 Fawr, amser, riliadau yn y cwmpas neu Flyfwyr Gwyl Fawr yn gweithio gwrth gwrth gwrth. Ond, riliadau yn gweithio gwrth gwrth gwrth gwrth gwrth gwrth ac ers fawr, fawr hwn yn ochr felly bwysig wedi cael ei ffawr i cael ei hunain ar gwyllgor yng nghymhwyl. Fawr, ar y cyfrif y Llywyddyn, mae stadiau ran gyflinwys riliadau yng Nghymru os ydw i, ac ar y cyfrif y Llywodraeth i'w cyfrif, rill, ddaw yn y riliadau, ond bydd angen o'i housing and local government. In order to get as many people in as possible, again, I would request succinct questions and answers. For those who would wish to request a supplementary question, they should press their request-to-speak button now or indicate in the chat function by entering the letter R during the relevant question. The first question is to Patrick Harvie, who is joining us remotely. To ask the Scottish Government when ministers last met with tenants unions to discuss the development of the rented sector strategy. Tenant participation must be at the heart of developing the new rented sector strategy. Our regional network of tenant organisations already help us to involve tenants living in the social rented sector. We have committed in housing to 2040 to establish a tenant participation panel for private tenants. Those forums will help us to ensure that tenants voices are heard in both the development and delivery of the strategy and future policymaking. I am keen to meet both tenants representatives and the organisations that support tenants. Invitations to meet will shortly be issued to representatives from both of those groups as we begin work on the rented sector strategy. Patrick Harvie. I am grateful for the answer. I am still not clear when ministers last met with any tenants unions. Both nationally and locally, tenants unions, such as living rent, have been playing a critical role in protecting tenants from abuse of power by irresponsible landlords. That has been especially important during the pandemic, yet there is no tenants organisation on the private rented sector resilience group. Perhaps that is why the group's last meeting was looking forward to the end of the eviction ban when they should have been discussing how to extend protection for tenants. Will the cabinet secretary give an assurance that the voices of living rent and other tenants unions will be central to the development of a new strategy instead of once again allowing the interests of landlords to be dominant? Patrick Harvie will be aware that I have been in this job for a matter of a few weeks. I am, of course, keen to meet the tenants representatives and organisations that support tenants. As I said in my initial answer, invitations to meet tenants will be shortly issued to representatives from both of those groups. I want to look at how we engage with tenants groups more widely. The resilience group provides a forum for open discussion on issues in the private rented sector. Of course, citizens advice Scotland and Shelter Scotland provide crucial support and advice directly to tenants across Scotland on a daily basis. Our members of the group are well placed to represent the issues and challenges that face renters, but we always keep those things under review. I am keen to meet as many tenants organisations as I can. Although I think that I should have pressed my button for one of the other questions, I am sorry. That is not a problem. I welcome the cabinet secretary to her poll. You have already touched on the question that I asked, but it is to ask the cabinet secretary if there are plans to continue with the cross-sector housing resilience groups that were established during the height of the pandemic. I caught the gist of that, Presiding Officer. I am certainly keen for the PRS resilience group to continue. It provides a useful forum for open discussion on issues and challenges that are facing everyone, including tenants in the private rented sector. It is wise for that organisation and that forum to continue for the foreseeable future. 2. Craig Hoye To ask the Scottish Government what provision it plans to make for the inclusion of green spaces within new residential housing developments. Our national planning framework 4 position statement indicates our policy aim to facilitate significant expansion of green infrastructure, which includes in housing developments. That is further supported by the Planning Scotland Act 2019, whereby local authorities will have a duty to prepare open space strategies, helping to ensure that places are greener and healthier. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer and welcome her to her new role. As she will know, most housing developments share green space and that those areas are commonly factored. Despite the Property Factor Scotland Act 2011 and subsequent moves to toughen the code of conduct, too many residents still complain about rogue factors, which down tools while jacking up fees. Across the south of Scotland, residents have raised concerns about the current framework, which gives too much power to factors, allowing them to increase bills while determining how and in some cases if they manage green spaces on behalf of residents. Will the cabinet secretary look again at the regulation of factors to toughen the rules, making it easier for communities to remove rip-off operators who overcharge and under deliver? I think that the member raises some important questions around the issue of rogue factors and the impact that that can have on shared green spaces. I think that probably the best thing that I can do is to write to him, setting out some of the detail of how we might take forward those issues. I will make sure that officials do that in the next