Chamber and committees

I have no reason to disbelieve the concerns that colleagues in national performing companies and elsewhere have expressed, and that was the case in other parts of the culture sector in preceding years. That is why the Government has committed to the biggest increase in culture funding since the beginning of devolution and outwith Covid recovery. I want to be able to deliver resources to the national performing companies and others, and we have been doing so for the museums and galleries. For example, the museums fund, which has been introduced and very warmly welcomed by the sector, is already making a difference. Interventions are in place in some of the areas that Mr Halcro Johnston referred to.

I acknowledge—I have said this to other members of the committee—that the national performing companies look forward to an increase in their funding for reasons that I totally understand, and I am committed to helping to deliver that increase.

The review is relatively new to the desks of colleagues at Creative Scotland, as it is to me. I have already had conversations with Creative Scotland and received assurances about the approach that it will take to the review and its proposals. It will be working on it, as the Scottish Government is working on what we can do. It is not all on Creative Scotland—most of it is, but some of it is on the Scottish Government.

The question is whether I have confidence that colleagues in Creative Scotland are taking these things seriously. I take everybody at their word with regard to the assurances that I have had. They are able to embrace the opportunity that the change offers them. Now that multiyear funding is up and running, there is the exciting prospect that significant staff resource will be freed up in an organisation that has previously been geared towards an annual process.

I do not have a timeline in front of me, but it should not take much longer. The review has already concluded, so I definitely hope that I can share my views before the election—before we get into purdah. That is my personal hope. If there is any reason why that is not possible, I will let the member and the committee know. I agree that momentum is important as part of the process.

I acknowledge that there has not been a substantive increase in the funding for the national performing companies—

I am not going to have words put in my mouth. I have said to the committee what the numbers are.

I have already answered the question—

I think that this is the subject of correspondence—

I think that Mr Bibby did not understand where the funding was going to, but now he does know.

If Mr Bibby is saying that we should be cutting provision on population services and migration—something that matters to the Scottish economy—or if he is asking for us to cut civil service capacity to deal with climate change issues, it would be very interesting to see the detail of that. What Mr Bibby is drawing attention to is a change in civil service accounting from one portfolio to another. It is standard practice, as you will be aware, convener. For example, events moved out of the culture portfolio area, and the two particular areas that I have mentioned moved into the accounting provision for the portfolio. To suggest that it is some sort of bloated administrative area that should not have money spent on it will be new to people who care about issues related to policy on population, migration or, indeed, climate change. If Mr Bibby wants to write to me with the detail of how he proposes to deal with the ending of that important provision for the Scottish Government, I would very much look forward to seeing that, rather than soundbites or a press release.

We have already gone through a process, as we do right across Government, in trying to be as efficient and as effective as we can be without cutting core areas of responsibility in which the Government has to have capacity, because we have a responsibility to deliver on those things. We have already made such decisions, including in this portfolio area.

If members and their political parties would wish there to be changes in the process, I point out that we are going through a budget process. If Mr Bibby or other colleagues want there to be changes, they should account for those and they should bring proposals to the chamber. Let us talk about that. Let us see the workings. Let us see what areas other political parties do not want to go forward as part of the process. I am here to give evidence about the Scottish Government’s proposals in the budgetary process, and those can of course be amended. Let us see the proposals and then have a vote on them.

I am confident that we have managed to reach a balanced solution in my portfolio area that is delivering on the responsibilities that I have and that, in the most significant part, is delivering the biggest single increase in culture and arts spending in Scotland since devolution and outwith Covid. I want to ensure that we complete the process, and I have acknowledged that the national performing companies are at the top of my list as we move towards the completion of that process.

If other members wish to have different priorities, please make the proposals. Let us see their workings, and we can then take a view on them in the Parliament.

Thanks for the question.