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Scottish Executive grants to the Scottish Library and Information Council are shown in the following table:

	2003-04	2004-05
	£	£
Core Grant	125,000	175,000
People’s Network Project Officer	35,000	35,000
Development of LA Performance Indicators	-	20,000
Total Grant-in-Aid	160,000	230,000

 

The future viability of Scottish Opera is dependant upon the implementation of its own business plan. The Executive and the Scottish Arts Council are supporting the company in its implementation of the plan, as well as closely monitoring progress being made towards its realisation. Should the Cultural Commission make any strategic recommendations regarding Scottish Opera, or, indeed, any of the national companies, these will be fully considered by Ministers.

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.

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.

The Scottish Executive, through Scottish Screen, is very supportive of the animation industry in Scotland. Scottish Screen works closely with Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and Edinburgh College of Art, in particular, to promote and encourage a high level of animation skills.

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.

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.

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

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.