few days. To ask the Scottish Government what supports putting in place to assist local authorities recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Scotland's councils have been allocated an additional £1.5 billion over this year and last year in direct support through the local government finance settlement. Councils have also been granted additional financial flexibilities to address the financial pressures caused by Covid-19. Furthermore, the 2021-22 local government settlement of almost £11.7 billion provides a cash increase in local government day-to-day spending for local revenue services of £375.6 million, which is an increase of 3.5 per cent. The Scottish Government will continue to work in partnership with COSLA and local authorities. Thank you, minister for his answer. He has largely answered my supplementary question, but I will ask it anywhere in case of any information that he can add. Local authorities have been continuing to deliver front-line services throughout the pandemic, past also assisting with the vaccine roll-out and on-going recovery plans. I would like to ask what financial support has been considered to ensure that they have the capacity to continue to do this, because we are not out of the pandemic yet. Indeed, local authorities will receive an additional £259 million this year to support Covid pressures, which they will be able to spend as they see fit for the maximum benefit of their communities. To date, the Scottish Government has also provided local authorities with over £5 million of direct support for contract tracing and vaccinations. Ministers across the Scottish Government are in regular and on-going dialogue with COSLA, and we will continue to ensure that local authorities have the capacity to provide the help and support that is required at this crucial time. The minister will be acutely aware of concerns regarding fair funding for local government. I have consistently highlighted the underfunding of Edinburgh City Council and previous attempts to cut the Edinburgh City Council central grant, most recently with a proposed £3 million cut in the 2019 budget. As an Edinburgh MSP, the minister will be aware. With that in mind, can I ask the minister whether a post-pandemic SNP ministers plan to deliver a new financial framework to ensure that councils receive a set percentage of the Scottish Government budget, so we finally see fair funding for local government? I refer Miles Briggs to my previous answers about the significant support that is being provided to local authorities. However, I would also draw to his attention the important points that, of course, those matters in terms of financial settlement are negotiated between COSLA as a whole on behalf of all 32 local authorities and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance. However, due to the pandemic, work was delayed on a collective Scottish Government commitment to undertake joint working with COSLA to develop a rules-based financial fiscal framework to support future funding settlements for local government. However, the Scottish Government and COSLA officials have now recommenced those discussions to determine the scope of work that is required. However, it is really important to remember and to keep in mind that any changes to the way local government is funded would also have to be in agreement with COSLA to make sure that there is that consensus and also considered within the wider budget process and wider financial pressures. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with island tourism representatives regarding proposed legislation to regulate short-term lets. We engage with residents, local authorities and tourism representatives across Scotland and, including from island communities, as part of our 2019 and 2020 public consultations. We also commissioned independent research on the impact of short-term lets on communities in 2019. Five case study areas were selected, covering a mixture of rural, urban and island areas. Sky was selected as the island case study area. An island's communities impact assessment was carried out in 2020 and published as part of our consultation report in December 2020. I thank the cabinet secretary for her response and welcome my former justice committee colleague to her new role. In the last session, the Government's licensing order was widely criticised as being unfit for purpose. It was drawn at the 11th hour when the Government was committing to respond to stakeholder concerns. Given the wide range of business and tourism bodies with members in island and rural communities that support the proposal that was put forward by the Association of Scotland's self-caterers for a mandatory registration scheme for short-term lets, can the cabinet secretary advise what consideration she has given to such a proposal and the timeframe for bringing forward revised regulations? I thank Lee McArthur for his question. First of all, we are saying that the heart of the licensing scheme is a set of mandatory standards for all short-term lets, which are geared to help to protect the safety of guests and neighbours across Scotland, and that is why they were brought in at the first place because of the concerns that were being raised. Many hosting operators will already be following those standards as a matter of compliance with existing law or best practice, and we do not consider them to be onerous. We did consider registration as part of our 2019 consultation and, having considered the findings of the consultation and research, we announced in January 2020 that we would proceed with a licensing scheme using powers under the Civic Government Scotland Act 1982. Registration