Chamber and committees

That the Parliament notes the BBC’s plan to move the BBC Scotland channel online from spring 2027; supports the staff affected; believes that this change must not leave Scotland with a smaller share of the BBC’s output or leave behind people who cannot or do not watch programmes online; notes what it sees as the continuing gap between licence fee income raised in Scotland and the BBC’s identified spend in the country; believes that licence fee payers are entitled to clearer, like-for-like reporting by nation of what is raised and spent in Scotland, including how network spending is attributed; notes that the BBC’s Royal Charter expires on 31 December 2027; supports the Scottish Government’s opposition to the closure and its engagement with Ofcom, and calls on the UK Government to ensure that the next Charter contains binding commitments on Scottish spend, content and accountability.

That the Parliament condemns the University of Edinburgh's decision to close its Jewellery and Silversmithing, Textiles and Performance Costume courses at Edinburgh College of Art to new admissions from 2027; notes that an online petition calling for the closures to be reversed has been signed by more than 10,000 people; understands that these are the last undergraduate craft degrees offered by the college and that graduates include lead costume designers on Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones; believes that closing practical craft courses is a serious misjudgement, as the skills they provide are among those considered most resistant to replacement by AI; understands that the University and College Union has condemned the closures as being part of a wider "slash and burn" strategy and has called for strike action in response; welcomes the efforts of Craft Scotland, the UK Crafts Council and the European Crafts Alliance in opposing these cuts, and calls on the University of Edinburgh to halt the process and publish the case behind the closures before taking any further irreversible steps.

As an amendment to motion S7M-01304 in the name of Màiri McAllan (Growing Scotland’s Creative Economy), insert at end “; recognises that fair work, including fair pay, secure contracts and safe working conditions, remains a significant challenge across parts of the creative sector, particularly for freelance and self-employed workers, who make up the majority of the workforce; calls on the Scottish Government to publish an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Culture Fair Work Task Force, which was published in December 2025; welcomes the Scottish Government’s engagement with consultations for a proposed Culture and Arts Bill and believes that this Bill, developed through meaningful consultation with artists and the culture sector, would provide a lasting legislative foundation for supporting Scotland’s creative industries, and calls for the Bill to be ambitious and inclusive of grassroots organisations and individuals."

That the Parliament congratulates Alan Cumming on winning the Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program at the 78th Emmy Awards for his work on the US series, The Traitors; notes that this is his third consecutive win in this category; celebrates the fact that The Traitors swept all seven Emmy awards for which it was nominated at the 2026 ceremony; recognises Alan Cumming’s decades-long contribution to stage and screen, including his Tony-winning work in Cabaret and his role in bringing Scottish talent and stories to international audiences, and wishes him continued success in his career.

That the Parliament notes with sadness the announcement that The Skinny, Scotland’s longest-running independent cultural magazine, is to close after 20 years, with its September 2026 issue being its last; recognises what it sees as the vital role that the Edinburgh-based title, published by Radge Media C.I.C. since its founding in 2005, has played in covering music, art, film, theatre, comedy and literature, with up to 35,000 free copies distributed monthly across Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and beyond; considers that The Skinny gave a genuine platform to countless emerging and established artists, musicians, writers, DJs, filmmakers and theatre-makers who might otherwise have gone unheard; notes that The Skinny also published Fest Magazine, which it believes was the essential guide to the Edinburgh and Adelaide festivals, and GNAW, its food and drink title, further embedding itself in Scotland’s cultural fabric; understands that the closure has been attributed to rising costs, funding pressures across the arts sector and the wider economic difficulties facing independent publishing in Scotland; expresses its gratitude to the writers, editors, photographers, illustrators, designers and all staff, past and present, who built its 20-year legacy; believes that this closure represents a significant loss, not only to Scotland’s cultural journalism but to the independent creative economy that relies on such platforms for visibility, critique and community; is concerned that this is not an isolated incident but part of a wider pattern of financial precarity facing independent cultural media and grassroots arts organisations across Scotland, and calls on the Scottish Government to engage urgently with the cultural and independent media sector on sustainable, long-term funding models that reflect the true value of independent cultural journalism to Scotland’s creative life.

That the Parliament celebrates the contribution of village and town halls to community cultural life across Scotland; recognises that such halls are often run by small groups of volunteers, who play an essential role in facilitating local concerts, ceilidhs and storytelling events, including those held at Abriachan Village Hall, Galashiels Volunteer Hall, Letham Village Hall, Portobello Town Hall, Newhaven Community Church hall and the LifeCare Centre in Stockbridge; recognises what it sees as the immense efforts of volunteers in creating and sustaining vibrant and welcoming community spaces; believes that village and town halls are vital to strengthening social cohesion and promoting arts and culture, and further believes that such facilities should be appropriately supported to enable them to continue delivering social, cultural and wellbeing benefits to the communities that they serve.

That the Parliament recognises that local businesses and community organisations sustain not only local economies but the distinct cultures and social fabric that make each community unique; acknowledges the importance of Scotland Loves Local Week 2026 in celebrating our high streets and independent businesses; commends the efforts of residents, volunteers and business owners who help keep our town centres and neighbourhoods thriving; recognises the role that local spending plays in employment, community wellbeing and resilience, and encourages individuals, organisations and public bodies across Scotland to participate in and support Scotland Loves Local Week 2026.

