 Mae'r iawn y gweithio'r ystyried dweud, ac mae'n gweithio'r ysgolion gwybrig yn y gwaith i'n fwy o'ch ddweud. O'r prif ochr o'ch hollwyrwyr, y ddechrau'r ysgolion yn gweithio'r ystyried, mae'n hollwyr a'r cyfnodol yn ei ddweud. Felly, mae'n ziwgai i'ch gweithio'r ei ddweud y ddweud, mae'n ddweud o'r ddweud i'ch gweithio'r ddweud o'i ddweud o'r cyfnodol o'r ddweud o'r gweithio'r ddweud, i dd Suddenifêr, iddyn ni'n ymweld ddech公 ystod nesafidiaeth i d eagleion ac os ddydod nesafidiaeth ar dros hyn a'r volwch yn mythimsicalu gyda'r dweud, yn gychwyn i'w chlas hissedwr i'w cysylltu gŵrionedd Cyfoeddau ni birthdayion a gollwniwch yn grannu y Union Europea, mewn ddechrau ddau ein bydd, a ymwneud y Gweinidog ym mwyaf medicine yn technau'r wyf amdano ddechrau i gyfreon, unedig ddygiadu gwirio o'r eur gwirio'r ddweud neu ddygu'r sefydlu i'ch sefydlu i Totally i gyfreon. Mae'r Eur gwirio yn credu arweud o'r eur gwirio ym 16 yma yw yw ei cynnallych o'r iawn ddaf yn cychwyniau efo ar gyfer i gyfrifio yn ei hoffi ar hyd yn eu ddorach a'r ddaf yn wych. A fewni'r ddechrau'r ddysgogel ymlaen nhw, mae'n fawr i'r ddweud ar y cyfrifol a'r ddweud o'r Brexit. The cabinet secretary is often replying. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that the UK Government's needless and reckless confrontation with the EU has made it even harder to find constructive solutions to the problems created by Brexit, such as those experienced by the Scottish agriculture and food sector? I agree with my colleague, and the hard Brexit chosen by the UK Government, which removes us from the single European market and the customs union, is irresponsibly being pursued during a global pandemic. It's causing significant economic damage in Scotland. In the first half of 2021, Scotland's food exports to the European Union were 14 per cent lower than the equivalent period in 2019. This compares with a 3 per cent drop for non-EU exports of food over the same period. Scottish goods exports fell by 24 per cent in the latest year to June 2021, compared to the equivalent period in 2019. Last Thursday night, the Irish T-shirt, Michele Martin, said that whether there is a will, there is a way. I think that both sides just need to knuckle down and get it resolved. The talks last week were intensive and constructive, with momentum continuing in these discussions. Why the tone of the First Minister suggests that she wants the talks to fail and, ultimately, why she is downplaying not only the UK but the Republic of Ireland in her recent media commentary? I do not recognise the characterisation by the member from the Conservative benches at all. I have in my conversations with Lord Frost repeatedly impressed on him the need for a positive relationship with the European Union. I very much welcome the comments that were made by Antishaq Michele Martin on this same question. The ball very much lies with the UK Government, as she and her colleagues will remember. It was the UK Government that signed the Northern Ireland protocol and described things as being an oven-ready deal. It is they that are calling it into question, and I would urge her to impress on her colleagues the need to find a resolution because the impact on the economy in Scotland will be devastating if article 16 is progressed with. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress in relation to a culture strike— Excuse me, but I think that there has been an element of confusion. I had understood that you were pressing your button for supplementary in this question, and we will get to your question. To ask the Scottish Government how it will support the cultural sector in Aberdeen to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic started, we have provided £4.9 million in emergency funding to the culture, heritage and event sector in Aberdeen. That includes support for grassroots music and performing arts venues and organisations engaging with local communities and young people through culture and museums. We remain committed to working with the sector to support the sector's recovery, and we will continue to engage with the sector to ensure that it does just that. A quick search shows that the follow-up venues receive Scottish Government funding towards their refurbishment projects. Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh, Maritime Museum in Irving, Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, Borrow Collection in Glasgow, but the Aberdeen art gallery, Museum of the Year last year, did not receive one penny of funding from the Scottish Government. Will the SNP Government put its hand in its pocket and finally commit to helping to fund the Aberdeen art gallery? I thank the member for his question. I very much welcome Aberdeen art gallery's outstanding achievement as the winner of the Art Fund Museum of the Year award and as one of the winners selected as part of the 2021 Civic Trust award. The Scottish Government is of course always willing to consider new funding requests at the planning or business case stages for significant cultural and community projects. However, I am not aware of a direct approach to the Government to fund the refurbishment of the gallery from Aberdeen City Council during those stages, as would normally have been standard practice for funding requests. However, I am more than happy to meet the member to discuss the matter in further detail. I ask the cabinet secretary what extra financial support will be given to support small theatres in Aberdeen and my home city of Edinburgh, which have been devastated during Covid-19? We are widening it out, but I am sure that you can cope with that. We are somewhat in response to Mr Toudi's question, which focuses on theatres and on support to the cultural sector. In Edinburgh, there will be further information forthcoming on that. He will already be aware of the substantial support that the Government has announced, which focused earlier this year on support for cultural venues and also for performing arts venues. Further funding will be available, but we are still awaiting outstanding consequentials from the UK Government from the announcement back in March this year. We received £9 million of the £40 million of Covid culture consequentials. That funding would help in that endeavour, but I am happy to discuss any detail project that he might have an interest in with regard to how we further support the sector, because I recognise the continuing challenges that the theatre sector faces at this time. