Chamber and committees

Are there still some tensions in the Basque situation of the sort that Canada has moved on from? It would be useful to get a view from the gentleman from there.

Good morning, gentlemen. I want to ask you both about the effectiveness of the external engagement between Governments. Professor Paquin, you have mentioned that there is a Westminster-type environment in Canada, as a result of which you have to co-operate and work together to pursue your international engagement policies as individuals in your communities. How do you manage to be effective on both sides? What are you trying to achieve in your areas—that is, in Quebec and the Basque Country? Does the national Government work with you or are there tensions and difficulties in trying to achieve what you want? Do you believe that the system is working well for both of you, or not?

Cabinet secretary, I, like others, recognise the volatility of the situation in which we currently find ourselves and the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding day by day. I pay tribute to the United Nations and to the aid agencies that are trying to unravel that and provide as much support as they can.

The UK Government announced an increase in aid to help, and that has been confirmed. It would be useful to find out what the Scottish and UK Governments are doing to try to increase aid in order to provide support during the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in the region.

As you identify, there are well-co-ordinated emergency response appeal mechanisms. It is good to highlight that they are there to provide support. Many individuals and organisations—and, as we have heard, areas in Scotland that are twinned with affected areas—want to provide support, so people can tap into that resource and try to support them as much as they can.

However, as with all these things, there are also some individuals and organisations that could be problematic, and advice needs to be given as to how that can be managed. There is an element of that, and it needs to be captured to ensure that we do not end up supporting those organisations, even without meaning to, by ways and means that could be misconstrued in some ways. It would be useful to know whether the Scottish Government provides advice, or whether there is a template, to ensure that there is no such potential.

Cabinet secretary, the creative sector has always been resilient and we have all acknowledged that. In your opening statement, you said that there was frustration with the process. I suggest that that frustration is at least enragement.

Creative Scotland has reserves, as do many organisations, and they are there for a potentially rainy day. It is very much a rainy day today. You have acknowledged that the reserves have saved the day for many organisations, and you indicate that there will be no detrimental impact on them. However, we have heard in evidence during the past few weeks that many of those organisations are still struggling to manage. They have talked about a perfect storm, and that has been discussed many times in the past.

There is real fear and anxiety that the sector is on the brink, and the deeds and actions of the Scottish Government have not helped that anxiety and other difficulties of the past few weeks. We would not have seen the demonstrations, petitions and so on if the sector believed that everything in the garden was going in the right direction. That is not the case. People in the sector believe that they are under attack and under threat and that they are fighting for their survival.

In the past few weeks, I have asked questions about the strategies, the working groups and the action plans that the Scottish Government has put together. Those plans all seem to show that there is a desire to support and be involved, but the deeds that we have seen do not seem to marry up to that, and I think that that is where the sector’s frustration comes in. The sector needs reassurance and, at the moment, it is not getting it.

At this week’s demonstration, someone asked whether you made a mistake by not putting the money back, because they could not believe that we would be at this stage.

Thank you.

On the issue of stability, a number of organisations have discussed on a number of occasions the ring fencing of funds for culture as being a way to protect or enhance their situation. What are your views on that?

You identify that the sector is managing and progressing and that there have been interventions, but some individuals who we have taken evidence from expressed fear and anxiety that things could not remain the same. The culture sector needs to adapt and has adapted. I talked about the resilience that we already have, but there could well be casualties, and people have indicated that casualties are occurring in some communities.

The issue is how to achieve a balance that ensures that we have this phenomenal world-leading sector that punches above its weight and all of that, which we have heard about time and again. Organisations can find financing from other sectors, support mechanisms and sponsorship, but the stability that the Government provides is vital. You must acknowledge that confidence in the Government has been dented by recent events.

£6.6 million is a considerable amount of money, and you have explained the funding process, Mr Munro. Thank you for that. The shock waves that you and the sector must have experienced when that decision was reversed and you found out that you were losing that money must have been considerable.

I commend you for at least managing to fill the gap; not filling it would have been a death knell to some of the sector, and you have identified that. Does it feel as though the sector is under attack, that it is expendable and that the Government does not see it as a priority? That appears to be the message that is being transmitted to your sector.

You talked about your sector’s success, which is to be commended, but how do you measure success when something such as this is thrown at you? It affects economic growth and the development of the sector. How can the sector progress when it is put in this life-or-death situation? You either survive or you do not, and if you had not put that money into the sector, some of the organisations would no longer exist by the end of this financial year.

You have made it very clear that the sector is in distress—we heard as much last week and from our guests in the previous session—and the reputation of the organisations that you represent is at risk and continues to be so. However, you have all been extremely and inherently innovative in managing the crises that you have faced, and your sector has diversified its income generation and its processes.

That said, there is still a mismatch between what you are trying to do and what the Government is saying and doing. Last week, I asked about the working groups, the strategies and the action plans that are in place, and I asked whether you were being listened to. I am sure that you are—indeed, I was told by the groups last week that you are—but you are being listened to at a time when one of your hands has been tied behind your back. Indeed, after recent events, it appears that both of your hands are tied behind your back.

We need to engage with how we go forward. We all want a long-term strategic approach, because we know that the sector brings in over £5 billion a year through its thousands of organisations and its tens of thousands of employees. They are at risk if you are at risk—and, at the moment, you are at risk. Where do you go in the future? How do your organisations attempt to recruit development roles for the future and, indeed, see that development happen? At the moment, you are stagnating and are living from hand to mouth. You all want to achieve—and you are all achieving. All of your organisations are punching above their weight—we get that—but the issue is the strategy that is required. There needs to be much more co-operation, which will mean understanding and respect. After all, without that respect, confidence in the culture sector will continue to be eroded. In fact, that confidence is being eroded every day—I can see that, and I know that you all feel it, too. It is about where we take the long-term strategic approach and how you develop the recruitment and development role to give yourselves a chance for the future.