does not offer the same protection to guests, neighbours and local communities as licensing does. In terms of timescale, I expect to be able to provide a further update on progress with the legislation shortly once the relevant committee has been established and the convener appointed. Colin Smyth. Does the cabinet secretary accept that there was widespread concern that the previous proposals for regulation were, frankly, an extra burden on bearing breakfasts, rural providers, self-care and accommodation for a problem that was ultimately about tackling antisocial behaviour and a lack of housing within cities? Can the cabinet secretary consider a more flexible approach by allowing local authorities to determine whether they need a licensing system within their local area to tackle what they believe to be a local problem? Can I say that a number of concerns about short-term lets were raised, including the impact on local housing supply, noise and antisocial behaviours, not just confined to our cities. Of course, the important point is ensuring basic safety, which is an important factor in every letter across Scotland. That is, hopefully, something that the member would agree with, that we should have basic safety standards no matter what the letter. That includes B&Bs as well. In terms of local authorities, local authorities have been involved in the discussions, and the fees will be set by local authorities to cover their costs in establishing and administering the scheme. I also want to reassure that we do not expect those to be onerous, and there is an estimate in the business and regulatory impact assessment of a range of £223 to £377 to cover a three-year licence. I do not regard those to be overly onerous. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support local government in the delivery of community services. The 2021-22 local government finance settlement of almost £11.7 billion includes an additional £375.6 million, or 3.5 per cent for day-to-day revenue spending. In addition, the value of the overall Covid-19 support package for councils now totals more than £1.5 billion over this year and last. Ultimately, it is for locally elected representatives to make local decisions on how best to deploy the resources at their disposal to deliver services to their communities on the basis of their local needs and priorities. He will be aware that there has been some concern raised by the Scottish Information and Library Council that many libraries closed during the pandemic will not reopen. In my own region, Central Scotland, 13 are closed at the moment. There are concerns for their future. Councils have a statutory duty to provide services such as those. So what is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that all libraries closed by the pandemic will reopen? As I emphasised in my first answer, the way that we have our different spheres of governance here in Scotland means that local councillors have to make decisions affecting local communities. I appreciate both the significance and the tone in which Mr Simpson has raised this important point. We all know, as citizens and representatives, the value of libraries in communities. If Mr Simpson would like to write to me with more details of the circumstances in his region, I would be very glad to receive that correspondence. 6. Alexander Burnett, who is joining us remotely. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the local government ministers had with the finance secretary regarding creating a permanent financial settlement for local authorities. Scottish ministers remain committed to undertaking joint work with COSLA to develop a rules-based fiscal framework to support future funding settlements for local government. Due to the pandemic, work has been delayed. However, the Scottish Government and COSLA officials have now recommended discussions to determine the scope of work that is required. We understand that COSLA has convened a cross-party working group to consider their position. Any changes to the way in which local government is funded would have to be with the agreement of COSLA. As you will know, the Scottish Conservatives have called for a fair share of funding for our local authorities so that local taxes raised are used to pay for local services. After too long, the north-east of Scotland has been underfunded, with Aberdeenshire Council recording a shortfall of £43.3 million this financial year. It has led to a situation with over 60 bridges becoming unusable in the next 10 years, and we have a serious issue with severe potholes across the region. Will the cabinet secretary accept that this is unfair to our north-east communities and pledge to consider giving local authorities a fair share? Collectively, local authorities in north-east of Scotland will have £51.4 million more to spend on vital day-to-day services in 2021-22, compared with the previous year, and have been allocated over £218 million to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic through the local government finance settlement over and above their regular grant payments. Aberdeenshire Council will receive fair share of a further £137 million, which is currently undistributed. The council will also receive fair share of the £21-22 funding that has been discussed and agreed with COSLA since the announcement of the settlement. I will also say that the member may wish to have a look at the Public Accounts Committee of the UK Government, which has just published a report that says that typical council tax bills will rise by an average of 4.3 per cent across England in 2021-22, meaning that local people could be paying more for less. Perhaps he should reflect that the Tories do one thing in government but come here complaining about local government funding in another place. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the children and young people's commissioner Scotland regarding the joint letter signed by the devolved children's commissioners, which described the two-child cap as a clear breach of children's human rights. I have not spoken to the children and young people's commissioner about this issue, but the Scottish Government agrees that the UK Government's two-child limit and its associated rape clause are abhorrent policies and push families into poverty. Scottish Government analysis indicates that the two-child limit takes at least £120 million from low-income families in Scotland. We will continue to call upon the UK Government to do the right thing and reverse this harmful policy. For clarity, Scotland's social security system does not have a cap on the number of eligible children and will never have under this administration. I thank the minister for that answer and I thank him for calling out the UK Government on the matter of the two-child limit. However, can he give me some further information on what steps Scotland specifically is taking to give our Scottish children the best quality start in life? Absolutely. First of all, the Scottish Government has continually and consistently called upon the UK Government to scrap the two-child limit. It is unnecessary and wrong-headed and, of course, as is its abhorrent rape clause. We have also urged them to stop their plans to cut universal credit by £20 per week at the end of September. They should maintain that extra £20. The Scottish Government is doing what it can with the powers and resources that we have to increase incomes, reduce household costs and mitigate the impacts of poverty on children. That includes delivering new support to families with children under the age of six through the Scottish child payment, which is worth £40 per child every four weeks, and delivering bridging payments for older children and young people worth the equivalent of the Scottish child payment until it is fully rolled out. We have also committed to doubling the value of the payment to £80 every four weeks per child at the earliest possible opportunity. To ask the Scottish Government how many families and the venture north and west constituency it estimates will receive support from the roll-out of the Scottish child payment. Using the latest available forecasts based on take-up assumptions for the payment published by the Scottish Fiscal Commission in January 2021, the Scottish Government analysis estimates that the number of families receiving the under-six payment in Renfisher north and west could be around 1,200 this financial year 2021-22. The Scottish Government is committed to rolling out the payment to under-16s by the end of 2022, subject to the DWP providing us with the data that we need in order to do so. In 2023-24, the first full financial year of the payment for under-16s, the number of families receiving the under-16s payment in Renfisher north and west could be around 2,100. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The Scottish child payment will make a massive difference and help lift many children out of poverty in my constituency. However, the UK Government welfare policies are having the opposite effect. The Children's Commissioner for Scotland said that if the UK Government scrapped the £20 universal credit uplift in September, that will effectively knock out the benefits that the Scottish child payment brings into families. Does the cabinet secretary think that the UK Government should start matching our ambitions and introduce anti-poverty measures instead of cuts? I thank Natalie Dawn for her very important question. I absolutely agree with her and I agree with the Children's Commissioner too. Although the Government is focused on tackling poverty through significant investment, including the introduction of the Scottish child payment, the UK Government's planned £20 cut to universal credit will push 60,000 families across Scotland, including 20,000 children, into poverty. That is not the only policy that penalises family. There is also the benefit cap, the two-child limit and the five-week wait for universal credit, among other issues. We have written to the UK Government on numerous occasions asking for the uplift to be made permanent and to be extended on legacy benefits. The sheer scale of the UK Government cuts makes mitigation by the Scottish Government unsustainable. The policies hold back families in need and must be scrapped. That is why we need full powers here in Scotland to tackle child poverty. Thank you. We will now move on to our second portfolio of questions, which is constitution, external affairs and culture. Question number one, Michael Marra. To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding the UK's commitments to international aid. The Scottish Government has made its position clear first by the First Minister writing in November 2020. Subsequently, directly to the UK Government, both the previous and the new cabinet secretary only yesterday have written to the foreign secretary outlining our opposition to the cuts to overseas aid. Additionally, I wrote to the Parliament's cross-party group on international development regarding this matter in January of this year. We believe that the UK Government's decision to cut ODA spending from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of GNI to be a deplorable one. At a time when we are still responding to a global pandemic, we should not be turning our back on the world's purest and most marginal