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the Beyond Borders Women in Conflict 1325 programme. The Scottish Government is providing funding of £300,000 for the 1325 Women in Conflict Fellowship programme in 2021-22. The programme was inspired by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which emphasises the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction. The programme is delivered by Beyond Borders, a Scottish third sector human rights law organisation that has a strong track record of working with the United Nations on international conflict resolution and related issues. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. Would he agree with me that if Scotland is to fulfil its aim to be a good global citizen, it must approach international challenges in a holistic and connected way, and that, by supporting this programme, the Scottish Government acknowledges how vital gender equality is to conflict resolution and climate justice? I agree entirely with my colleague the member for Glasgow, Kelvin. I completely agree that this is why we are committed through the Scottish Government's programme for government of this year to increase our international development fund from £10 million to £15 million, as well as including the new climate change element in the 1325 fellowship programme. The increase in international development funding will finance a new £500,000 women and girls empowerment fund for partner countries to take forward work to ensure that women and girls are safe, equal and respected, and that will be launched next year. In 2019, I led a debate on resolution 1325, women, peace and security, where I highlighted the invaluable role of women as conflict negotiators, largely as women focus on housing, food and water security instead of solely military security. Can the cabinet secretary further detail any additional plans specifically related to the Scottish Parliament and the Government that can support and enable women to become conflict negotiators, particularly in the Middle East? In terms of taking a holistic approach to international challenges, we are committed to policy coherence for sustainable development. Therefore, in the programme for government, we set out that we would reconstitute a ministerial working group on PCSD to lead on our ambition to align domestic policy objectives and activity with our international development objectives when engaging with the global south. We believe that Scotland has a key role in peace and reconciliation, and by the end of 2022, we will establish a peace institute. We have also recently trebled our assistance to climate justice. We will ensure that those initiatives are heavily informed by developing a feminist approach to foreign policy and that gender equality is at the heart of our approach to conflict resolution and to climate justice. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting the arts sector to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic started, the Scottish Government has provided £175 million to the culture heritage and events sector. Further rounds of the cultural organisations and venues recovery fund and the performing arts venues relief fund provided emergency support to organisations supporting opportunities for cultural engagement, and we remain absolutely committed to supporting the culture sector's recovery. I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer. With 22 per cent of musicians planning to lead the industry, community organisations such as the Erdengston Music Club and My Constituency are critical to retaining and nurturing talent by providing local musicians with a chance to perform in front of live audiences. Can the cabinet secretary set out what support the Scottish Government can provide to community organisations such as the Erdengston Music Club? I thank Stephanie Callan for her question. Community organisations such as the Erdengston Music Club and My Constituency play a vital role in supporting musicians at a grass-roots level, but they give that platform to for access to music. Critically, as the member has alluded to, they also support local artists. The Scottish Government is committed to supporting community activity through our culture collective project. We have provided £750,000 to a new Scotland on tour fund, which will bring live music into the heart of communities. I recommend that Erdengston Music Club contact Creative Scotland to discuss further potential opportunities for support such as through Creative Scotland's open fund. I was recently contacted by a small mobile cinema business that operates in the Highlands and Islands regarding concerns about Covid vaccine passports. While they will be relieved by the First Minister's statement this week, they are still worried about the future. Can I ask what engagement the Scottish Government has had with the small cinema sector, either mobile or otherwise, given its critical role in bringing films to rural communities, both in terms of vaccine passports but also in terms of Covid recovery in general? I thank Donald Cameron for his question. The cabinet secretary and I have regular conversations and discussions with the sector more generally. I meet regularly with the theatre sector that he has spoken about specifically and assured regarding mobile cinemas. I met with the chair of the events advisory group yesterday in Glasgow, Peter Duthy, at the SCC. I recognise some of the challenges on that. If he has a contact for the individual concerned, I would be more than happy to discuss in detail some of the challenges that he has spoken to today. What work has the Scottish Government done to assess the viability and the need for additional support for venues, given the impact of the pandemic on the number of people attending theatres and cultural venues, reduced incomes and the huge impact that the pandemic has had on the reserves? I thank the member for that question. The