Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thank you for that—I did not intend to make that accusation at all. Your report is very clear about that aspect.

To move on to the linked question of the diaspora, I agree with the report that that currently seems to be an “untapped resource”. As you will know, there are so many associations around the world, not just in the traditional areas such as North America, Australia and New Zealand, but in other areas such as the far east. What could the Scottish Government and the UK Government do to turbocharge those links and drive forward that aspect?

Yes—the diaspora in particular.

I will change the subject to Gaelic broadcasting. BBC Scotland has a fruitful relationship with MG Alba, which contributes a lot to programming, joint working and some funding. The vast majority of MG Alba’s funding comes from the Scottish Government. Effectively, it has stayed flat for the past 10 years, which means that, in real terms, it has decreased quite significantly. Having experienced a freeze in your licence fee in the past couple of years, what observations do you have on the impact of a similar freeze—if we can put it like that—on MG Alba’s output?

I have a final quick question on another issue that is pertinent to the Highlands and Islands, which is the region that I represent. What happened last year with traditional music and piping programmes being cut was quite an unhappy episode. This committee played a role in scrutinising what was happening. What work are you carrying out as an organisation to improve transparency and communication with regard to that kind of decision making? There was a sense that participants and audiences were not really consulted. Do you have any comments on what you are doing as you look to the future?

I want to ask about the Edinburgh festival fringe, which you mentioned. Shona McCarthy of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society outlined to the committee in evidence last week that the fringe festival falls through funding gaps. It receives only £1 million in funding but is credited with bringing in £200 million-worth of investment into Edinburgh. As you noted in your statement, wearing another hat, you are the MSP for the city. Are you committed to retaining Edinburgh’s status as a festival city? The Scottish Government’s funding decisions might suggest otherwise.

Cabinet secretary, you have given some clarity to Mark Ruskell on the £6.6 million that is going to Creative Scotland, but I want to ask about the longer-term funding, such as the pledge of £100 million to culture. There was some evidence last week that the pledge had been made but that only a fraction had been delivered for the budget for 2024-25. Lori Anderson from Culture Counts said:

“a serious amount of investment is needed now, and from within the current budget—not over a five-year period. The money is welcome, but we need it now and our reflection is that the investment does not go far enough, either in amount or pace.”—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 11 January 2024; c 3.]

There was a wider sense of a need for clarity on that long-term pledge. Are you able to give that clarity, and what do you see as the Scottish Government’s priorities for longer-term funding of the culture sector beyond what you have already said? The committee described the situation as a perfect storm: there are both some very immediate pressures and a need to build resilience. What do you see that money going towards in five years’ time?

Good morning to the panel. I want to press you a bit more on the viewing figures of the various news programmes that Keith Brown referred to. I entirely take the point that it would be wrong to look at one day of one programme in isolation and plucking out a Sunday night in early January is a little unfair. Nevertheless, 200 people watching “The Seven” and only 1,700 watching “The Nine” are really low figures. Those are programmes for which jobs have been created and funding has been spent. When one of those programmes—I cannot remember which one—launched in 2019, three quarters of a million people tuned in. I am happy to be corrected on that, but I think that that figure was in a news report.

Another news report also stated that viewers of BBC Scotland have declined by a quarter between 2021 and 2023. Again, I am happy to be corrected if that is wrong. With all that taken into account, do the figures showing a low reach not worry you?

I thank all the panel members for their candid evidence. I have two questions. The first is about salary costs, and particularly public sector pay awards, which I think several of you note in your written submissions as one item that has to be provided for. Is there a tension between the money to pay for that and the application of a 5 per cent efficiency saving? Are the increases in funding in effect being cancelled out by that saving?

My second question is about the First Minister’s £100 million funding pledge for arts and culture last October, the first tranche of which—£25 million—is promised to come in the next few years. Several of you have said, quite reasonably, that clarity is needed on the figures and what the money is for. Will the funding be required to, metaphorically speaking, fix the leaking roof, or is there an argument that, given that the funding is longer term in nature, it should be directed to more longer-term plans or strategies to build a more resilient and sustainable culture sector?

I will start with Anne Lyden, because she mentioned the topic of my first question in her written submission.

Thank you for explaining that, because I was going to ask you about two positions that we have heard from the Scottish Government. First, when the Deputy First Minister made her budget statement, she said that the budget would be

“restoring £6.6m to Creative Scotland for their utilisation of reserves and providing a further £6.6 million to offset their shortfall in National Lottery funding.”

The Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture then wrote to the committee on 19 December—the same day—and said:

“I am very pleased to confirm that in 2024-2025 the Scottish Government will reimburse Creative Scotland this £6.6m and go further by providing an additional £6.6m. Scottish Government officials will work with CS to target this funding to ensure it is best directed to support the culture sector.”

So, that explains those two statements. Is that correct?

Where would Creative Scotland like to target that funding?