Chamber and committees

That is important. Creatives in Scotland will always complain about Creative Scotland, but it is a grant-awarding organisation. There will be those who get their grants and those who do not, so someone will always complain about it.

There are issues with Creative Scotland. I was perhaps a bit harsh when Robert Wilson was here and I asked him what the point of him was, which was because I could not really see what Creative Scotland was delivering for many creatives. There is a need for an organisation like Creative Scotland, however, whatever we call it. Back in my day, it was the Scottish Arts Council.

We can look at the success of Screen Scotland, as part of Creative Scotland. It is working on a commercial basis and is able to generate some funding itself. How could we make that model part of Creative Scotland and get that dynamism into the organisation?

Surely it is a case of having a level of maturity in the debate about the Scottish Government’s budget. Surely they should up their game a bit in this situation.

It is a budget-related matter as well.

Good morning, everyone. Each project and area has specific needs and ways of delivering services. How do you balance the flexibility to be able to do what you want to do with the recommendations of the Promise? How do you manage to square that circle? I ask Linda Richards to answer that, because Perth and Kinross Council has gone down a particular route.

This question is on the same theme and is probably for Mr Dey. When we talk about going into higher education and universities, it has historically been the modern institutions like—dare I say it?—the University of the West of Scotland that have been making sure that they have hit the Government targets on university attendance by people from poorer backgrounds. However, since coming back to the committee, I have heard from stakeholders that the ancient universities have now come to the party and that they are also starting to do something.

Where are we with that? Is there flexibility in the budget for you to give further support to institutions? We all know that university students from certain backgrounds might do well in year 1, but in year 2 they just drop out. It was always the case that the expensive year for institutions was year 2, when quite a few young people would leave. Is there still flexibility to support them in that scenario?

All of us in this place have probably heard the criticism that we have focused a lot on higher education and access to it. At the end of the day, we might have lawyers, doctors and everything else, but no plumbers and electricians, so there is a need for us to go down the vocational route as well, to ensure that we get that provision. Where do you see that going?

We have always used Scottish index of multiple deprivation figures, which are a blunt instrument. In my constituency, the SIMD figures talk about Ferguslie Park being an area of multiple deprivation, but that is only the case for two or three streets. The SIMD figures have a red mark that says that right outside the Parliament building is an area of multiple deprivation. There are patches of deprivation everywhere, throughout the country. I am more interested in how you are going to get that detail and that data, because that is the important part of making the policy work.

Good morning and happy new year to everyone. I have said that to members already, I think.

As everyone knows, I have been in and out of this committee over the past 10 or 15 years, during which time much of our debate has been about the poverty-related attainment gap. The convener was right to bring up yesterday’s debate about child poverty, and how education is part of the solution, as you have said, cabinet secretary. However, in constituencies such as mine—Paisley—that is a challenge.

Drama goes on in this place. Hyperbole has been applied even to some of the questions that we have heard today. Given all the challenges that the Government faces, where are we on dealing with the attainment gap—in plain and simple terms, cabinet secretary—and how does the budget help?

You mentioned pupil equity funding, which you also brought up in your opening statement. During my time on the committee, that funding has been used differently by schools in various areas. That is a good and positive thing for areas. However, the difference tends to happen where leadership at the local level—within the schools—proactively goes forward in areas of deprivation, where they really look at ideas. Are there examples of how we could do more to support such areas and the people who are doing such things?

Some of the headteachers that we have had in the committee over the years have been inspirational in their work. Is there any way that we could encourage others or have some shared working so that they can see what is being done well in certain areas?

It is more difficult now, then?