Scottish Budget 2025 to 2026

Chapter 12 Constitution, External Affairs & Culture

Portfolio Responsibilities

Constitution, External Affairs and Culture engages at home and internationally to enhance Scotland’s reputation and increase our economic success, prosperity and wellbeing. We promote Scotland as a great place to live, visit, work, study and do business.

This portfolio has responsibility for our constitutional policy and strategy, managing our small network of international offices and supporting the culture sector. It is also responsible for the National Collections Bodies, Creative Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, National Records of Scotland, Architecture and Design Scotland and the British Irish Council.

We have honoured our commitment to the culture sector with an increase of over £50 million compared to 2023-24, meaning that we have now delivered half of the £100 million increase we committed by 2028-29. The increase of more than £34 million this year results in the biggest increase in culture funding in the history of this Parliament after Covid recovery support.

The additional funding will provide a package of support to the culture sector including a further £20 million to Creative Scotland for its multi year funding programme in 2025‑26, taking the funding available for the successful organisations from almost £34 million this year to £54 million next financial year, allowing Creative Scotland to offer regular funding to the largest ever number of organisations across Scotland. Our increased investment in Scotland’s culture and heritage supports our economy; for example, through an additional £2 million for Screen Scotland we will support the screen sector to reach its goal of £1 billion gross value added to the Scottish economy by 2030.

We remain committed to being a good global citizen and to playing our part in tackling global challenges, including climate change, poverty, injustice and inequality. The budget sustains the Scottish Government’s commitment to grow the International Development Fund, as it hits its 20th anniversary in 2025, and to protect the Humanitarian Emergency Fund.

We will continue to demonstrate our commitment to EU values, closer participation with EU Programmes, and our continued alignment with EU policy priorities. We will also continue to build our relationships, celebrate cultural, educational and ancestral connections, and exchange policy ideas to address shared challenges, ensuring Scotland remains a valued and well-connected nation.

Constitution, External Affairs and Culture intended contributions to the National Outcomes

Primary National Outcomes

• Communities
• Culture
• International
• Economy
• Children and Young People

Secondary National Outcomes

• Poverty
• Education
• Fair Work and Business
• Health
• Environment
• Human Rights

For further information on the purpose of the portfolio budget, and contributions to national outcomes (including impacts of spend on equality of outcome) please refer to the relevant portfolio annex in the published Equality and Fairer Scotland Budget Statement.

Constitution, External Affairs & Culture

The prior year 2024-25 Budget comparator figures are based on the latest in-year budget numbers which were revised at the Autumn Budget Revision. The 2023-24 Scottish Budget comparator figures reflect the outturn numbers for that year.