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I am grateful for the opportunity to close the debate for Scottish Labour and to support the amendment in the name of my colleague Colin Smyth. It has been a positive, constructive and, if I may say so, relatively pleasant debate. It is clear from the speeches that there is significant support across the chamber for fair trade. It was good that, in his opening speech, the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture acknowledged the long-standing place of fair trade and Jack McConnell’s role in this Parliament.

It is also evident that there is significant support for fair trade across Scotland. We heard many positive examples of work that is being carried out to promote it. We heard powerful testimony from my colleague Foysol Choudhury, who spoke about the impact that fair trade is having in Bangladesh and how marginalised women have the opportunity to make a fair wage by creating products from upcycled saris, which are sold right here in Edinburgh.

Murdo Fraser mentioned Aberfeldy, which became the first Fairtrade town in Scotland, in 2002, and Willie Rennie mentioned St Andrews. Colin Smyth highlighted the work of Holy Cross high school in Hamilton, and I am pleased that pupils and staff from the school have joined us in the gallery and stayed for the duration of the debate—I thank them for that.

We heard many other examples from across the chamber of good work, and there are great examples in my area, too. George Adam spoke a great deal about Paisley becoming a Fairtrade town in 2003. I pay tribute, as George Adam did, to the late Provost John McDowall, who was a champion of the fair trade movement.

One of the organisations that John McDowall worked with was Rainbow Turtle, which George Adam also mentioned and which I had the pleasure of visiting earlier this year. Based in Paisley town centre, it is an excellent fair trade shop that has been operating since 2002. It was great to meet the staff and volunteers and see the variety of products that they stock and the work that they do to sell fair trade products.

I also want to highlight the work of True Origin, a wholesaler in Paisley that I also visited a few weeks ago. It works with a network of smallholder farmers and producers in the global south in order to source the finest ethical foods.

It is important to recognise all the efforts that are being made to make Scotland a fair trade nation. I echo members’ thanks to all those who have volunteered their time and played a vital role in Scotland achieving that status. As Colin Smyth and the cabinet secretary said earlier, thanks must go, in particular, to Scottish Fair Trade, which was led by former chief executive Martin Rhodes and is now led by Louise Davies.

It is also important for us to acknowledge that such work is being replicated in other parts of the United Kingdom, which is what makes us one of the biggest fair trade markets in the world. We heard from Murdo Fraser that, in 2023, £28 million was paid in premiums from Fairtrade products sold in the UK.

I have always believed in people getting a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. That is one of the main motivations that brought me into politics, and it is why, for example, I support the new deal for working people, which will strengthen employment rights and increase the national minimum wage in the UK. However, that principle must apply to fair trade internationally, too. Fair trade and Fairtrade premiums play an integral role in ensuring that farmers and workers in the developing world receive fair pay for their produce and safer working conditions.

The Co-operative Party, of which I am a member, has been and continues to be hugely supportive of fair trade. In fact, long before it was fashionable, the co-operative movement was an early adopter of fair trade products, and the Co-op was the first supermarket to stock fair trade goods. The United Nations has designated 2025 as an international year of co-operatives, and the theme is “Cooperatives Build a Better World”. I associate myself with the Scottish Co-operative Party’s belief that supporting fair trade will contribute to creating that better world.

We are right to celebrate Scotland’s efforts to promote fair trade, but, as we look to the future, we can and should do more—members across the parties called for that.

George Adam made very valid points in his speech, and I agree with him on sports equipment and the opportunity to expand Fairtrade products in that sector. Bala Sport’s footballs, which, as the Presiding Officer will know, the Scottish Parliament football team has used from time to time, are produced in Pakistan. The premium that is paid on them is used by Bala’s partners in Pakistan to provide discounted groceries for their workers. Sports bodies and clubs should do more, and some schools have purchased Fairtrade sports balls, but more can and should be done to help more schools to follow suit.

That leads me to Colin Smyth’s point about procurement. We should have a standardised definition in law of “fairly traded goods” in order to enhance transparency and accountability. Alongside that, we should consider removing existing barriers. As Colin Smyth said, £16 billion is spent on public procurement in Scotland each year, but, despite Scottish Fair Trade’s best efforts, we have little idea how much of that is spent on fair trade. I say to the cabinet secretary that if the Scottish Government is serious about the issue, it should get serious about measuring it. I hope that he will respond to those points in his closing speech.

This has been a good debate, and we are right to mark Scotland’s renewing its status as a fair trade nation, but we can and must do more to ensure that people around the world get a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

Many people have been shocked and saddened by BBC Scotland’s decision to cancel “River City”, with nearly 10,000 people having signed a petition by the trade union Equity to save the show. The decision has implications for jobs, opportunities and viewers. There are serious concerns that plans to replace the show will collectively offer 20 hours less broadcast television time a year to Scottish licence fee payers than the current 33 hours of “River City”.

Does the First Minister share my concerns about that decision, and the concerns of Jackie Baillie and I about the potential loss of the Dumbarton studios, which are also used for many other productions?

Ahead of the 2027 charter renewal, will the Scottish Government seek guarantees that BBC Scotland’s budget will be invested in local TV and film production?

I understand that Scotland’s International Development Alliance has previously raised concerns about grant funding from the Scottish international fund going to multinational for-profit organisations. What assessment, if any, has the Scottish Government made of those concerns? Will it review the issue?

