Education, Culture and Sport Committee,

Meeting date: Tuesday, May 30, 2000

Official Report 242KB pdf

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Committee Business

Now we really will move on to an update on committee business. Do members wish to raise any points?

If not, and because I am feeling very co-operative today, I will allow Fiona McLeod to raise an issue that is not an update but is a new item. We were not able to put it on to the agenda for today partly because of the holiday over the weekend, but it is an issue that has to be dealt with fairly urgently, as Fiona will explain.

I do not know whether any other members read the piece in The Herald on Friday by Doug Gillon on the situation of Scottish Disability Sport. During the weekend just past, the United Kingdom championships were held in Sheffield. They were part of the selection process for the paralympics, which, as members will know, will take place in Sydney in October. The final date for selection for the paralympics is 23 June.

The piece in The Herald brought to the public's attention the difficulties that Scottish disabled athletes have at the moment because of a reorganisation of uk:athletics and the way in which disabled sports are considered and administered. Scottish Disability Sport is an umbrella organisation, but uk:athletics has decided to organise the matter for the whole of the UK by disability or by sport, rather than as an umbrella organisation. Scottish Disability Sport does not have a place in the uk:athletics disability structure and Scottish athletes are therefore not represented at UK level.

Final selection is on 23 June, so there is not much time left for Scottish disabled athletes to ensure that their needs are being met so that they can make the selection criteria. As a matter of urgency, I would like the committee to investigate the situation with Scottish Disability Sport, with uk:athletics and with sportscotland. If there is an immediate problem for our athletes, we should try to exert some influence over the relevant bodies.

The suggestion is that we contact the Scottish Executive and sportscotland for an update on the situation and the reasoning behind the decisions that appear to have been taken. We shall do that as a matter of urgency, as time is pressing and the trials are at the end of June.

We should also contact Scottish Disability Sport and uk:athletics.

I am quite happy to do that. Are there any other items to update?

As you are being free and easy from the chair, may I do as Fiona McLeod has done and raise a slightly different point? I feel in my bones that we have not so far addressed culture in quite as much depth as we might have done. That is nobody's fault, as we have been heavily burdened with other business. However, I am aware that Rhona Brankin is working away on the cultural strategy for Scotland. As someone who is known to give voice to songs now and again—there is a touch of the thespian about me—I take a big interest in that and I feel that we could work with the minister on it.

I would welcome your advice on whether we should invite the minister to the committee again. I feel that the cultural strategy has been left a wee bit on the back burner, but we should try to address the issue before the recess.

I agree whole-heartedly with Jamie Stone. The national cultural strategy is about to be launched, and it is important that we are involved. When we took evidence on the national arts companies, we heard from trade unions. Ian Smith of the Musicians Union said then that more people are employed in folk and traditional music and in jazz in Scotland than in any of the national companies, and the committee agreed that it would be important to consider the performing arts again, particularly traditional and folk music. We also agreed to discuss a national theatre company. We have a busy programme, but we would not be fulfilling our role if we did not pick up those issues.

I am glad that Jamie Stone mentioned the national cultural strategy. Ministers said that the strategy was soon to be announced, but soon seems so long ago now. I thought that we would have had something by now. I recall the consultation being launched in August last year at the Edinburgh International Festival, so it might take just less than a year to complete, and then we will want to examine it.

As Cathy Peattie said, we agreed that we would look further at the issue of a national theatre. Recent press coverage in The Courier and Advertiser said that Dundee City Council and the Dundee Rep Theatre were going to make a bid; they must be ahead of the game.

Do we intend to prepare some sort of review? That seems to have been lost in the mists of time.

I wish to make a couple of points. Members will have heard that the cultural strategy is about to be announced. However, it might be worth asking Rhona Brankin, the minister who is responsible for that strategy, what the time scale is. Perhaps we could invite her to the committee to discuss that and any other issues on culture that members wish to raise. Gillian Baxendine and I will contact Rhona's office to organise a meeting.

The Scottish Arts Council has been taking a lead on the national theatre company. Meetings have been arranged to discuss that and to involve bodies, including those that gave evidence to the committee. I suggest that I write to the Arts Council for an update. Once we have a reply, we can decide whether we should get involved further or whether we should await further developments. Is that acceptable?

Members indicated agreement.

That is acceptable. However, I had the feeling that we had decided at a meeting that we would become involved, although the business of the committee was in the road. Although the Arts Council has taken some initiative, to be honest, there is some distrust between all parties because of the history of the idea, and they wanted our involvement as an honest broker. It would be useful if we could play that role.

In my informal discussions about the matter with Tessa Jackson, I have become aware that peace has broken out and that the parties have recognised that the Arts Council is not anti a national theatre company. Some positive discussions have taken place. I am more than happy to find out the details and to report back to the committee.

One other caveat that I have is that it was clear from the ministerial response that the Executive was not keen to make new money available, and I suspect that there are also difficulties in the Arts Council budget. Therefore, the matter might become a political football, not within the ranks of the national companies, but on the question of resources. If that happens, we might need to form a considered view.

I think that the committee recognised at the time of the report that there would be resource implications. We did not try to portray to anybody that this would be an easy option financially. We also recognised that there was no point in going ahead with it if finances were not available to ensure that it survived. That point is being examined, but I am more than happy that we should return to the subject.

For the purpose of the Official Report, it is worth noting that the minister has been ill for a considerable time, so it is only to be expected that things might have fallen a wee bit behind.

The minister is now back working with us, which is good. I think that it has been our agenda that has held up our consideration of the matter.

I wish to make three announcements. First, stage 3 of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Bill will take place on 7 June, and amendments will have to be submitted to the clerks by Monday 5 June.

Secondly, members will have received copies of a letter from Sam Galbraith to Norman Murray of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on the McCrone inquiry, which is due to report to the minister tomorrow. The letter suggests a timetable for dealing with McCrone. I suspect that the committee, too, will want to make its views known on McCrone, so we will try to timetable opportunities to do that on our agenda.

Thirdly, I draw members' attention to the Save the Children toolkit, which has been circulated, as requested. Everyone should have received a copy.

I also draw members' attention to two meetings. First, this evening at 5 pm—or as near to 5 pm as possible, as a committee is meeting in the same room prior to it—Children First will make a presentation. It was programmed for committee room 2, but I am not sure whether that is still the case. I am sure that members can find out from security where it will take place. Secondly, tomorrow at 12.30 pm the Scottish Arts Council will give a presentation at the Hub. It will include an end-of-year report and an outline of what the council sees the coming year as holding. If members are available to attend that meeting, I am sure that they will find it very interesting.

Last week, we discussed one of us attending the symposium at the Danish Cultural Institute.

It is my fault—I thought that I could go and now I cannot.

Can we check that, because tonight a report requesting finance is due to go to the conveners group? The symposium is on Friday 9 June. If anyone is available, they should let Gillian Baxendine know before 4 o'clock, so that, if need be, we can withdraw the paper from the conveners meeting.

If none of us can go, can we send somebody?

Yes.

What would be the mechanism for that?

We are not sure; we will need to check. We are anxious that somebody should go, so we will see what can be done.

Can we say that we think the Save the Children toolkit is a really good idea and that we are pleased to have it, and emphasise the importance of good community development and work with children?

We are more than happy to record that.

We now move to item 5, which we have agreed to take in private.

Meeting continued in private until 12:28.