communities. Michael Marra. Perhaps the key issue facing international efforts is vaccination roll-outs. Scotland's partner nations like Malawi currently have 0.1 per cent of their population vaccinated. It is clear that none of us are safe until all of us are safe. What support is the Scottish Government offering partner nations with public health infrastructure so that vaccines can reach people's arms? I thank the member for that question. I think that he is absolutely correct to say that none of us are safe until all of us are safe. I just want to respond with regard to the covax scheme. Of course, the UK Government is a member of the covax scheme. We are not as a Government. However, we have responded to the pandemic in two different ways. First of all, I undertook a review of our international development policy last year in light of the pandemic to ensure that it was fit for purpose. Secondly, we committed last session to a £2 million fund, which went to UNICEF, in the fight against Covid in our partner countries, including Malawi. You will also be aware of the additional £5 million that was committed through the manifesto. The purpose of that additional spend is to help our partner countries in the fight against Covid. Some of the things that you touched upon with regard to the public sector in our partner countries and building up that resilience will be a huge part of that effort. Just to remind members that, if they wish to ask a supplementary, they should, during the relevant question, seek to request that by pressing the button or entering R in the chat function. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the appointment of the new Macer. May I begin by welcoming you, Deputy Presiding Officer, to your place and to the member who just asked a question. Congratulations on her election to the Scottish Parliament. Jackie Kay's tenure as the national poet for Scotland, or Macer, ended in March 2021. I thank her for all her inspirational work over the past five years. I am sure that I speak on behalf of all members and all parties across the chamber in wishing her well. The process to appoint the next Macer is under way, and an announcement will be made once that process has reached its conclusion. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. I would also like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the former Macer, Jackie Kay. Her poetry brought joy to many and she will be sorely missed. Scotland's Macer is not only responsible for celebrating our nation's poetry in language, but also for conserving and cultivating it for future generations. However, the tradition is under threat. A recent study by Language Learning has named Scots as one of 12 European languages that is now vulnerable to extinction. This Government has moved quite correctly to encourage Gaelic speaking, but I represent Allaway, the birthplace of Burns and the cradle of the modern Scots tongue. Is the Scottish Government confident that it can halt the decline of Scots? What action is being taken to increase the number of speakers and when will that be achieved by? I thank the member for her question. It is great to hear from that side of the chamber support for the Scots language, and I imagine also to for Gaelic as one of our indigenous languages as well. The Scottish Government is determined to keep working with the Scots speaking community and the Gaelic speaking community to do all that we can to ensure that the languages flourish and that it remains a vital part of Scotland's cultural identity. It is part of the process to appoint a new macker, a panel of poetry experts, reflecting a range of experience, including Scots and Gaelic poetry, which have developed a shortlist, and the final decision will be made in due course. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the cultural sector. Can I acknowledge the interests of the member on the subject? I know that he was a member of the culture committee in the last session of the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government recognises that the culture sector has been amongst the hardest hit by the pandemic and will continue to face challenges even as restrictions ease. Since the pandemic started, we have worked closely with all parts of the sector to understand its impact, including what support is needed. We have provided more than £149 million to the culture and heritage sectors, most recently through an additional £25 million to culture organisations and venues that remain affected by restrictions. The member will wish to know that we remain committed to working with the sector to support its recovery and will continue to engage with the sector to understand and assess the impact of the pandemic and to help to plot a way out of the crisis. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. This week we have seen thousands of football supporters descend on Hamden Park and the fan zone in Glasgow. However, many other outdoor events, such as arts performances, festivals and local agricultural shows, still remain under strict limitations, with many unable to take place because of restrictions or because of the uncertainty over the level system. Those events are often significant drivers for our tourism sector and for local economies across Scotland, particularly in my highlands and islands region. I ask the cabinet secretary what is being done to gather key information from the events this week in Glasgow, when that information will be made publicly available, and how that information can be used to support other event organisers plan ahead their events with more confidence. I say to the member that one of the first things that I did after my