 Maen nhw'r ffordd yn gweld bod Buckingham Palace yn teimlo that the Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health and have recommended that she remain under medical supervision at Balmoral. As with Westminster, we will continue with our business at this time and we will keep members updated. On behalf of all members and all staff in the Scottish Parliament, I send our thoughts and our prayers to Her Majesty and her Royal Family. Rwy'n gweithio cyngh метh cwestiynau, mae cyntaf y portfoliw yn cael eu cygrifennu llwy yn y cynhyrchiol, a gael i'r mwy o hemil o'r gymysgau 1, 5, 4, 7, 8 oes cymdeithas下去, a gael i'r cyfrym o'r cyfrifysgau aethau, onD ond mae'r dddangos cyfreisio ac yn methu o'r cyfrifysgau sydd press their request to speak button, or please indicate in the chat function. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what trade, investment and cultural opportunities expects to arise from its melding office in Copenhagen. Thank you. On behalf of the Scottish Government, I join with the First Minister, the Presiding Officer and members right across the chamber in extending our best wishes to Her Majesty the Queen and to her family at this difficult time. In answer to Kenneth Gibson's question, Denmark, Norway and Sweden are already some of Scotland's biggest trading partners, with all three in our top 20 export markets, and £2.6 billion of goods and services exported to those countries by Scottish businesses in 2019. The Nordics are also responsible for major inward investment into Scotland, including in Scotland. The First Minister visited Copenhagen to open our new Nordic office on 26 August. As part of that trip, she had conversations with a number of major energy companies and investors. It is clear that the energy transition, renewable energy and hydrogen will be major opportunities for Scotland and the region. I am also struck by the scale of the opportunity for life sciences and medtech with UNICEF's base in Copenhagen, one of the world's largest buyers of crisis and medical supplies. Kenneth Gibson. I thank the cabinet secretary for that reply. Does he agree that this new office is essential to boost trade with our Scandinavian neighbours, ultimately creating and sustaining jobs, and that Tory opposition shows their utter lack of ambition for Scotland, Scottish business and the Scottish economy? Scotland has borrowed many of the best Nordic policies from baby boxes to rural parliaments and most recently district heating, but Nordic colleagues are interested in what we know how to do, particularly around community engagement. There is also high interest in our recent period poverty work, which was, of course, supported across this house. Our cultural exchange with Nordic neighbours is a reality, with Finnish and Danish showcases at Edinburgh international festivals and a strong showing of 12 Scottish bands playing in one of Europe's largest folk music festivals in Denmark and a joint exhibition between the Danish Natural History Museum and the Edinburgh National Museums next spring. Of course, there is much to learn from Danish broadcasting, whose success has been marked over recent years. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the opening of the new Nordic office in Copenhagen. The First Minister visited Copenhagen on 26 August to officially open the new Nordic office. The office has been operating since May, in line with our programme for government commitment. Productive meetings with Danish Government, private and public sectors were held, and we look forward to following up with opportunities for trade, investment and cultural exchange. Alexander Stewart I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. I acknowledged the First Minister visiting Denmark to launch the new Nordic office recently, and I also acknowledged that there are opportunities for trade co-operation to be advanced, but we already enjoy substantial economic links with the country. Therefore, cabinet secretary, with the current cost of living crisis, is this the best use of taxpayer's money at this time? The Scottish Government has had overseas offices since the Scottish Parliament reconvened in 1999. Those offices continue to generate significant economic and reputational benefit to Scotland at a time of increasing global uncertainty. We need our friends and allies more, not less. We are pleased to see the enthusiasm on and consensus for the excellent job that Scotland's international offices do day-to-day in the European Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Committee's recent report on the Scottish Government's international work. I invite the member to read the British Council's report on Scotland and soft power from 2019, which in fact suggests that we should expand the network as we are now doing. Donald Cameron Thank you, Presiding Officer. Before I turn to my question in relation to the health of Her Majesty the Queen, can I associate those benches and the Scottish Conservative Party with the comments of both yourself and the cabinet secretary? Our thoughts and prayers are with Her Majesty at this time and with her wider family. Can I ask the cabinet secretary in relation to the Scottish Government's new office in Copenhagen how is it working with the United Kingdom embassy to pursue common aims of both the UK Government and the Scottish Government? My colleagues introduced three comments on behalf of the Conservative and Unionist Party. Confirmed to him, I think that he is aware of this, that the Scottish Government team is based on the British embassy, as is the case in most Scottish Government offices around the world. There is very strong and collegial