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Good morning. I will touch on the proposed review of Creative Scotland. As you have said when you have visited us in the past—and even today—you are having to manage a funding crisis in the sector. Others have given evidence, this morning and at other times, giving us an indication of where we are and what is taking place. What is your opinion of what that review will involve? Will it see progress in your organisation and the sector, or might it change the way in which your organisation works and progresses? Do you have a flavour of what the Government plans to look at and decide on for the future of Creative Scotland?

Absolutely.

I thank the witnesses for their comments so far. You have touched on risk and reward. Currently, it appears to be the case that there is much more risk than there is reward for the sector.

You have also touched on the flexibility that you need in order to ensure that you can bring artists or individuals into organisations. My take on that is that it is very difficult for you to do that at the moment, because you cannot reward those individuals with pay. You are asking your current staff to do much more with less, which means that they are under more strain. Your attempts to attract new talent and the individuals who will take on your roles in the future are being jeopardised.

How confident are you that the Scottish Government is getting the message right—that funding is coming, but it is coming in a tranche or two, and at different times in different years? How confident are you that Creative Scotland is the organisation that you can put your trust behind to ensure that you can thrive and survive for the future?

As I said, if there was certainty, co-operation and confidence, the situation could change. The potential that would be unlocked, if we get it right, would be enormous, as you have all articulated. The knock-on effect of what you can create from being given a small amount of money can be enormous within a community or a sector, and it can lead to massive things in the future.

I can see that Caroline Sewell wants to come in. I am sorry, Caroline.

Thank you, convener.

You have all talked about how funding unlocks the potential in your organisations. That funding is crucial to the success, sustainability and survival of your sector. The £100 million that we know is coming down the line is vital to make sure that the situation is sustainable for each and every one of you. Probably the biggest issues for your organisations are the staffing costs that you have to incur and attracting people into your organisations. If you are managing decline—most of you have indicated that you seem to be in that way of coping at present—how do you attract the next generation and the next leaders of your organisations to build on the success that you have all achieved so far, with the limited resources and the budgetary constraints that you have had to contend with, not just this year but in years past?

As you have said, the future is challenging. However, it will be the people you invest in who make a success of culture in future. If you are not able to backfill jobs, your current staff have to do more, and you are not able to attract people with potential, what funding and support could the Government give you? Are there areas in which you should invest in staff and personnel? I cannot see any way through the dilemmas that you face unless there is a commitment to give you resource that can bring in people, push your organisations and inspire them for the future. If you are not given that opportunity, where do you go? What can you cut or close in order to maintain some part of your cultural activity? It would be good to get a flavour of your views on what I see as one of the main obstacles here—or, alternatively, one of the main stepping stones if you are all to thrive and survive. As Susan Deighan said, if you cannot attract people to lead your organisations into the future, they will not survive.

The international development policy has highlighted some real opportunities. When it comes to managing the process, we have been talking about the soft power as well as the hard power that we have, but one area that we could think about is how we are developing and extending the development goals to inform refreshment of the national performance framework. Where does the balance sit in that respect? How can we ensure not only that we have this policy but that it develops within the national performance framework?

As I think that you have said, cabinet secretary, the evaluation will be vital so that we can see exactly what we are achieving, but the question is whether we are managing to engage with civil society to ensure that they feel part of the equation, too. You have itemised a number of things, and you have given us a strategy and a policy in a particular format, but there must also be engagement, participation and a process to ensure that, at the end of the day, we are achieving what we have set out to achieve. Elements of that still have to be clarified and adapted, but I would say as a member of the committee that we are managing the process in a relatively good way at this stage.

Thank you.

Thank you, convener, and good morning, cabinet secretary. In your opening statement, you touched on the challenges that are faced. As you have identified, we have met a number of organisations, agencies and businesses during our inquiry, and they have talked about navigating those challenges and how adept they have become at managing the situation. It has been difficult—there is no doubt about that.

We have heard from various sectors about how they have had to change and adapt to ensure that they can navigate through the difficulties that they have found, but many have managed to do that, because of the response and support that they have received. It would be useful to hear from you about how the Scottish Government and its agencies have been supporting export businesses to navigate the new trading arrangements with the EU and about whether their work to find equilibrium has been and continues to be supported by the Scottish Government and its agencies.

Ms Oldfather, I recognise that the whole area of where we are when it comes to society and the rights, obligations, wishes and aspirations of citizens is very much part of what is trying to be achieved, but it would be good to get your view on what the barriers are, because there are still barriers. Attempts have been made to co-operate and collaborate on some things. Some of those attempts have been successful; others have not. Sometimes, one side has had a different opinion or view on what should happen.

However, at the end of the day, civil society and citizens still have a role to play in what we are trying to establish. They want to create and be part of the future. That future is dependent on the views and opinions that people have and the side that they sit on. The success of the process will depend on how citizens themselves manage that.