appointment as cabinet secretary with the responsibility for culture was to call a meeting of stakeholders principally across the events sector. I heard at first hand the challenges that they are facing. The first thing that I would like to say to him is that we are acutely aware of the challenges that they are facing. It is an existential challenge to many of them. We are doing as much as we can, given the Covid circumstances that we find ourselves in. I am not certain whether the member was in the chamber yesterday when the First Minister updated us on the situation that we face in Scotland where she made specific reference to the importance of the arts and culture sector, that he, she and we all should expect to hear more next week on that. I want to give him the assurance that we are absolutely seized of trying to open up Scotland's civic, artistic and cultural life as quickly but as safely as possible. To ask the Scottish Government what its latest engagement has been with the UK Government regarding the impacts of Brexit. I begin by reiterating a pretty important point that I think needs stressing, which is, of course, Scotland voted against Brexit, and I think that we should never lose sight of that. The never-left and the Scottish Government continues to engage constructively on readiness issues, and we have done this up until now. We will continue to press the UK Government to ensure that the Scottish Government has the information that we need to respond to the impacts of Brexit. Several structures are in place for engagement between the Scottish Government and the UK Government, both through the Cabinet Office and UK Government departments, at official and at ministerial level for the purpose of sharing information and considering mitigations on the impacts of Brexit. For some detailed depth, the Scottish Government has attended 26 EU exit operations committee meetings chaired by Lord Frost and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The EU exit operations committee continues as the main UK ministerial meeting on broader transition impacts. I should say, though, that invitations to attend exo meetings are issued by the UK Government when they consider that devolved issues are impacted, and the Scottish Government has accepted all invitations as routes for the Scottish Government to engage on our interests. It is of significant importance that the UK Government meaningfully involves the Scottish Government in an on-going EU-UK discussions, such as the EU-UK Partnership Council and the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee. Those talks will directly impact on the lives and livelihoods of the people of Scotland. Can the cabinet secretary provide an update as to the extent to which the Scottish Government has been involved in such talks, and does he believe that that is sufficient to ensure that its views are taken into account? The member for Stirling for asking this question, and the Scottish Government should be involved in the full range of trade and co-operation agreement governance structures, including the Partnership Council and its advisory bodies, the Specialised Committees and the Trade Specialised Committees. Our involvement should also extend across the Joint Committee and its associated Specialised Committees under the Withdrawal Agreement. Those are the two international treaties that oversee EU-UK relations, and both have significant implications for Scotland. The scope of our role goes beyond the responsibilities for devolved areas of policy, however, and we have written to Lord Frost to set out that our interests also encompass all implementation responsibilities for reserved issues and a legitimate wider interest in reserved issues that have implications for Scotland. My colleague Ms Gilruth attended the Partnership Council meeting on 9 June on my behalf, although formal speaking roles were limited to the UK Government and the EU. Scottish Government also requested that the UK Government attend and speak at the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee held on the same day. That was declined. Those arrangements are far from satisfactory, and we are pressing for significant improvements. I ask the minister if she has concerns about the shortages of seasonal agricultural workers during this picking season due to the ending of free movement. You might be providing an update on the Scottish Government's latest engagement with the UK Government about steps that can be taken to address potential shortages of workers and key sectors, including hospitality and construction. May I commend the member for Perth, Shirt, South and Kinrothshire? He, more than anybody else in the chamber, understands the pressures that have been felt. Cabinet Secretary, you have to be mindful of the microphone so that we can all hear your Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. It is my first outing, so I appeal for your forgiveness. I was just commending the member for Perth, Shirt, South and Kinrothshire, obviously, with his background. He knows more than most in this chamber about the subject that we are discussing right now. The UK Government's new immigration policies failed to address Scotland's distinct demographic and economic needs and completely disregards key sectors, including those mentioned in the supplementary question. Scottish Government ministers have written to the UK Government multiple times to request engagement and yet have still not been offered a meeting to discuss the impact of the points-based immigration system. A one-size-fits-all-approached immigration is no longer appropriate and Scotland needs to explore a distinctive approach. To ask the Scottish