co-operation between the Scottish Government officials and the rest of the UK embassy. The new Copenhagen office will, of course, offer a new way for the Scottish Government to realise its ambitions on Nordic co-operation. Can the cabinet secretary detail how the new office's mission will enhance the aims of the already existing Nordic Baltic policy statement? Cabinet secretary, there is nothing better than having people in place in region to understand the opportunities that exist in a particular region. For us, our northern European neighbourhood, whether we are talking about Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the three Baltic States, Iceland and Faroes, is our immediate neighbourhood. There is so much that we share in terms of needs, interests, concerns and expectations and across policy issues from energy, economic growth and sustainability and, indeed, cultural exchange and much besides. There is so much that we could and should be doing and having a dedicated team focused on delivering what the Scottish Government wishes to pursue in Scotland, but also working as a conduit to colleagues in our Nordic neighbourhood is the ideal way that we wish to pursue the collegial relationship that we want to have with our nearest overseas northern European neighbours. To ask the Scottish Government how it continues to assess the impact of Brexit on Scotland. As the Scottish Government has repeatedly warned, Brexit has been hugely damaging to households, to communities and businesses across Scotland. Due to the hard Brexit chosen by the UK Government, Scotland's total trade with the EU was 16 per cent lower in 2021 than in 2019, while Scotland's trade with non-EU countries fell by only 4 per cent over the same period. Mairi McNeill. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, with yet another rix that obsessed Conservative from Downing Street and the cost-alying crisis escalating, will the cabinet secretary reiterate the need for the people of Scotland to have the opportunity to decide their own constitutional future to make up for the worst democratic deficit, which has seen Scottish concerns utterly ignored under the Tories and Westminster? I agree with my colleague on the democracy point, but remaining on the economic challenge, Brexit has, of course, had visible impacts. For example, analysis in April by researchers at the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, which showed that post-Brexit trade barriers have led to a 6 per cent increase in food prices in the UK. We in the Scottish Government continue to engage with stakeholders to understand the impacts they are experiencing and will continue to carefully study further economic indicators as they are released. I am glad that the cabinet secretary is monitoring the impacts of Brexit. He and I share the view that it is incredibly damaging, but he also knows that I feel obligated, and every time that question is asked, to point out the parallels between Brexit and independence. Even in these quieter, more reflective moments, does he also not recognise those parallels? Cabinet secretary, the short answer is no. There is no parallel. The Scottish Government's plans are for Scotland to reapply and become part of the European Union again. That is totally diametrically opposed to the Brexit priorities of the UK Government. Can I first of all echo the Presiding Officer and the cabinet secretary's comments and say on behalf of Scottish Labour and my colleagues that our thoughts are with Her Majesty and her family today? My question is to ask the Scottish Government how much funding it is providing to third sector organisations in the Lothians that are supporting refugees from Ukraine. Thank you, Presiding Officer. First of all, I thank Sarah Boyack for our earlier reflections, which of course we all share. The Scottish Government has committed £1.3 million to the Scottish Refugee Council to increase its capacity and extend invaluable help and support to arriving Ukrainians. The Scottish Government has also provided £48,000 to Just Right Scotland's Ukraine advice service, where displaced people can receive confidential free legal advice on safe routes to Scotland. Further, we are providing funding uplift of £77,000 for Edinburgh's third sector interface organisations at EVOC and volunteer Edinburgh to assist with their important work. I commend all those organisations across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Lights of AUGB help Ukraine Scotland and others that are doing such phenomenal work on behalf of our guests. Sarah Boyack. I thank the minister for that answer. He does agree with me that the volunteers in the voluntary sector are doing a commendable stretch of work to support the high number of people from Ukraine who have arrived in Edinburgh and across the Lothians. Last week, I visited the welcoming charity that supports New Scot to make in their home in Edinburgh, and they told me that the demand for their services has increased substantially. They have had to turn away Ukrainians staying in Edinburgh who needed to access their English language sessions. They also said that they are now receiving referrals from the Department of Work and Pensions, the council, service teams on the MS Victoria, but they have not received any additional funding and groups like them are providing front-line services. Will the minister commit to meeting with the range of third sector organisations that provide direct support on the ground to people who have fled from Ukraine and ensure that they receive funding to continue their incredible work in what is an incredibly tough financial time for them? Yes, I would absolutely be