 Felly, rydyn ni'n mynd i gyfweld i gael cyfysgau cwyddiant mewn gallu gweld i gael cyfysgau, ac mae'n gweithio i ddiolch gwyllgor i gyllidol i gyfysgau Cymru. Yr item y bydau yn poblyg o cwysgau cyffredinol, o gyffredinol, eich eich ei ddysgu yn cyfweld i gael cyfysgau cyffredinol. Felly, rydyn ni'n gweithio i gael cyd-dysgu sy'n gweithio i gael cyfysgau cyffredinol, am fynd i fynd yn llawer i y clywedau syrraed ac yn enw i'r cwmwaith y lluniau i fynd i'r cwmfaith. Fy ffind ei eithaf o gyflymau a'i gweithio am rai amser cymdiannau. 1. Meghan Gallacher To ask the Scottish Government what measures are currently in place to ensure the protection and preservation of war memorials. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of Scottish War memorials in ensuring that the i gyf Adrian J Platform ond amdcomell hwnnw bys, rydym yna i gydagtvwysus tyllun cy startingogol i blei cysylltu i agnodau hydrodau am unigion yr unigion cyisch sharedo mitt! Ma shefgbrodau gan y Om Baghbadol-M war memorial in Motherwall, y peth i ddim yn cyfathor i sgwllwlad âり ond LMSP. Rwy'n rwy'n oes wedi bod nhw'n ddylch yn yn stratiaf y mae'r fan-delizim bwysig yn cael eu ddiguc ar gyfer 2015, mae'r Cymru sagyfu cael y fan-delizim o'r fan-delizim yw'r mae niferion i'r fan-delizim i'w weld i petaholau ar yr ageilau yma chi'n ddod gan'r drwy'n ei daeth inni'r roi'r grwynddoedd yng Nghyrchidygoedd, yn nhw rhoi ddweud. Daryl y Llywyddyn i'r ddegwyd iawn o gynnwys panthagurau gyda'r llaiach, ddegwyd y cyfrifiadau hyd yn ganddoedd ac mae Chyfgrifedd cyfrifiadu ac mae Llywodraeth yn cael eich cyfrifiadau hefyd. Mae'r ddegwyd yn ymwysgol, ac mae'r ddegwyd yn archifiadau cyrficid yw mor cyfrifiadau'r cyfrifiadau yn hynny, drwy ar ddegwyd, mae'r ddegwyd yn sylwyd o'r ddegwyd There's legislation currently in place to deal with the vandalism and desecration of statues and memorials, including war memorials. The Scottish Government has no current plans to introduce new legislation for the specific purpose, but the Scottish Government supports the police and prosecutors in using the powers that they have available to them in dealing with any incidents of vandalism that may arise. To ask the Scottish Government which conflicts its new institute for peacekeeping will aim to resolve, and by when? As a global citizen Scotland aims to contribute to peace efforts through conflict resolution with others, that's why we are committing to establishing a peace institute by the end of 2022. Discussion on the role and remit of the peace institute are at an early stage. I look forward to updating Parliament once we have developed our thinking further and I very much welcome the contribution for the member from North East Fife on the development of that peace institute. I appreciate that this won't have immediate impact overnight. I'm interested in the work that has been done so far because the situation is urgent. Has there been any early engagement with the warring factions in the Tigray war in Ethiopia? What has been the response from the Israeli and Palestinian authorities? Of course, Afghanistan, where the member has a particular interest when he was a member at Westminster, can he share any correspondence that he has had with the Taliban? I must confess that I wasn't expecting the end of that question from the member for North East Fife. I have not been in correspondence with the Taliban and I don't intend to, but on the question of a peace institute for Scotland, it will be one of the integral parts of our overall framework for the Scottish Council for Global Affairs. Fundamental to everything that we do is our determination to be a good global citizen. That is reflected in our international development programme and through the priority that we place on human rights, and the peace institute will contribute to those values. I very much welcome the enthusiasm of the member for North East Fife, and I assure him that I'll keep him updated. I'm very interested in the input from him and other members from all parties in the chamber in the development of the peace institute. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Cabinet Secretary, as perhaps the only member of the Parliament who has served with the United Nations peacekeeping force and not just pontificated about them in the newspapers, I know how it's important it is for peace to be negotiated, and then more often than not, policed. Surely that's why we need to get behind the established peacemakers and not support sub-promoting idealist plans or undermine the organisations such as the UN that can deliver peace and then police it. Cabinet Secretary, I hope that the sound quality was not great, but I hope that you could... I did. Can I take the opportunity to commend Edward Mountain and anybody else who has served with the United Nations peacekeepers? I've had the good fortune of visiting UN peacekeeping operations, including those from the Irish Republic and the Golan Heights, one of the few countries that has continually provided UN peacekeeping service personnel since its inception. Scotland's peace