That the Parliament affirms that every person in Scotland deserves to live, work and learn free from discrimination based on their descent and stands in solidarity with Dalit, Other Backward Class (OBC), Adivasi and caste-oppressed communities in Scotland that, it believes, continue to face the harm of casteism in their daily lives; recognises that the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination affirms that caste discrimination is a form of racial discrimination and a form of descent-based discrimination, placing clear obligations on the UK Government under international human rights law, and that the Scottish Government has both a legal and moral duty to honour those obligations; celebrates the profound intellectual, cultural and civic contributions that Dalit, OBC, Bahujan and caste-oppressed communities have made to Scotland, and to the world; honours the legacy of anti-caste thinkers and movements, including Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule and Ayyankali, whose struggles for dignity, equality and rational social order, it believes, resonate deeply with Scotland’s own traditions of democratic radicalism and social justice; believes that this rich tradition of anti-caste thought, resistance and scholarship deserves a recognised and celebrated place in Scotland’s educational and cultural life and that fostering awareness of it would enrich our schools, universities and public institutions; notes that caste is a system of hereditary social stratification rooted in descent, which has operated across South Asia for millennia and has been carried from there into diaspora communities across the world, including communities in Scotland; understands that caste discrimination exists in various forms within diaspora communities from South Asia and manifests as exclusion and social segregation in the workplace, in the provision of services, in housing and in education, leading to harassment, bullying and harm against Dalit, OBC, Adivasi or caste-oppressed people or groups; recognises that a 2016 survey by the Anti-Caste Discrimination Alliance found that 58% of respondents from South Asian backgrounds were aware of caste discrimination in the UK and that Dalit students face bullying and exclusion in schools, with caste-oppressed individuals also encountering significant barriers in hiring and career advancement; notes that section 9 of the Equality Act 2010, as amended, currently requires the UK Government to introduce secondary legislation to make caste an aspect of race, thereby making caste discrimination a form of race discrimination, yet this secondary legislation has not been brought forward, which, it believes, is leaving affected communities in Scotland reliant on uncertain and evolving case law rather than the clear, explicit protection that they deserve; believes that the current legal ambiguity reinforces the perception that caste issues cannot be resolved in courts and discourages people from bringing cases forward, due to financial costs and fears of reprisals within diaspora communities, and that explicitly naming caste in equality law would provide greater confidence that caste-based discrimination would be taken seriously; further believes that Scotland’s public institutions, including schools, colleges, universities, NHS boards, local authorities and public employers, have insufficient awareness of casteism and of their existing duties under the Equality Act 2010 to prevent it and that closing this knowledge gap is both a matter of legal compliance and a mark of respect for affected communities; agrees that tackling casteism is not only a matter of preventing harm, but of actively building a Scotland in which the cultures, histories and intellectual traditions of all its communities are known, valued and celebrated; calls on the Scottish Government to, work with Education Scotland to develop guidance and curricular resources to ensure that students and educators understand casteism and the inspiring history of anti-caste movements, provide clear guidance to public bodies on caste discrimination as a dimension of their existing equality duties, and urge the UK Government to exercise the power under section 9 of the Equality Act 2010 to make caste an explicit and named aspect of the protected characteristic of race and ensure that Dalit, OBC, Adivasi and caste-oppressed communities in Scotland are meaningfully and respectfully consulted on the design of any policies and educational materials that affect them.

That the Parliament congratulates the Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive, which is based at St Margaret’s House in Edinburgh, on its work as Scotland’s only dedicated public archive for LGBTQ+ literary heritage; recognises that the archive traces its roots to Lavender Menace, which it understands was Scotland’s first lesbian and gay bookshop and the second in the United Kingdom, and was founded by Sigrid Nielsen and Bob Orr in Edinburgh in 1982; notes that the archive was formally established in 2019 and now holds over 3,000 volumes of stories of reading and writing, and that its team of volunteers has created a digital catalogue, making the collection more widely accessible; further notes that visitor numbers increased by 56% in 2024-25, reflecting what it sees as a growing demand for LGBTQ+ heritage and community spaces; commends the archive for its programme of free events, reading groups, exhibitions and community gatherings, and for its recent collaboration with the Museum of Edinburgh on Past Shelves: Histories of Queer Reading; acknowledges that the archive is currently seeking urgent funding support to secure its future, and wishes Bob Orr, Sigrid Nielsen, the board of directors and all of the volunteers continued success in preserving decades of queer lives, voices and stories for generations to come.

That the Parliament congratulates Nicola Meighan on 14 years of outstanding service to BBC Radio Scotland, including seven years hosting the Friday edition of Afternoons, during which she interviewed landmark figures; understands that the programme’s audience figures were growing at the time Nicola and her colleagues were stood down; believes that her departure is the latest in a sustained pattern of reductions to presenter-led arts programming at the station; understands with concern that the majority of those replaced have been women and that these changes have drawn criticism from the Scottish Music Industry Association, the Musicians’ Union and hundreds of artists and have received coverage in national media; notes that the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee examined the issue as part of its Session 6 inquiry on broadcasting in Scotland, publishing a report in March 2026; commends Nicola for her wider contribution to the arts in Scotland over more than two decades and for launching her own podcast, A Kick Up The Arts, at her own expense to continue championing Scotland's culture and women’s voices, and notes the view that the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic should consider engaging with BBC Scotland on what it sees as the disproportionate impact of its recent scheduling decisions on women presenters and on the platform that BBC Radio Scotland provides for Scottish artists and cultural life, including in Edinburgh and Lothians East.