more than happy to meet the groups that Sarah Boyack has mentioned, and I commend them for the work that they are doing. There are a number of points there that I wish to respond to. First of all, in terms of ESOL support, part of the funding that is going to local authorities is around providing ESOL classes. It is up to each local authority to ensure that that is provided in the best way that is fitting in those areas. The Scottish Government has been campaigning with the UK Government to try to uplift and provide parity with the ESOL provision that was provided for Syrians and Afghans, quite rightly, for Ukrainians as well. Of course, if there is more that we could do within the very tight financial situation that we were in, obviously we will look to do that. However, it would be useful for me to be able to meet with that excellent group that Sarah Boyack has quoted to hear further about the work that they are doing. I will be coming to the supplementaries at the end of this grouping. I call question number seven, Fulton MacGregor. To ask the Scottish Government in what ways it will continue to ensure that refugees arriving from Ukraine will be provided with adequate shelter and support on arrival in Scotland. The Scottish Government's priority is to ensure that displaced people arriving from Ukraine are able to stay in appropriate temporary accommodation and get the right support ahead of moving into safe, sustainable, longer-term accommodation. Welcome hubs across Scotland continue to provide immediate support such as healthcare, language support, clothes, food and trauma support, as well as access to temporary welcome accommodation. We are taking significant action to increase our temporary accommodation capacity, including the chartering of two passenger ships, and we are boosting our matching system to maximise the number of people who can be placed with volunteer hosts who have completed the necessary safeguarding checks. I thank the minister for that response. In the same line as the previous question from Sarah Boyack, it is important that those who come here get as much support as possible. Therefore, can the minister provide an update on the increased support of local charities? In my constituency, Copebridge and Chrystian are likely to receive in order to manage the increased workload associated with the arrival of those from Ukraine and helping them to settle in the local community. Thank you. I thank Fulton MacGregor for his question and also his engagement, very positive engagement around the work that is going on in his constituency and across North Lanarkshire to provide long-term accommodation for those who have been displaced from Ukraine. Obviously, that engagement between the Scottish Government, local parliamentarians such as Fulton MacGregor and Claire Adamson and the local authority is going to be really important. We fund third sector interfaces to provide a single point of support for third sector organisations with one in each local authority area. TSIs have been heavily involved in co-ordinating efforts to welcome and settle displaced people from Ukraine. Local authorities are also given funding to support welcome activity for displaced people and can decide how best those funds are used, taking into account local circumstances and need, and local authorities may choose to use some of that funding to contract with third sector organisations to increase their support. The refurbishment of up to 200 homes in North Lanarkshire supported by £5 million of Scottish Government funding is an example of our commitment to providing safe, sustainable accommodation. However, as always, my door is open to Fulton MacGregor and others to discuss any further support that may be required. We have exceeded our initial commitment to welcome 3,000 people under the Scottish Super Sponsor scheme. As a nation, Scotland is now providing safety to over 16,500 people from Ukraine. That is 18.6 per cent of all UK arrivals in the highest per head of population in the four nations. Although the Super Sponsor scheme has had to be temporarily paused for new applications, the Scottish Government continues to work with the convention of Scottish local authorities and local councils to provide safe, suitable accommodation and a wraparound support offer to the displaced people from Ukraine who are already in our country and to those who have been granted permission to travel here. Jeremy Balfour Can I thank the minister for his answer? Has the Scottish Government set itself a target for how long an individual will be housed on the ship here in Edinburgh before being moved into more permanent accommodation? We want people to be out of temporary accommodation, regardless of whether that is a hotel accommodation or the ship that has arrived in Leith or the one that has been worked on in Glasgow. We want people there for a shorter period as possible and want to move people on to longer-term accommodation as quickly as possible. We want to give people the opportunity to be able to rebuild their lives here in Scotland. We do not want people to stay any longer than is absolutely necessary. Paul Sweeney Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I associate myself with comments from colleagues across the chamber about the health of our Majesty the Queen. The minister will be aware that Ukrainians are not the only people seeking refuge in asylum in Scotland. There are almost 5,000 asylum seekers in the country, and extending the concessionary travel scheme to all those asylum seekers would have proved their lives immeasurably. The discussions that I have had with the Government have generally been positive, but