Government what practical support it has offered for travelling artists in light of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. Scottish Government recognises the barriers that touring artists are likely to face as a result of the UK's exit from the EU. We acted quickly to provide funding for arts info point UK, which will provide advice and support on obtaining visas. Beatrice Wishart will also be aware of the manifesto commitment to develop a Scotland touring fund for theatre and music within the first 100 days of government. I want to give her a commitment that details of this will be shared in more detail Scottish Government has also repeatedly called on the UK Government to negotiate visa and work permit free arrangements for artists working in the EU on a short-term basis. I continue to make the case for such arrangements and engagements with my UK counterparts. I thank the minister for that answer and I'm pleased to hear some progress has been made. As you know, artists can't tour at the moment, but time is needed to plan ahead and make their way through new complicated arrangements. Can the Scottish Government ensure that there is practical Covid travel advice alongside other guidance, such as guidance for different regional restrictions in countries? I think that Beatrice Wishart raises a really important point on the issue with regard to practical travel advice. I'll certainly take that away. The reality that she sets out is that, for many touring, exhibiting or production work internationally, people in that field have been curtailed because, of course, of the end of freedom of movement additionally. However, there is also increased cost in terms of the potential requirement for visas and work permits, customs requirements and limits on road haulage. That latter point is really important for touring where performers carry a significant amount of equipment with them. As I mentioned in my initial response, we have made very clear to the UK Government our feelings in this matter, particularly with regard to supporting a four nations approach with regard to devolved competencies in this area. On that final point, I want to make the member aware that I am due to make the UK Minister of State for Digital and Culture tomorrow to discuss those issues in more detail. Does the minister agree that the red tape that is faced by travelling artists as a result of Brexit is unacceptable? Does she agree that the best way to support them would be through the restoration of the freedom of movement? It is also important to remember that all of the uncertainty and the additional bureaucracy that Brexit has caused was entirely preventable. The UK Government could have extended the transition period and chose not to do so. Of course, within the transition period, up until the end of December last year, freedom of movement was still possible. The TCA has a review clause in it for both parties to revisit the list of permitted activities for short-term business visitors. The UK Government therefore needs to reopen discussions with the EU to develop a new model that looks at the needs of touring artists, but even that will not be a comparable substitute for freedom of movement. Scottish Government, whether it will provide an update on its plans for national towns of culture? Our manifesto commitment contains a pledge to extend the reach of the arts by launching an open competition for further national towns of culture using the successful example of Whitton. Scotland's national book town as a model could include different art forms for which Scotland has a track record of excellence, including live music and visual art. The Scottish Government will consider how best to realise that commitment during the course of the parliamentary term, and we will communicate our plans in due course. Paisley holds the distinction of being the first-ever town to be shortlisted for UK city of culture, having put forward a bid that linked cultural participation to social and economic renewal. Will the minister agree that a celebration of culture in a community can be a catalyst for action on economic and social need? Will she therefore consider how the national towns of culture programme will focus on and can help us to address the stark economic and regional inequalities that are still faced by too many communities, particularly in the west of Scotland? I am aware of the good work that went into the Paisley bids for the UK city of culture. Neil Bibby will correct me if I am wrong, but Paisley was the only place in Scotland shortlisted for the 2021 title. The campaign for the bid was a great celebration of Paisley's rich history and culture and, as he mentioned, a catalyst for that economic change. Neil Bibby makes an important point with regard to the national towns of culture programme in terms of looking at the economic and social needs of towns. Culture is more important than ever right now to Scotland's collective wellbeing and prosperity, and the last year has shown us how integral communities are to a sense of identity and purpose. I know from my own experience of celebrating and promoting Glynroth's 70th birthday how important it is to make culture relevant to people's lives, but also to instill a sense of pride in folk about the place where they come from. I hope that Neil Bibby is assured that the Government will consider the things that he set out today with regard to the social and economic needs in terms of our national towns of culture programme. I will be more than happy to sit down with him and discuss any ideas that he might have with regard to how we develop that programme. 