primary way in which we gather that information is, as I alluded to in my response to Mr Cameron, through the events advisory group. That advisory group tells the Government directly what support they require. I met with them just two weeks ago and I will meet with them again in two weeks' time. It is hugely important that the events industry has direct access to ministers in terms of the support that they require. I am more than happy to work with them as we continue to do on an on-going basis. Some of the challenges that the pandemic represents, if she spoke to, continue to present real challenge to the sector. It is important that the Government hears those challenges but also critically acts upon it. If there are specific issues that she would like the Government to be aware of, she would be more than happy to discuss it with her in further detail. However, we have quite a robust process in place at the moment in time with the events advisory group, which I can tell the member that is not exactly shy in coming forward with regard to their views on the Government's actions on this matter. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the music industry to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic started. We have engaged closely with the music sector, including with the Scottish Commercial Music Industry Task Force and also with the Music Venue Trust, to understand the impact of the pandemic on the music industry and to provide tailored support. We remain committed to working with the music industry to support its revival, including, as I mentioned previously, the new £750,000 Scotland on Tour fund, which supports opportunities to bring in new concerts to venues right across Scotland. The minister will be aware that one in three jobs in the music industry have been lost as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to UK Music, figures released last month across the UK, 69,000 jobs were wiped from the devastating impact of Covid, so there is a natural impact on Scotland. The majority of workers are self-employed and many were not eligible for government support. The thousands have now left to set, and that is a really key point. As the cabinet secretary, if she could indicate that the £40 million announced on the limits of May has been fully allocated, what will the Scottish Government do to ensure that the financial assistance that is reaching those freelance musicians that are still in the sector, and many who have prudent benefits from government schemes, how will the Government ensure that the finance will reach them? I thank Pauline McNeill for her question. She is absolutely right to say that the music sector in particular has been one of the hardest hits in terms of the impacts of the pandemic. I know that, at the start of the pandemic, the sector worked pretty creatively to overcome this, and I know that a number of artists provided virtual concerts, for example, but that, of course, is not a replacement for real live music. Support so far has included £6.2 million to support grassroots music venues, £70 million to support creative freelancers, and more than £21 million to support cultural venues. However, in terms of future government support, I have invited the Scottish commercial music industry taskforce and the music venture trust to a round-table discussion on 15 December, with myself and the cabinet secretary, to discuss how the Government can support the music industry in its recovery from the pandemic. Alex Dottley would seem that audiences in music and theatre venues are still able to enjoy all the joys of the Scottish cultural sector while adhering to important public health measures such as mask wearing and vaccination status app. The pandemic is not yet over, but does the minister share my optimism that Scottish artists and audiences are finding their feet again after an incredibly difficult year? I very much share her optimism. The cabinet secretary and I spent a lot of time over the past few weeks and months getting out there and meeting with the sector in person, which has been fantastic to see in terms of the recovery work. We very much welcome the return of audiences to theatre and music venues, and I applaud the many theatres and music venues that have been complying with the Covid-19 guidance and regulations. I know that the recovery will take time, and many audiences remain cautious about returning. We need to recognise that in our recovery work. There is still a hesitancy out there, but I am keen to work with the cultural sector to make sure that we can encourage that safe return of audiences to music and theatre venues while recognising that we will continue to have to face challenges, as we have heard right into the winter months. Scotland's green industry is growing every year, a development that we can all welcome. However, film production is only one aspect. Screen-related music production is another. The RSNO is developing plans to become a go-to centre for soundtracks. Has the Scottish Government done any research on the percentage of Scottish musicians and composers whose music features in Scottish film and digital productions? What is being done by the Scottish Government to increase that percentage, and what action is being taken to open up that market to smaller soundtrack producers outside of Glasgow and Edinburgh? She has a very specific question in terms of our research into the percentage of Scottish composers. I do not have that information in front of me, but I can certainly ask officials for it. I think that she raises an important point, which is how do we in Government drive the creation and the establishment of talent in Scotland? I am really hopeful that the new project that she alluded to through the RSNO is able to do that. If I can come back to the member with a bit more detail, I think that it is a really important point that she has made. Question 6, from Claire Baker, who is joining us remotely. Thank you. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Stirling's bid to become UK City of Culture 2025 following its inclusion in the long list for selection. Let me send my best wishes again to Stirling for reaching the stage of the UK City of Culture competition. The competition is of course run and funded directly by the UK Government and Stirling. They are the only Scottish visitors to be long listed. My officials are currently working with Creative Scotland and Visit Scotland to look at options to support the Stirling team, who have a really fantastic story to tell. We will be able to give more information on that over the coming weeks. I have asked my officials to follow up on that directly with Claire Baker. I thank the minister for that response. I very much welcome her comments about Stirling. Achieving the city of culture status would bring significant benefits to Stirling and the country more broadly. I hope that we can all get behind the bid. The minister will also be aware that both Donald Fairlun and St Andrews are bidding for city status as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee next year. Can I ask what the Scottish Government can do to support their bids and recognise the history, culture and ambition of these important five towns? I thank Claire Baker for her question. Of course, to her original point, Stirling has a really rich cultural offer. I was actually in Stirling on Tuesday and I met with Historic Environment Scotland—I met with Hes rather—at the engine shed in Stirling itself. I think whether it is the built environment or Scotland's rich history, there is much to be celebrated in Stirling. Again, I wish them the very best of luck. She asked specifically a question about Donald Fairlun and St Andrews and their bid for city status. Let me come back to her on both of those points. She will recognise too that, like her, I am a fife MSP, so I do not want to declare an allegiance to either one or the other. However, it is hugely important that we support generation and regeneration in these communities and recognise the importance that city status could bring to each of them. Let me come back to her with a bit more detail with regard to what the Government might be able to do in terms of support for both of those projects. I welcome Stirling's inclusion in the UK city of culture longlist and hold high hopes for Stirling's chances. However, would the cabinet secretary reflect with me on how regrettable it is that the Scottish cities are no longer eligible for the equivalent EU accoled European Capital of Culture initiative that was brilliant in Glasgow in 1990 and which could have given Dundee a similar boost in 2023? I thank Bill Kidd for that question. It is deeply regrettable that we can no longer participate in the European Capital of Culture programme. The programme has cultural, reputational and also economic benefits as Glasgow holding the title in 1990 demonstrated. I think that I might have been there in 1990 but it was a very weak girl at the time. However, that other Scottish cities cannot now grasp that opportunity, as Dundee has a course to hope to do. In spite of EU exit, the UK Government could have sought to negotiate on-going membership of the scheme, which sits within the EU's creative Europe programme but chose not to for reasons that remain unclear, which is of course deeply regrettable. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress in relation to a culture strategy for Scotland. I thank Tess White for a question. Since the culture strategy was published in February of 2020, we have launched three new innovative programmes, the culture collective, arts alive and creative communities. Together, those programmes are supported by over £8.3 million of Scottish Government funding and are working to empower communities to develop cultural activities, bring creative residences to educational settings in areas of multiple deprivation and use cultural projects as a positive diversion away from criminal activity. We have also launched the national partnership for culture, who will be providing recommendations to ministers on the sector's recovery and renewal by the end of this year. The indicators for the national outcome for culture are currently using data from two years ago to measure performance, making it very difficult to assess the impact of the culture strategy and the Scottish Government's interventions to strengthen the sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the importance of the arts and culture sector to the north-east economy and its economic recovery, could the cabinet secretary suggest when this data is likely to be made available? Thank Tess White for her supplementary question. The aims and the ambitions of the culture strategy still remain relevant. I hope that we agree on that. That is something that we have discussed directly with the sector, which continues to support its vision and its guiding principles. We recognise though that the severe impact that the pandemic has had on the culture sector, and we now need new policies and actions to realise the strategy's aims and ambitions in a post-Covid world, for example, on health and wellbeing, on education, economic development and the net zero economy. My officials are considering that this is a key part of their work on sector recovery and renewal. We will publish an update on that work early in 2022. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can the cabinet secretary comment on the progress that is being made in embedding culture across portfolio areas to unlock the sector's full potential? I have very positive discussions across government on ensuring the embedding of culture and the arts right across government policies. That is proceeding well. However, what is proceeding less well is the funding that Scotland should be receiving for its cultural expenditure. Unfortunately, I need to confirm to her that we have received only £9 million of the £40 million of consequentials announced for Scotland from the UK Government this financial year. We are still seeking clarity from the Treasury on why the £40 million has not yet been passed on to us and we will continue to press the UK Government to deliver the remaining £31 million so that that can be passed on to the sector in full. That concludes portfolio questions. I will allow a very short pause to allow front-bench teams to take their seats safely before we move on to the next item of business.