institute will operate within the devolved competence of this Government. We are already engaged in peace work. Our Women in Conflict 1325 fellowship programme with Beyond Borders is a good example of Scotland's contribution to peacemaking activity. Scotland also has a proud academic tradition of international relations and conflict. The foundations are there. Scotland's peace institute will bring this work together and it will enhance our peace offer in the future. I welcome the cabinet secretary's details about Scotland's international responsibilities, including peacekeeping. Does he feel confident, as I do, that Scotland is increasingly recognised across the world as a progressive outward looking country with a positive role to play in the global stage, especially this because the eyes of the world are on Glasgow? I agree with my colleague Scotland as a proudly internationalist nation and we will embrace the opportunities of international connection co-operation, acting as a good global citizen to champion our values-based approach on the world stage. We are welcoming the world to Scotland for COP26 and hosting world leaders alongside tens of thousands of negotiators, Government representatives, businesses and activists from around the globe for 12 days of talks. There is much more that we are able to deliver in the future and I look forward to the peace institute playing a distinct role in Scotland's offer to the rest of the world and our support of supporting peace and reconciliation efforts around the world. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed £1.5 million fund for local organisations in the international development partner countries to take forward work to ensure that women and girls are safe, equal and respected. The pandemic has widened the gender poverty gap and is expected to drive a further £47 million more women and girls into extreme poverty in 2021. That is one of the reasons why the Scottish Government will introduce this new cross-cutting equalities programme across all four of our partner countries, with a particular focus on supporting the promotion of equality and empowerment of women and girls. That new programme is currently at the design stage. The fund itself that we will establish will aim to work more directly with our in-country partners directly in keeping with the conclusions of our international development review. I know that President Chagwera of Malawi welcomed the Scottish Government's strong support for women and girls in Malawi when he met the First Minister on Sunday. I thank the minister for her answer. Will she agree with me that it is important that we spend this money as wisely as possible and that we know that women are underrepresented in decision-making processes? What thoughts does the minister have on how we can ensure that the voices of women are heard in the decision-making processes? I thank the member for that supplementary question. As she knows, women and girls have been impacted by the pandemic far differently from men. I think that there is a real danger that we could go backwards in terms of gender inequality. She makes a number of points. First of all, will we spend this funding as wisely as possible? You have my commitment that that is what we plan to do at the design stage at this moment in time. The member also mentioned the underrepresentation of women, which is a huge challenge in UK politics. It is still a challenge in this place and in our partner countries, although some of them are doing better or have done better historically than Scotland. However, I want to recap on where we are in terms of our funding in Scotland. We already provide scholarships for women and girls in Pakistan, we provide MBA scholarships through Herriot-Watt University in Zambia and we provide scholarships in Malawi through the Mamie Martin fund. However, the fund has a unique opportunity to improve the lives of women and girls in our partner countries. I will be happy to have any conversations with the member on how we go further forward in developing it, taking on board absolutely her point regarding the underrepresentation of women. It is reassuring to hear that the Scottish Government continues to target international development support to the most in need of it in many cases. In light of that, can the minister comment on the announcement earlier this week of £1 million from the Climate Justice Fund to help vulnerable communities to repair and rebuild from extreme weather events? We have a moral responsibility to acknowledge the urgency of global action on loss and damage. Scotland is proud to show solidarity with those most impacted by climate change through our work on climate justice, but we cannot act alone. That is why, as the member alluded to, on Monday of this week, the First Minister announced the £1 million grant over two years to the Climate Justice Resilience Fund as a partnership to help some of the world's most vulnerable communities to prepare for and adapt to climate change also in tackling structural inequalities and recovering from climate-induced