7. Daniel Johnson To ask the Scottish Government what support and assistance it is offering to the organisers of this summer's Edinburgh festivals. Deputy Presiding Officer, may I now acknowledge the interests of the member for Edinburgh South as fellow MSPs representing the capital? We both understand how important Edinburgh's festivals are. The Scottish Government is working closely with events Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council and clinicians to deliver plans to allow certain exemptions to the existing guidance for a small number of outdoor cultural events at the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe. That is looking closely at Covid-19 mitigations at those events and the status of the pandemic. That is being managed through the flagship events process, which aims to support a small number of internationally significant events to take place this year. In partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, we have jointly made available £1.3 million to cover costs that will allow these festival events to happen safely. Events Scotland are now preparing for contracting discussions with irrelevant producers. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer and I hope that I do not need to declare an interest when it comes to talking about Edinburgh. Following the First Minister's announcement yesterday, the Fringe Society chief executive, Shona MacArthur, said that it was hugely disappointing that there was still no clear guidance on how the event can go ahead this year, in particular with regard to 1m social distancing. We can all understand the difficulties in stating when changes will occur, but the Government must be clear about what those restrictions will be when they do come into effect. Can the cabinet secretary confirm that there will be no further delays to the social distancing guidance and that he will engage with the Fringe Festival on how it can implement them once it is released? Cabinet secretary? I can give the member an absolute assurance. I am not sure whether he was here yesterday when the First Minister made her statement. If he was, he would have heard her make that commitment yesterday and it is very welcome. I think that we are all agreed, I hope, that we want to see restrictions lifted as quickly but as safely as possible. I totally understand and acknowledge that in the cultural community people want maximum transparency and advanced warning of when changes are possible. We have listened very closely to representatives of the sector in the broadest sense across Scotland, but particularly in Edinburgh, given the Edinburgh festivals approaching in the next month. In the meantime, if I can take the opportunity and urge everybody and anybody to support the Edinburgh festivals, they are operating under different circumstances, but tickets are for sale and I would like to take the opportunity to encourage as many people as possible to support them. 8. Annie Wells, who is joining us remotely. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the arts and cultural sector in Glasgow in light of the continued impact of Covid-19 restrictions. The arts and cultural sector in Glasgow is hugely important to the wider city economy and I very much recognise some of the frustration that has been felt by the sector with regard to the Covid-19 restrictions. Glasgow has a rich and diverse cultural sector and it is imperative that the Government works to protect that. I met yesterday with members of the events industry advisory group, which includes representatives from Glasgow, the cabinet secretary and I also met with representatives from the cultural sector, including those based in Glasgow last month. On Monday, I attended the Scotland Czech Republic match at Hamden. We will not talk about the score, but it was one of our flagship gateway events. The direct lessons learned from this will be used to inform our thinking as we devise a route map in partnership with the sector out of the pandemic. I thank the minister for that answer. Painful Covid restrictions on Scotland's culture scene from concert halls to cinemas has had a brutal effect on people's livelihoods. Given that the First Minister acknowledged yesterday that there were perceived anomalies on the rules, what action is the minister taking to reassure those working in the cultural sector, including in Glasgow, which remains in level 2, that their voices will not be ignored by the minister? I thank Annie Wells for that question. I think that she makes a salient point with regard to the effect on people's livelihoods. I want to convey to her today that the cabinet secretary and I are very much in listening mode with the sector. That is where we are, just now. Culture is obviously new in terms of my ministerial responsibilities and we have a new cabinet secretary too. We have done a lot of engagement thus far with the sector in terms of listening to them. The Scottish Government has supported organisations and individuals in Glasgow with more than £18 million through Creative Scotland's Covid-19 relief funds. For example, Glasgow Life received significant funding to help performing arts venues that were closed, including over £500,000 for the tramway and £250,000 for the Glasgow Royal concert halls, the fruit market and city halls and the Kelvin Grove bandstand. Last week, further rounds of the performing arts relief fund and the cultural organisations and venues recovery fund launched. Those are directly recognising the on-going challenges that are faced by many businesses in the culture sector that Annie Wells set out today. Thank you minister. That concludes portfolio questions and we'll just have a very short pause whilst our other DPO makes his way.