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This morning, we have heard a lot about Governments not telling us things—that they do not give the Parliament information and do not tell industry about matters that are being discussed. As an Opposition politician, I do not think that transparency is the Scottish Government’s strong point on matters quite apart from intergovernmental relations. Do not get me wrong—I think that Opposition politicians at Westminster would say the same about the UK Government, and Opposition parties in any Parliament would probably say that about the relevant Government. In general, it would be nice if Governments just told us things.

It is correct that we need to see transparency and to consider modifying the ways in which we run our processes. Within the current system, though, is this committee, and others in the Scottish Parliament, doing enough? Clearly, we are discussing the issue and have done some work on it—and we thank you for all your contributions to that—but to what extent do parliamentary committees need to up their game on transparency? I am sure that we will not take it personally if you think that we need to do more, through our current mechanisms and processes, to improve the scrutiny and transparency of intergovernmental relations.

I note that the cabinet secretary will seek to meet the chief executive of STV; I also ask that he hold an urgent meeting with the National Union of Journalists on this issue to discuss the importance of protecting these jobs and mitigating these cuts.

Good morning, Mr Munro and Mr Evans. I have a question that follows on from Stephen Kerr’s about the expected moneys received by organisations and the average uplift.

An average increase of 34 per cent means that some increases could be significantly more than that and some could be significantly less. Are you able to provide the committee with the full breakdown of all the moneys that were asked for and received so that we can have a look at the impact? Obviously, the size of the organisation will also be a factor. If that was possible, it would be helpful to give us a greater understanding of the concern that exists.

I see nods, so I take it that the answer is a yes.

Thank you very much. That is helpful.

A related point is the effort to maximise the number of organisations that receive such financial assistance. I think that you said, Mr Munro, that there was a conscious effort to maximise the number of organisations in receipt of moneys from Creative Scotland. Was it a recent decision to do that? When in the process was that decision to try to maximise the number of organisations made?

I understand what you have said, convener. Clearly, Historic Environment Scotland is in receipt of significant public funds, and it has given evidence for the committee’s pre-budget scrutiny. The cabinet secretary has said that he is happy to answer any follow-up questions. I understand, convener, that you have made a ruling, and I will not challenge it, but I assume that the cabinet secretary will also be willing to make himself available to come back and discuss the matter with the committee in the very near future—

—because these are very serious issues that relate to the budget and which must have proper scrutiny.

I thought that you were going to say that about conversations with the Government because, when the cabinet secretary was here previously, he talked about maximising the number of organisations that were in receipt of moneys from Creative Scotland. Clearly, we all want as many organisations to be funded as possible. Obviously, we need to take into account what levels those are at but it is good to get the confirmation that that was in relation to you trying to maximise your budget with the Government.

Right. I think that if it was on a linear trajectory, the Scottish Government was expecting to provide £20 million more generally next year. I might be wrong—I will double-check that. Clearly, if Creative Scotland got the whole £20 million and there was only £20 million on the table, there would not be anything left for the rest of the culture sector. Is that your expectation?

Since the committee has been in session this morning, it has been reported that STV is making significant redundancies, which will have a serious impact not just on the workforce but on viewers. I understand that as much as 10 per cent of the workforce could be facing redundancies. The Scottish Government is a significant funder of STV, and we are talking about the budget this morning. In that context, what action can and will the Scottish Government take to protect jobs in that sector, which is vitally important not just to our economy but to democracy?

There is a tension because the Government often wipes its hands of funding decisions that Creative Scotland makes because of the independence that the body has but, on this issue, the Government made it clear that it wanted to maximise the number of organisations that are in receipt of Creative Scotland funding and you sought to do that.