loss and damage. Question 4 Alex Cole-Hamilton Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the organisations of major events since the introduction of the Covid-19 vaccination certification scheme. Ministers and officials are in regular contact with major event stakeholders, including but not limited to my meeting with the chair of the events industry advisory group on 26 October last week, which was established to provide a coordinated voice for the sector during the Covid-19 pandemic and the on-going recovery work. We will, of course, continue to engage with stakeholders on any further feedback that they may have on vaccine certification. Alex Cole-Hamilton Deputy Presiding Officer, I am grateful for that reply. When the scheme was first established, it was made clear to the industry that they would have to absorb the costs of getting ready for its roll-out. What assessment has been done of the financial impact to the sector by the roll-out? Secondly, given that 42,000 people have been unable to obtain a Covid-19 card, what assessment has it given to the loss of revenue and loss of attendance, and will the Government make good on that loss of attendance? I thank the member for that question. I think that the most important thing for the events industry in Scotland right now is that event organisers are able to operate. In addition to meeting with the events advisory group last week, I also met with a number of theatre groups, and the clear message that they relayed to me is that they like the passport scheme. They like it because it gives them certainty, they can stay open and they can operate. However, it is not just about that business certainty that the scheme offers, it is also about audience confidence, and I think that that is a huge challenge for the sector as we continue to move out of the pandemic. Time and again, the industry has told me that the scheme encourages audience confidence to return to major events, and the importance of that cannot be underplayed. As to the specifics of Mr Cole-Hamilton's questions regarding the financial impact, I do not have the data in front of me, but I will come back to him with the specifics. An unmitigated disaster is how industry experts described dealing with the vaccine passports last weekend. We have had queues, confusion, abuse of staff and loss of business, all due to an app that does not work in a public that is unaware that they even need it. That could have been avoidable if only a proper public information campaign was in place. Fax was drummed into every mind in the country, with wall-to-wall coverage and posters plastered in every wall, so why have the Scottish Government not bothered when it comes to vaccine passports? Can the minister explain why there has been no campaign and will we see one in the coming weeks? I thank the member for that question. I am not necessarily sure that I would agree with her assertion that the vaccine passports scheme has been an unmitigated disaster. As I alluded to in my response to Mr Cole-Hamilton, what the industry tell me—and I meet them regularly—is that the scheme provides them with a level of comfort and is helping them to stay open. As we know, the events industry was one of the hardest hit industries in terms of the pandemic because it involves mass numbers of people gathering together, which we know can cause the virus to spin. We need to go back and reflect on the reason why we have the vaccine passport scheme, which is to protect public health. I hope that that gives the member an assurance. If she would like to meet with me to discuss it equally, and if she thinks that there are businesses where we are not getting the message through, then I am happy to take on board that feedback. To ask the Scottish Government how it is acting upon the recent recommendations of the expert advisory group on migration and population. Migration to Scotland supports economic growth and the delivery of public services. It helps to address the serious issue of long-term demographic change and enhances and sustains our communities. I welcome the report from the expert advisory group proposing actions to encourage and support families moving to Scotland. We will use this report to inform the development of a migration service for Scotland and rural visa pilots. The current restrictive rules on family migration are, of course, set by the UK Government, and I urge them to accept the expert group's recommendations and support family reunion by removing the minimum income requirement, which causes heartache for so many families. We need a different approach to migration and an approach based on evidence and reflecting Scotland's needs and Scotland's values. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. It is reassuring to hear that the Scottish Government's approach to migration remains not only the demographally well-informed but deeply compassionate and humane. