to benefit from the arts, when they need it mentally, regardless of where they live, to promote our collective health and wellbeing going forward?

Is it possible for the Deputy First Minister to outline how constituents can apply for support from caseworkers and independent legal support as mentioned in his statement? It would be very helpful if he could do that so that we could signpost it to our constituents.