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. In my question earlier, I referred to the Scottish international fund. I should have referred to the climate justice fund. I wanted to clarify that at the earliest opportunity.

That was the Conservatives.

According to Police Scotland, between April last year and February this year, there have been 132 road casualties in Renfrewshire. That is up by more than a quarter compared with the same period the year before. Since 2007, speed awareness courses have been in operation in England and Wales to help the police, but, as Chris Musson of The Sun wrote this week, there is still none available in Scotland, despite the Scottish Government first looking at the matter 16 years ago, in 2009.

In 2023, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs stated that

“The Scottish Government agrees that speed awareness courses will have a positive impact on driver behaviour”

and that research on the matter

“shows that such interventions reduce reoffending”.—[Official Report, 7 September 2023; c 3.]

Does the Scottish Government still support speed awareness courses? Why are we still waiting for them to be rolled out, and when will they start?

I absolutely welcome what the cabinet secretary has said about the cross-party support for Ukraine that we are hearing here this evening. We need to maintain that and to consistently support Ukraine for the long term. Will he join me in welcoming the 100-year co-operation agreement between the United Kingdom and Ukraine and in saying that we should steadfastly support Ukraine for the long term?

I welcome the debate that Colin Beattie has brought to the chamber.

These are troubling times. Three years ago, Putin began his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, attacking its people and its sovereignty. Over the past three years, the Ukrainian people have displayed immense bravery, strength and resilience in the face of a tyrannical aggressor. We can see that resilience from pictures online and on our televisions.

That resilience was also on display at the “Invicta Ukraine”—unbroken Ukraine—event that I attended last week at Glasgow cathedral, where the Ukrainian community in Scotland commemorated three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

When Ukraine was attacked, so too were the values of democracy, freedom and human rights. We must remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine to ensure that those treasured values are upheld. We must also maintain our condemnation of Putin and his unlawful war. I pay tribute to President Zelenskyy for his strong leadership throughout the war and to the people of Ukraine.

I know that that solidarity with the people of Ukraine is felt by members across the Parliament and people across these isles. Yesterday, with Anas Sarwar, I had the privilege of meeting, once again, the consul for Ukraine in Scotland. I reiterate the points that he made last week before the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee. He said:

“Ukraine ... needs three powers ... the power of weapons .... economic sanctions and ... diplomacy.”—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 27 February 2025; c 2.]

I therefore welcome the fact that the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, and the British Government have already taken further action on all three of those points and have committed to increase defence spending, as Stephen Kerr said, to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product to secure and strengthen Britain’s national security.

On weapons to Ukraine, a £2.26 billion loan has been given by the UK Government, and a deal worth £1.6 billion has been signed with defence manufacturers to supply thousands of advanced air defence missiles to Ukraine. That is being funded through the largest package of economic sanctions on Russia since 2022, with 107 new sanctions announced. Those sanctions will disrupt Russia’s military supplies and financial support.

The Prime Minister has also shown leadership on the international stage, working effectively with our allies in the interests of Ukraine. That diplomacy has involved holding regular and constructive conversations with world leaders to try to reconcile differences and support Ukraine. That is why the Prime Minister hosted a summit in London with 18 leaders from around Europe and from Turkey and Canada. Those efforts by the Prime Minister have embodied the phrase “actions speak louder than words”. Peace will come for the people of Ukraine. However, it is imperative that the United Kingdom plays its role in ensuring that that is a just peace.

Finally, I want to say a word about the Ukrainian refugees who have made our country their home over the past three years. I pay tribute, as Colin Beattie did in opening the debate, to the good people of this country and the many organisations that have been incredibly welcoming to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. Ukrainian refugees of all ages have been able to integrate into Scottish society. We must continue to support them and recognise, as Stephen Kerr said, that many of them wish to return to their homeland as soon as possible.

I understand that there are 78 Ukrainian pupils attending Renfrewshire high schools. I welcome the work that Renfrewshire Council is doing to assess how many of those young people are planning to sit Scottish Qualifications Authority exams this year and to support them throughout that process.

Although nothing can undo the horrors that many have had to endure, I hope that the warm and hospitable environment of this country has offered some comfort. As a country, and as a Parliament, we should again unite and resolve to support Ukraine so that it can find a just and lasting peace.

The consul of Ukraine in Scotland, who is in the gallery, told Parliament just a few days ago that Ukraine needs three powers: weapons, economic sanctions and diplomacy. I welcome the fact that, over the past few days, the Prime Minister has taken action on all three by pledging more weapons for Ukraine, funded by sanctions on Russian assets, and by providing steadfast diplomatic support.

What will the Scottish Government do to support the Prime Minister and the UK Government to provide the things that Ukraine says that it needs? The First Minister rightly talks about the need for a “united front”, but does he agree that that applies not only to our actions but to our words? Will he ensure that nothing will be said by members of his Government that undermines the efforts of the Prime Minister to support Ukraine and find a lasting peace?

It is welcome that a number of cultural organisations will see their funding increase. However, there is a general concern that money that is given by one hand could be taken away by another through increased rents, given the knowledge of the increase in their funding. Does the cabinet secretary agree that all providers of premises to cultural organisations, including local authorities, should not seek to take advantage of any uplift and should therefore limit the proposed increase in rents and other building costs?