Hansard

That is an important point. A tournament is taking place across these islands and Ireland. We all want it to be a big success, and we have to work together for that purpose.

I thank the Opposition spokespeople for their constructive engagement, and I thank my colleagues on the committee. I thank the bill team and the policy team in the Scottish Government. I have been in the Government for 17 years and I want to note that they are among the best teams that I have worked with. We should not forget the work that is done behind the scenes by Scottish Government officials—not by ministers, but officials, although ministers play a role, too, of course—to bring major events to Scotland. We are very successful at doing that, and a lot of our success is down to the hard work, dedication and passion of Scottish Government officials, who do not always get recognition for that but who work really hard behind the scenes.

I will quickly touch on a few issues. Neil Bibby and other members mentioned the importance of the tournament being accessible to people, particularly in regard to the pricing of tickets. It is probably worth saying that more than 40 per cent of tickets will be in the most affordable category and that there will be no dynamic pricing. UEFA will provide the official resale platform. We are paying close attention to that issue. I also note that 80 per cent of all tickets will be available to fans of participating teams and the general public.

Patrick Harvie mentioned civil liberties, which has been a feature as we have taken the bill through the Parliament. I know that he and other members welcome the safeguards that are in the bill. We have listened carefully, and extra protection was put into the bill at stage 2 to ensure that those protections cannot be changed by regulation. We have taken that seriously.

Stephen Kerr mentioned the exemption for charities from the ticket touting provisions. There is, indeed, an exception for charities, which must be registered charities. In his opening speech, Stephen Kerr said that the definition should be widened. Of course, we have to know the definition of a charity, which is why it is official registered charities that are subject to the exemption. In relation to schools, as I said to the committee, there are hundreds of schools in Scotland that already have an association with charities. We have between now and the championship for other schools to have more associations with charities if they, too, want to take advantage of that exception. It is important to make that point.

The purpose of the bill is to make sure that Scotland can host Euro 2028 and unlock all the wider benefits. We are committed to extending those benefits right across the country. Many members mentioned the importance of legacy—we want to ensure that that happens and that we leave a positive legacy for local communities, not only in Glasgow but across the whole country. We are working closely with VisitScotland and others on the tourism benefits and to ensure that Euro 2028 supports our environmental ambitions, from sustainable travel—which Patrick Harvie mentioned—to circular economy principles in line with UEFA’s sustainability strategy. A lot of the themes that members mentioned chime with that. The Government and the football associations are committing £45 million for a social impact fund to support benefits to communities across the UK and Ireland; Scotland will have a share of that, too.

Against the backdrop of Scotland’s qualifying for the 2026 world cup, which will take place in the next few months, and the sense of excitement for that, we also look forward to 2028 and to Euro 2028 being held here in Scotland. I cannot guarantee that Scotland will be in that tournament, but I have high expectations. What I can guarantee is that I will not be an MSP or a minister in 2028, so I am keen for Scotland to qualify because I will have a lot more time on my hands to go back to Hampden park—or other stadia, depending on how the team progresses through the tournament, if it qualifies. It will be a really exciting time for all members in the chamber, for fans across Scotland and for the whole country.

I thank members for their contributions to the debate and I commend the bill to the Parliament.