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We are committed to developing Scotland as a production centre for film, TV and new media and as a location for film-making; to encouraging and promoting wider creative industries, and to supporting the promotion of Scottish films and TV programmes overseas.

Scottish Screen is the Executive's principal agency for the development of the screen industries in Scotland and for the promotion of Scotland as a location for production. Scottish Screen's budget amounts to some £2.875 million per annum. We have not earmarked Scottish Screen's funds for specific purposes.

Scottish Development International leads on delivering Scotland’s international economic development effort focussing on delivering the priorities set out in the Executive’s Global Connections strategy. This includes the attraction of high value economic activity to Scotland, the internationalisation of Scottish companies and the exchange of skills, ideas, intellectual capital and networks of people.

Broadcasting is a reserved matter. Action to increase the popularity of BBC Radio Scotland’s programmes is a matter for the BBC itself.

We are committed to developing Scotland as a production centre for film, TV and new media and as a location for film-making; to encouraging and promoting wider creative industries, and to supporting the promotion of Scottish films and TV programmes overseas.

Our support to the screen industries, and to the wider creative industries, is channelled through Scottish Screen, Scottish Enterprise, and the Scottish Arts Council, who provide support for a variety of projects relating to different aspects of interactive screen programming.

Scottish Development International leads on delivering Scotland’s international economic development effort focussing on delivering the priorities set out in the Executive’s Global Connections strategy. This includes the attraction of high value economic activity to Scotland, the internationalisation of Scottish companies and the exchange of skills, ideas, intellectual capital and networks of people.

Although broadcasting is a reserved matter, we engage regularly with BBC Scotland to discuss a variety of broadcasting issues. My officials last met with Senior Managers at BBC Scotland on 21 January 2005.

We are committed to developing Scotland as a production centre for film, TV and new media and as a location for film-making; to encouraging and promoting wider creative industries, and to supporting the promotion of Scottish films and TV programmes overseas.

Our support for the film and TV production industries, and to the wider creative industries, is channelled through Scottish Screen, Scottish Enterprise, and the Scottish Arts Council, who deliver a variety of funding schemes andinfrastructure development.

Although broadcasting itself is a reserved matter, we established the Screen Industries Summit Group (SISG) in 2003 to help orient the Scottish Executive’s strategy for Scotland’s film and television industry. SISG brings together representatives from across the screen industries including Scottish Screen, the BBC, Scottish Media Group (SMG), and the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT). SISG was established to report to Scottish ministers. It has acted as a high-level task group to make recommendations on the key actions needed to ensure growth and sustainability for the screen industries in Scotland. SISG identified the increase in network commissioning and production in Scotlandfrom its current 3% level to a target level of 9% within five years as the keyaction point for the future growth and sustainability of the screen industriesin Scotland. We fully support this recommendation and we are working with SISG to encourage the broadcasters to increase production in Scotland.

We regularly engage with Ofcom to support the interests of the Scottish television industry. In addition, we are working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in order to ensure that proper account is taken by the UK Government of Scottish interests in the BBC Charter Review.

The Executive, in partnership with the Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, EventScotland, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Association of Edinburgh’s Festivals, had already agreed to commission a study to consider the future development and growth of the Edinburgh Festivals.  This is intended to lead to the identification of a strategy to maintain Edinburgh’s competitive advantage as the leading Festivals City by the year 2020.

The UK government has signed up for Part II (general principles) of the charter with regard to Scots and Gaelic and Part III which seeks to translate the general principles into specific undertakings, for Gaelic. The Scottish Executive is committed to policies which will assist the UK government to meet the charter obligations for which it has responsibility in relation to Gaelic and Scots. The Scottish Executive considers Gaelic and Scots to be important aspects of Scotland’s distinctive linguistic and cultural heritage and seeks to give expression to the general principles in its policies. In relation to Gaelic the Scottish Executive is also taking action in areas such as education, media, public services and cultural activities. These actions include the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill and a National Languages Strategy. The UK government will provide a detailed report to the Council of Europe on Charter compliance in 2005.

The proposal for an Institute for the Languages of Scotland was made by a group of Scottish language interest groups and universities on the basis of an opinion survey. The proposal is uncosted and assessing its feasibility and value for money would require substantial further work. The Executive will consider how best to proceed in the context of its commitment to develop a National Language Strategy.

There are no records of any correspondence between the office of the First Minister and Wark Clements.

The eight Scottish Fire Brigades have confirmed that they have completed visits to all eligible registered care home premises as set out in the table.

Brigade	Number of Visits
Central Scotland Fire Brigade	84
Dumfries and Galloway Fire Brigade	71
Fife Fire and Rescue Service	123
Grampian Fire and Rescue Service	255
Highland and Islands Fire Brigade	157
Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade	256
Strathclyde Fire Brigade	643
Tayside Fire Brigade	164
Total	1,753

 

This represents approximately 97% of care premises registered by the Care Commission in Scotland. The remaining 3% were not visited because they no longer offer overnight residential care, have closed, or have had some other change in status which means they did not require a visit. In approximately 76% of the visits, reports were raised about potential fire hazards but these were mainly of a minor nature. The Care Commission has moved to formal enforcement action in only one case. However, for all visits which resulted in reports being raised, the Care Commission wrote to the care provider requiring them to complete an action plan within 10 days detailing the remedial action to be taken.