Chamber and committees

I now suspend the meeting momentarily to allow officials to change over.

As there are no further questions from the committee, we will move to agenda item 4, which is a formal debate on the affirmative instrument on which we have just taken evidence. Cabinet secretary, do you wish to add anything?

I have a question before we move to questions from committee members. I and my deputy convener sit as observers on the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, and this will be discussed at the PPA in December. I was also allowed to take part in a breakout session on touring artists the last time we were in London. My impression—rightly or wrongly—is that there has been a focus on emerging artists and an assumption that lots of them will be young people.

Given the demographics of the areas that you work in, is having such a focus the right priority? Will it make any difference to the larger sectors that you all work in? I will go in reverse order this time.

I will have to close the evidence session. We have another agenda item to consider in private, and we have no flexibility on a Thursday because of First Minster’s question time.

I thank all the witnesses for your contributions and the written submissions that you provided to the committee.

I am a wee bit conscious of the time, folks. If we could try and make questions and answers succinct, that would be helpful.

Thank you. The final thought from me, as committee convener, is to put on record the committee’s thanks to officials, clerks, our colleagues in the Scottish Parliament information centre and Dr Whitten for their work in making this significant progress.

Good morning, and welcome to the 31st meeting in 2023 of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee. Our first agenda item is a decision on whether to take business in private. Are members content to take item 6 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Our second agenda item is evidence on a series of reports regarding the Scottish Government’s commitment to align with the European Union where appropriate. The reports include a draft of the Scottish Government’s 2023 annual report on use of the keeping pace power in the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021.

We are joined by Angus Robertson, the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture. With him from the Scottish Government are George Macpherson, who is the head of EU policy and alignment, and Lorraine Walkinshaw, who is from the legal directorate. I invite the cabinet secretary to make a short—that is what it says here—opening statement. [Laughter.]

Thank you. I move to questions from the committee, and I call Mark Ruskell.

Welcome back. I remind members that we have no flexibility on time and that we have other agenda items to get through this morning.

Our third agenda item is consideration of a draft statutory instrument. Following the evidence session with the cabinet secretary and his officials, the committee will be invited under the next agenda item to consider a motion recommending that the instrument be approved. I remind members that Scottish Government officials can speak under this agenda item but not under the next agenda item.

I welcome back to the committee Angus Robertson, the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture. He is supported by Greig Walker, retained EU law act management lead, and David Maclennan, lawyer for the Scottish Government. I invite the cabinet secretary to make a brief opening statement.