Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government understands the important role that Cumbernauld theatre plays in its community and the wider culture sector. As Mr Hepburn indicated, the Scottish Government continues to engage with the Cumbernauld Theatre Trust and the theatre’s other public sector partners, including Creative Scotland and North Lanarkshire Council, to support efforts to secure its future and to understand the options that are available to the trust.

I take this opportunity to publicly thank Jamie Hepburn for all that he has been doing to support Cumbernauld theatre.

Although decisions about church closures are for the churches themselves, not the Scottish ministers, I am keen to ensure that the cultural value of such sites is appropriately considered during any decision making, and that the appropriate planning regulations are applied. On its website, Historic Environment Scotland provides advice and guidance for asset owners, community groups and developers.

I have met the Scotland’s Churches Trust and members of the general trustees of the Church of Scotland to discuss my concerns, and I will continue to engage with stakeholders to explore approaches to safeguard those important assets for future generations and for the communities in which they lie.

No, I will not. I commend the report to Jamie Halcro Johnston because it is clear, given his question, that he has not even read it.

I know that it is difficult reading for Scottish Conservatives because the statistics in it—they are provided by, among others, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which is a very reputable international body—draw comparisons between the United Kingdom and our neighbouring countries. The report shows that our neighbouring independent nations are wealthier, happier and fairer than the United Kingdom, that growth is higher and that there is lower overall poverty—[Interruption.]

I agree with Jackie Dunbar that local journalism is a vital part of our democratic society. That is why I will continue to emphasise our strong opposition to the proposals, which put sustainable Scottish jobs and the outputs of vital news services at risk. I met Scottish Television last week to press the importance of protecting jobs for media professionals across Scotland. I will also meet Ofcom and the National Union of Journalists in the coming weeks to discuss STV’s proposals and set out the Scottish Government’s deep concerns, which Jackie Dunbar has raised.

I have heard important points from members across the chamber about advertising income and its future projections. That is a matter for STV to explain to us all.

I commend Audrey Nicoll for her question. The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by any potential negative impact on news provision across Scotland and, in particular, on locally relevant news for audiences in the north of Scotland. Local journalism is essential to the health of our democracy. It provides scrutiny of local institutions, gives voice to underrepresented communities and ensures that important civic information reaches those who need it most.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting a sustainable, diverse and inclusive media landscape. We will make those views clear through our on-going engagement with Scottish Television and Ofcom, including through the forthcoming consultation.

Michael Marra makes his point very well. I should perhaps have declared an interest as a former journalist and a long-standing member of the National Union of Journalists. I understand the point that he is making very well. It is important that there are centres of journalism across the country.

STV was keen to impress on me that it will continue to provide news from correspondents in Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee, but I hear from Michael Marra and colleagues in other parts of the chamber that that does not reassure members enough. One of the outstanding issues for me in understanding how the business works is that it is easier to do certain things in different places because of new technology. However, I want to be assured that, as part of any changes that STV is thinking about, there will not be a diminution of news from Aberdeen, Inverness, Dundee and the rest of the country.

Michael Marra makes the point very well that it is important that we have centres for journalism across the length and breadth of Scotland.

I begin by drawing members’ attention to the publication today of the Scottish Government’s international strategy report. I am sure that I speak for us all when I thank everyone in the global network who does so much to promote Scottish exports, inward investment, tourism growth and much else besides.

In answer to Liam Kerr’s question, Creative Scotland distributed a total of £113,266,072 in award commitments between 1 November 2024 and 6 November 2025. That figure consists of more than £88 million from the Scottish Government and more than £25 million in national lottery awards to promote resilience, diversity and innovation and to help support the arts to thrive in communities across Scotland.

A key development over that period was the delivery of the multiyear funding programme, which began distributing funding in April this year to more than double the number of organisations that had previously been in receipt of core funding from Creative Scotland.

I thank Mr Kerr for raising the issue of regional distribution. I know that members across the chamber who represent different parts of the country will want to make sure that local arts and cultural organisations and venues are properly funded.

Across the North East region of Scotland, there are 24 multiyear-funded organisations. Those include seven in Aberdeenshire, eight in Aberdeen city, eight in Dundee city and one in Angus. I will look closely at the fund that Mr Kerr has drawn my attention to, to satisfy myself that the applications match the criteria. To him, and to all members, I say that I would encourage all cultural and arts organisations, regardless of where they are, to apply for funding. That is their best chance of getting a successful funding decision, so I encourage as many cultural and arts organisations in the North East as possible to do so.

The Scottish Government strongly supports Glasgow’s creative industries. Scottish Enterprise is leading on a range of strategic projects and tailored business support for the creative industries; it is managing 42 opportunities that are worth nearly £8 million in grants, and more than 90 per cent of those are situated in the Glasgow region. To support those projects, Scottish Enterprise is working with Screen Scotland, Creative Scotland, Animation Scotland and other partnerships, including Glasgow City Council and local innovation districts. Skills Development Scotland also provides apprenticeships and the free skills for growth programme to assist workforce planning.

I commend Bill Kidd for his question. We have always been clear that the UK Treasury must fully fund the actual cost for Scotland’s public sector, recognising the different size and configuration of our public services, to meet our specific needs.

In my portfolio, the Scottish Government is committed to investing at least £100 million more annually in culture and the arts in communities by 2028-29. It is disappointing that the UK Government has chosen to erode the full benefit of that. We are clear that the UK Government should have asked those with the broadest shoulders to contribute more, rather than trying to balance its budget on the back of cultural organisations, charities and the national health service.