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Convener, I am trying to make the point that, as I have said to the committee, we are about to learn a lot more about the UK Government’s position.

If you are asking me to talk in concrete terms about a UK Government scheme that may change on the basis of the proposals that are about to be set out, I would prefer to reserve my position until I have looked at the proposals for an enhanced scheme relative to that which is currently in place.

I am getting to that. Notwithstanding the fact that Creative Scotland is an arm’s-length organisation, it has been working with the Scottish Government to explain the process that it is engaged in, what financial quantum would be required for multiyear funding to be introduced and the range of organisations that could and would be financially supported as part of that change. The process has been made clear to the Scottish Government, but we are not involved in Creative Scotland’s operational decisions around that process.

As I think that the member is aware, organisations have applied for multiyear funding. Creative Scotland knows who they are, how many of them there are and how much support they want to receive. The Scottish Government has been involved in the conversation, because we support the introduction of multiyear funding and we want to work with Creative Scotland to make sure that the process works well. We want the funding model for regularly funded organisations to be broader and deeper with regard to the number of organisations that are supported—that would mean significantly more organisations being supported—and the scale of funding than is currently the case.

That is why I do not recognise the characterisation by others of the funding as being spread so thinly. However, we are now getting into the territory of recommendations that I have not seen, which the board of Creative Scotland will consider later in the month, and the announcement that it is yet to make. I will be looking closely at that announcement—along with, no doubt, Mr Kerr and everybody else—in order to be satisfied that the process is as foundational and transformational as I hope and believe it will be.

No, I do not accept that. I suspect that we will come back to the issue when we actually have the facts before us rather than supposition.

If I may be allowed to finish, convener, Robert Wilson said:

“The point of the review is that it will cover the whole culture sector”.—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 9 January 2025 c 30.]

I agree with Robert Wilson: it will.

I have looked at Robert Wilson’s quote. To quote to Mr Kerr the evidence that Robert Wilson gave to the committee, he said:

“The point of the review is that it will cover the whole culture sector”.—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 9 January 2025; c 30.]

The review that we have announced will examine Creative Scotland’s remit, its functions and how it can best support the culture sector’s ambitions. It will be for Dame Sue Bruce to agree with ministers the review’s remit. That will be informed by the responses to the surveys that we have launched this week.

I am telling the committee that the position is as follows: the review will examine Creative Scotland’s remit, its functions and how it can best support the culture sector’s ambitions, and it will be for Dame Sue to agree the remit of the review. I will repeat what the chair of Creative Scotland said to the committee, which was:

“The point of the review is that it will cover the whole culture sector”.—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 9 January 2025 c 30.]

I can think of other examples. Often, they are not in the public realm because of the commercial sensitivities for some organisations, so I hope that Mr Kerr appreciates that dynamic as part of my answer. However, whenever organisations are suffering distress, I would wish the Scottish Government to know about that. We are aware of the organisations that have given evidence to the committee and outlined the constraints under which they are operating, and there is constant discussion between officials and those organisations. However, if committee members are aware of other organisations in that situation, I would wish them to raise that with me.

If the history is ever written of the nature of the challenge to the culture sector here, elsewhere in these islands and internationally, during and since Covid especially, one of the things that we can be very appreciative of is the work that has gone on, mostly behind the scenes, with a significant number of organisations that we view as part of our cultural firmament. We have done everything that we possibly can to ensure that those organisations have been able to continue. My great hope is that, now, we are beginning to see significant change—this goes back to the point about foundational change—in the nature of funding for culture and the arts, which includes, among other things, our national galleries, national libraries and national museums.

However, Mr Kerr could, equally, say to me that there are challenges with regard to other parts of the cultural estate, including local museums and libraries—

You suggested that 150—

Point taken. There are a couple of points to make. First, this is a process that Creative Scotland is progressing with as an arm’s-length organisation. The “arm’s-length” part of that is really important. Secondly—