Seòmar agus comataidhean

I should probably have declared an interest, given that I was a board member of Marketing Edinburgh when we were seeking to get a studio in the city.

At our introductory meeting, we spoke about the role of the gaming community—I do not mean pheasants—[Laughter.] I mean “Grand Theft Auto” and the role of Dundee. You have spoken at length about screen industries, but where does the gaming sector fit in?

I have no relevant interests to declare.

Like Jenni Minto, I am new to Parliament and to the committee. The committee has quite a broad remit and, as other members have said, it is key that we do not step on the toes of the other subject committees. However, there is definitely somewhere for us to dip in and out as and when necessary. Finding that balance is going to be key for the committee if it is to be effective. It will be interesting to see how that develops.

I am an MSP for Lothian, so issues around the festivals and culture are really important to me. How the festivals and the Edinburgh economy change and adapt will be key, as the sector has been left largely unsupported for the past 15 to 16 months. We need to be aware of that.

On the four points in the legacy paper, we must make sure that we are on top of the point about the 2022 census. As a citizen, I was disappointed that we did not take part in the UK-wide census that took place in 2021. We need to figure out how to get back on track with the rest of the country and make sure that the census is carried out. There are no excuses now for its not taking place.

I remember all the emotion around the fire at the Glasgow School of Art, which was very upsetting. We must make sure that there is an investigation into that and find out what happened. It was a great cultural tragedy for the country.

On interparliamentary working, as I have been an outsider for longer than some of the other members here, I know that people in our country do not want to see the different Parliaments in the UK bickering; they want to see us working together in a much more positive way. If we take one thing away, it is that we have to start working more positively together and finding positive things to work on instead of always drilling down on the minuscule negatives. People do not want to see that. There is time for it, but we have to be mindful about what we are here to do.