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As members have no further questions, I will ask a final question. Mr Bain, I think, talked earlier about the political will to get the situation resolved. The previous deputy convener and I regularly attend the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly as observers from the Parliament. We have seen attention being given there to what the review will actually mean, with a very hard line being taken by some European members, who say that they are not opening the issue back up and that it is a performative piece of review rather than providing opportunities. You will all know from your work that relationships are key in Brussels in the way that it operates. Do you get a sense that there is a political will there to try to resolve some of the issues that you have raised with us today?

Do you want to direct that question to anyone in particular, as we are in a hybrid situation?

Welcome to the 11th meeting in 2024 of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee. I record our thanks to Kate Forbes for her thoughtful and diligent approach as a member of the committee, and I wish her well when she takes up her new post later this afternoon.

The first agenda item is a decision on taking business in private. Are members content to take item 3 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you. I will bring in Ms Foster.

Thank you—that is helpful. David, do you want to add anything?

Excellent—thank you. David, as someone who is based in France, could you add a bit about what it means in Paris?

Ewen, do you want to add anything?

Thank you. Catherine, do you have any thoughts?

Our next agenda item is to continue to take evidence on the committee’s inquiry into the review of the European Union-United Kingdom trade and co-operation agreement—the TCA. We have two panels this morning. For our first panel, we are joined in person by Gareth Williams, head of policy for Prosper, and Catherine McWilliam, national director of the Institute of Directors Scotland. Online, we are joined by Kate Foster, senior international affairs adviser, Federation of Small Businesses, and William Bain, head of trade policy, British Chambers of Commerce. A warm welcome to you all this morning.

I will open the questioning. Thank you for your written submissions, but I would like to get a sense of the current challenges in trading with the EU. What would you like to see in a review of the TCA, and which issues would your members prioritise? What are the challenges ahead that you see on the horizon? There is a lot in that. I will go to Mr Bain first.

You mentioned 350 companies. How many of those would you class as SMEs?