The culture sector across Scotland has had a significant boost as a result of the delivery of multiyear funding. Can the Deputy First Minister say any more about how that is ensuring a thriving cultural scene and supporting employment opportunities in Glasgow and the surrounding areas, such as my constituency of Rutherglen, as well as boosting the growth of creative industries across Scotland?

The third item on our agenda is consideration of testimonies from individuals who are living with a terminal illness, as part of the committee’s stage 1 scrutiny of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

Since it commenced taking oral evidence on the bill last year, the committee has also engaged with a number of organisations that are involved in providing front-line care and support to individuals who have a terminal illness. The purpose of that engagement was to explore whether any such individuals would be willing to contribute personal testimonies about their experience and their views on the bill.

Throughout that process, the committee has made every effort to take a sensitive approach to ensure that the autonomy of the individuals concerned is respected, that they are suitably supported and that any associated practical barriers to participation are appropriately addressed. I place on record the committee’s sincere gratitude to Alzheimer Scotland, Age Scotland and Marie Curie Scotland for the helpful and thoughtful way in which they have engaged with the committee on such a sensitive topic. I make it clear that those organisations take a neutral position on the issue of assisted dying and neither support nor oppose the bill.

As a result of our engagement, the committee has received two testimonies from individuals who are living with a terminal illness, which have been published on the committee’s web pages. I express my sincere thanks to both individuals for their important contributions to the committee’s scrutiny of the bill at stage 1, as well as to individuals who have contacted me directly as convener of the committee or as a constituency MSP, to share their views and experiences.

There is now an opportunity for other committee members to put on record some of their thoughts.

The committee will not meet in public next week, but we will meet in private to consider our future work programme. After the Easter recess, the committee will meet in private to consider a draft stage 1 report on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. With that, I close the public part of the meeting.

I have a brief question before I bring in Sandesh Gulhane. Have any of your organisations assessed the resource implications of the bill? I am using the term “resources” in the wide sense that Mr Follan referred to earlier. Would the bill have resource implications for your services?

I thank the witnesses for their attendance this morning and for their evidence. It is very much appreciated.

I briefly suspend the meeting to allow a changeover of witnesses.

Welcome back. The committee will continue our scrutiny of the Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill at stage 1 by taking evidence from a panel of witnesses comprising representatives of alcohol and drug partnerships. I welcome to the committee Pamela Dudek, the independent chair of the Dundee alcohol and drug partnership; Kelda Gaffney, the chair and interim assistant chief officer of adult services at the Glasgow city alcohol and drug partnership; and Liam Wells, the lead officer of East Ayrshire alcohol and drug partnership.

We will move straight to questions.

You spoke about having an open door. Do you see the need to have a diagnosis of an addiction as closing that door?

I put on record again my entry in the register of members’ interests. I hold a bank nurse contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Could you be very brief? A lot of members want to ask questions.

Agenda item 4 is consideration of a negative instrument. The policy note states that the purpose of the instrument is to provide the Health and Care Professions Council with the power to increase the fees that are charged for processing and scrutinising applications for admission to its register, renewal of registration and readmission or restoration to the register.

The instrument also rectifies errors made by the Health and Care Professions Council (Miscellaneous Amendment) Rules Order of Council 2023, which will give HCPC chairs, practice committees and appeal panels the power to arrange virtual preliminary meetings. The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the instrument at its meeting on 11 March and made no recommendations in relation to the instrument, and no motion for annulment has been received.

There are no comments. Does the committee agree that we do not wish to make any recommendations on the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.