Chamber and committees

That is not a problem at all, convener, and thanks very much for bringing me in.

It is good to see you, cabinet secretary. I want to go back briefly to the convener’s question about the budget. You said that the budget for rural and islands is £864 million. How does that compare in cash terms to last year’s budget? I ask that because I assume that one of the reasons why this is such a challenging budget for rural affairs—as it is for every other area—is the inflationary environment, which is neither farmers’ fault nor the Scottish Government’s fault.

I will add a mini supplementary to my question. What percentage of the budget is going directly to farmers as cash in their pocket? Does that compare well with elsewhere in the UK?

Just for absolute clarity, are you saying that, because that money is not in the budget currently, you are expecting it to be additional to what is in the budget over the next financial year?

Again, these are just points for clarification. I appreciate that you wrote as recently as 4 January and that it is therefore unlikely that there have been any big changes since then, but at the time you said that the national lottery budget had not yet been approved by the board. How do you expect it to compare with the £32.4 million in last year’s budget?

After the budget was announced, you said that you were able to maintain funding for the current cohort of regularly funded organisations and that the contracting process would take place in the new year. I assume that that is well under way and continuing. Was there any discussion at the time about whether that funding could be expanded or reduced, or was it just agreed that you would maintain it at the same level?

My second question is about the intention that was announced to add a further £25 million to the culture budget in 2025-26. Forgive me if I have missed something, misunderstood it, or if you have already alluded to it, but is there any clarity on how that funding is to be given to the culture sector? Are there any caveats? Is it subject to anything?

Got you.

Thank you.

Thanks.

In the first few minutes of this evidence session, some people have said that this is about land, some have said that it is about ecosystems, some have said that it is about communities and some have said that it is about food. Can we manage all the different objectives simultaneously in the way that the previous CAP system did quite effectively? Obviously, the bill is about agriculture and rural communities. First, are there any inherent conflicts between the objectives, as they stand? Secondly, would it be possible to add objectives while retaining the focus?

I have one last question. We may do all that we can to offer accommodation and services but, ultimately, we still do not have the power to grant visas or access to the UK. A lot of organisations and charities that worked closely with us when it came to Ukraine—in particular, the Sanctuary Foundation—also want to work closely with us when it comes to the middle east. This may not be a question that you can answer but, having worked collaboratively with the UK Government on the Ukraine situation, do we have tried and tested ways of saying, “Look, we have X number of homes available for refugees and we can look after them. Can you please enable that?” That is not unique to the middle east; it applies to anywhere.

I am delighted that you could join us, particularly at the unearthly hour of 5 am.

Each of you will be working towards the Scottish Government’s overall objectives for Scotland, but I imagine that you also have short-term objectives for each office. Starting with Kat Feldinger, what are your immediate objectives for the first 18 months of the Copenhagen office and do you feel that you are making progress on them?

For your short-term objectives for the office, Catriona and Christopher, what will feel like an achievement and an accomplishment when it comes to moving on or considering next steps?