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that continued close attention towards migrant families' welfare is a key part of upholding Scotland's reputation as a welcoming internationalist nation and a good global citizen? I agree wholeheartedly with the member for Clydebank and Milgae. Scotland is a welcoming and an inclusive nation, and we value everyone, no matter where they were born, who has chosen to make Scotland their home, to live, to work, study, raise their families and build their lives here. Without powers over immigration, there are limitations, however, on what we can do to mitigate the UK Government's restrictive approach to family migration. However, we do what we can with the powers that are available, and that is why we made a commitment in the programme for government to develop a migration service for Scotland to support those migrants and their families who have chosen to make Scotland their home. To ask the Scottish Government how it will support opportunities for the cultural sector to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic this winter. The Scottish Government recognises that the culture sector has been among the hardest hit by the pandemic and will continue to face challenges as we head into the winter months. We know that recovery will take time, with many audiences still remaining cautious about returning. Since the pandemic started, we have provided £175 million to the culture, heritage and events sector. Further around the culture organisations and venue recoveries fund and the performing arts venues really fund provided further emergency support to organisations. The programme for government also set out a number of commitments to support the culture sector, including via Scotland on tour, which is a fund that is focused on supporting opportunities to bring new concerts to towns and villages across Scotland next year. I welcome the minister's response, and I'm glad to hear that Scotland's artists and venues have cost for hope. Will the minister join me in welcoming the return of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations as an example of the resilience of the Scottish cultural sector? Yes, I will. I'm delighted that we'll see the return of Edinburgh's Hogmanay this year. Of course, with the necessary adjustments, we'll be put in place to ensure that it's compliant with Covid measures. Edinburgh's Hogmanay 2021 has been supported by the Scottish Government, by the Edinburgh festivals expo fund. The party at the Bell Street Theatre programme is supported by the Scottish Government, the City of Edinburgh Council and Creative Scotland's Place Fund. A message in the skies, which some members might recall from last year, is supported additionally by the expo fund. Of course, as well as Edinburgh, there are other cities and towns across Scotland who will be holding their own Covid-compliant Hogmanay celebrations, as well as the bigger bonfire, rams in Dufftown and the beach ballroom in Aberdeen. Last Hogmanay, the country was still in a national lockdown, so this year's promise is to be a particularly important moment for the country. We remain absolutely committed to working with the sector and our public bodies to make sure that it's a success. In last week's UK budget, Rishi Sunak announced that the cultural sector in England would receive £850 million in additional support. Will the minister commit to passing on the full Barnett consequentials arising from this to Scotland's culture sector in light of the many and very difficulties faced by that sector in the wake of Covid, especially among smaller and independent organisations and individuals whose livelihoods depend on it? I thank Donald Cameron for that question. I would love to pass those consequentials on, but I have to say to the member that we have yet to receive £31 million of outstanding culture consequentials that we are due from the UK Government. I will look at what Mr Sunak is going to give to Scotland in terms of consequentials, but I would just reiterate that the UK Government is already indebted to us by more than £30 million in terms of culture, and the culture sector absolutely needs that support just now. If Mr Cameron can use any part that he may have with regard to his UK Government colleagues in calling for that funding to come to Scotland, I would be extremely grateful. To ask the Scottish Government what support it has offered Scotland's cultural and heritage sectors in connection with COP26. There is a wide range of activity taking place alongside COP being supported by the Scottish Government and our cultural bodies. For example, the Scottish Government provided 100,000 pounds of direct support to the Climate Beacons project. That is a series of seven partnerships across Scotland that is run by Creative Carbon Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland and our national performing companies are delivering a wide range of activity at COP26, which highlights the relationship between heritage and culture. In addition, we have provided £15,000 to bring storm to Glasgow during COP26, a project that delivers a powerful environmental message about the sea and how we can all play a part in protecting our coastal waters. I thank the minister for that answer. COP26 in Glasgow is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we should celebrate the fact that Scottish artists have an opportunity to enrich this historic global movement. Does the minister agree with me that culture and the arts are a vital part of any society's response to moments of crisis such as climate change or the pandemic, and that Scotland's artistic community is well placed to speak on the global stage? Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with Mr McDonald's assertion. COP26 is a real opportunity for Scotland's cultural sector to play that key role in creating a climate legacy. I met this morning, along with the minister for higher education, with the organisation Fashion Revolution, to explore the opportunities within the textile industry for sustainable development and a cultural recovery. That sustainability is a key issue within the sector at the moment, as people are becoming increasingly more aware about the negative impact that fast fashion can have on the environment. The culture sector is an important part, of course, of Scotland's character, our attractiveness and connectivity to the rest of the world. The support from the Scottish Government, which I mentioned in my initial response to the member, will help to showcase some of Scotland's diverse cultural voices. COP26 provides Scottish artists and communities with that platform to work openly with the international stage and with other nations who share the same net zero ambitions. I am really looking forward to hosting a cultural reception in Glasgow later this month to celebrate that important contribution. To ask the Scottish Government what actions the Constitution Secretary is taking to continually improve interactions with the other devolved Administrations, as well as the UK Government. The Scottish Government is committed to effective interactions with the other devolved Governments and with the UK Government on the basis of a partnership of equals. However, repeated actions such as the approach to Brexit and the imposition of the UK Internal Market Act 2020, despite the explicit withholding of consent from this Parliament, makes effective interactions with the UK Government much more difficult. He knows, however, that the agreement on joint working, which was put together to maintain positive and constructive relations, was based on mutual respect. He also knows that there has been a very welcome agreement in recent days between his colleagues Kate Forbes and Simon Clark at the Treasury about the parameters for the future of the fiscal framework discussions. Can I ask the Cabinet Secretary if he will join me in agreeing that Scotland fares very much better when both the Scottish and UK Governments and the other devolved nations work very well together and that there is not a constant focus on another referendum? Can I agree with Liz Smith that it is a good thing that Governments on these islands work together, but can I give her a very concrete example of when it doesn't? When this Government seeks to discuss issues relating to migration, which this Parliament has responsibility over, the policy areas that relate with, through education, through housing, through health and so on, that after 19 requests turned down by the Home Office, finally because it is so embarrassing that the UK Government has finally relented and met. Do you know what? It was a hugely productive meeting, so I agree with Liz Smith and I would appeal to her. Please speak to one's party colleagues in London and impress on them that we should have good working relations, but to do that people have to be prepared to meet and when they meet they have to meet in a spirit of partnership, not a box-taking exercise purely to prove that one has spoken with devolved administrations. That means co-operating on agendas, co-operating on contents, and co-operating on the issue at hand. Too often, unfortunately, that is not the case with the UK Government. I regret that and I would appeal for her assistance in trying to rectify that. I construct a relationship between the Governments of the UK and everyone's interests, whether they are devolved or independent, and I commend the cabinet secretary for his work in that regard. However, would the cabinet secretary agree with me and the First Minister of Wales that maintaining a healthy dialogue with Westminster is difficult when the principles of devolution are, in the words of Mark Drakeford, breached daily by the present UK Government? The Scottish Government agrees with Mark Drakeford and, indeed, with Neil Gray, that recent proposals from the UK Government for improving interactions will only have limited value unless they are accompanied by much greater levels of respect for devolved responsibilities in institutions than is currently being demonstrated by the UK Government. There is so much more that they could do, I just wish they would get on and do it. That concludes portfolio questions, and we will have a very short pause before we move on to the next item of business.