Chamber and committees

We have five national performing companies—I am looking at the list right now—and four of them are based in the central belt. The fifth is the National Theatre of Scotland, which is famously a theatre without walls. I recognise that a consultation is happening now, but I imagine that a lot of my constituents would probably argue that the Highlands and Islands is very much the spiritual home for much of our traditional music. Would the Government be looking to explore the Highlands and Islands as the physical home for the new performing company?

Welcome to your role, Deputy First Minister. On the proposed food prices bill, I know that we will not get into the details of the policy, but we need to recognise that there is uncertainty around the bill. I have spoken to a lot of farmers over the summer, and NFU Scotland in particular is concerned that the policy will hit producers.

That point about uncertainty is important, because there is also a lot of discussion, particularly in the media, that ultimately we might be seeing a bit of a constitutional rammy with the UK Government, which might block the bill through UKIMA. That uncertainty is not helpful. I have also seen trailed in the press that the Scottish Government might look at other avenues, such as using health powers. Can you address that uncertainty? I recognise that there is a consultation, but how might you try to avoid those challenges down the line?

I want to ask about devolution by default and to move the conversation on to your relationship with the UK Government. As we discussed in the committee meeting last week, since 2024, the UK Government has had a policy of devolution by default. That is the idea within the civil service that, as it says on the tin, local communities should be empowered first and foremost, rather than central Government. Do you agree that there is a lot that the Scottish and UK Governments could learn from each other in that space?

Excellent. Perhaps you could expand on that. In the programme for government, we have seen that there may be changes to the settlement for local authorities. The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, is exploring devolution within a wider UK or an English context. Is there an opportunity to learn from one another? I hope that both Governments are looking at the principle of devolution and how powers can go further.

Mayors seem to be getting a lot of airtime this morning. I return to my earlier question about learning from one another and the idea of devolution by default. My constituency in the Highlands is very different—

Yet you know that that is not something that Scotland should have.

Thank you, minister. If you are intent on increasing the funding by 25 per cent over the course of the parliamentary session, I will continue to make the case about front-loading it. The point about its being in line with inflation is important.

Thank you, too, for the commitment to write to the committee. It would be helpful if, in doing so, you could also highlight what proportion of money is currently managed by organisations in Scotland through the international development fund.

My last question is around loss and damage. It is fair to welcome the fact that at COP26—the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—the Scottish Government was the first global north Government to commit finance to loss and damage. I think that we are at about the £10 million mark in totality since then. Can you set out in detail how those funds have been spent, where they have been distributed and what the impact has been?

At COP30, there was a lack of a binding agreement around financial commitments on loss and damage. Given your record, do you think that the Scottish Government will continue to champion those binding agreements? Will that be a priority as we look ahead to the next COP?

I want to pick up where Keith Brown left off with regard to the world cup. There has been a media flurry about the cost of the tickets for the First Minister and the colleagues who went with him. Is there a job to do for the Government to get ahead of this and demonstrate value for money, regardless of people’s views on the issue? You highlighted the importance of jobs, and you highlighted the whisky industry, which is important for my constituency. Is there a case to say that the Government can do more to demonstrate value for money in this area?

That was helpful. You touched on the £90 billion that Brexit is costing us. You and I agree that Scotland’s best future lies in our being in Europe. We also agree that the UK Government should pursue membership of a customs union and the single market. There will be issues on which we disagree—we certainly disagree on the constitutional question in Scotland—but, regardless of that, as the minister for Europe, how do you see yourself bringing together different parts of civil society in Scotland in order to pursue our future in Europe?

Thanks, convener. First of all, I should refer to my entry in the register of interests as a former employee of Christian Aid and the British Red Cross.

I welcome the minister to her role. We have not engaged on the record since she was appointed, so I just want to give her a warm welcome now.

Minister, I am pleased to hear your considerations with regard to the international development strategy, but I encourage you to take a view on the fact that we are now 10 years on since we published that strategy, and that it has been five years since the review. Now is the time to look at it again. The context with regard to funding across the world has drastically changed, and I think that the way in which we need to do our development work—particularly through the partnership approach demonstrated by SCIAF, to go back to the example that was raised earlier—is a world away from where we were 10 years ago. I am therefore looking forward to a commitment in that respect.

On funding, there has been the welcome news of the £16 million per annum that the First Minister announced late last year, towards the end of the parliamentary session, which was five years after the commitment was first made.

My question is in two parts: first, of that £16 million per annum in this current financial year, what commitments have already been made? Secondly, you highlighted your recent manifesto commitment to increase that budget by 25 per cent. Will you front load that and do it towards the start of this parliamentary session to ensure that the increase is in line with inflation? At the minute, the Government’s watchword, particularly when it comes to public service reform, is “prevention”. The sooner you spend money, the better it can be delivered down the line. That is particularly the case when it comes to development.