progress has been painfully slow. Can the minister confirm whether the Government does or does not agree that the concessionary travel scheme should be extended to all asylum seekers? First of all, for those arriving from Ukraine, which is my responsibility, the concessionary travel scheme already applies. Those over 60 and young people already have access to the concessionary travel scheme. I have heard the representations that I have met with Mr Sweeney and Bob Doris, Mark Ruskell and others, on the proposal to extend the concessionary travel scheme further. We continue to work on doing what we can to see if there is more that can be done within the limited financial resources that we have. Can I ask the minister what assistance the Scottish Government is giving to third sector in charitable organisations such as Trun's Micah project, which is giving vital support to Ukrainian refugees in Scotland? First of all, I would like to pay tribute to the group in Trun that Siobhan Brown quotes, the Micah project, the work that they are doing, and the Scottish Government has provided additional funding to national charities. We have committed £1.3 million to the Scottish Refugee Council and £36,000 to just right Scotland's Ukraine advice service. That funding will increase capacity and extend invaluable support to arriving Ukrainians. That, along with support from local authorities, will provide local charities with the assistance that is required to support displaced people from Ukraine who are living in Scotland. It is worth reiterating the fact that we have also provided support to local authorities to ensure that there is support for local organisations as well. If there is more that is needed to be done, I am happy to hear that representation and see what more is possible. Councils need to know how many Ukrainians are arriving to provide support, but often ministers are better informed than they are. I am often referred to Home Office data when I raise those questions, but that does not show which local authorities will receive Ukrainians under the supersponsor scheme or how many. Will the Scottish Government publish its own detailed breakdown on arrivals under the supersponsor scheme in the near future? Following comments from the now former Refugee Minister in Westminster and with the cost of living crisis escalating across the UK, has the UK Government asked for views from the Scottish Government on increasing monthly payments to homes for Ukraine hosts? First of all, I want to put on record my thanks to Lord Richard Harrington for the work that he did very collaboratively with the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. We work well together and I am sorry that he has moved on and I will wait to see whether his position is replaced in the UK Government reshuffle. We are actively pressing the UK Government to increase the funding arrangements for hosts, particularly at this time of the cost of living crisis with soaring energy bills. I agree with Richard Harrington that it is essential for the UK Government to increase the thank you payments for hosts to £700. I hope that the new chancellor will take that and reflect on it as he considers future support for the Ukrainian schemes. In question 6, Willie Coffey. Thank you to ask the Scottish Government what next steps the programme for government proposes for Scotland's international office network. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Scotland's international network creates domestic opportunities, attracts investment and ultimately benefits the people of Scotland. I am sure that my colleague will have been delighted to see the First Minister open our new Nordic office in Copenhagen. We are also committed to opening a new office in Warsaw during this parliamentary term. We will also ensure that our international work is measurable, is transparent and available to the public from next year onwards. We will publish an annual report explaining how our international offices work to promote our values, objectives and priorities across the world. Willie Coffey. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. That Copenhagen office is now tightening our ties with our Nordic neighbours and the proposed Warsaw office promises to facilitate our dialogue with central Europe. Can the cabinet secretary elaborate on how the expanded international office network will amplify Scotland's distinct voice on the world stage and how the global affairs framework guides that work? The first thing that I would say is that it is hugely beneficial that we are seeing the network grow, that we are having a greater footprint in northern Europe, that we are having a greater footprint in central Europe. It is also worth observing that the Scottish Government manages this in value for money terms with significantly less resource than is spent by other similar devolved governments elsewhere in the world. At the present time, obviously, we are living within financial constraints. Our plans have been focused on delivering the opening of the office in Copenhagen and moving forward with the central European region, which is so important for Scotland, not least because of the great many people who have chosen to move to Scotland. Obviously, there are many opportunities that we can pursue. Hopefully, in time, we will look at growing the network yet further. However, in the here and now, I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to open the office officially in Copenhagen and that we are moving forward with opening an office in Warsaw. Thank you. That concludes portfolio questions. There will be a brief pause before we move to the next item of business.