Good morning, cabinet secretary.

I was pleased to hear you mention the potential for increased flexibilities for local government in terms of raising revenue. Will you expand on that and say when it might happen? Will it happen as part of the budget process or as part of the local government fiscal framework that is, I think, in development? Could one of the flexibilities be removal of the 3 per cent council tax increase cap?

I thank Gordon MacDonald for bringing this debate to Parliament. I am sure that he will forgive me for not speaking about the big noise project at Wester Hailes, but instead sharing the experience of big noise Torry in Aberdeen, which is my home town. I hope that sharing my experience of that project will highlight its benefits and the difference that it can make to people’s lives.

I want to start with a confession. Just over four years ago, when I became a councillor, I had no idea what big noise Torry was. I was told by a fellow new councillor that it was music classes for kids. I was the convener of the finance committee at the time, and it was maybe seen as a potential saving. That all changed when I visited big noise Torry.

The big noise programme is not music lessons for kids; it is a social inclusion programme primarily for children but also for their families. Yes, the children learn how to play musical instruments, but there is much more to it than that. It is about kids who might not have taken any interest in anything before suddenly becoming interested in something. It is about kids who might not have taken any pride in anything that they have done before suddenly becoming proud of what they are achieving. It is about kids who might not have owned anything before suddenly having their own violin or cello that they cherish and look after. It is about parents who might not know any other parents in a school going to a concert and mixing with others. It is about bringing communities together and inclusion. As we have heard, it is about giving confidence to kids who had no self-confidence. I experienced that at first hand during my visits to big noise Torry.

As has been mentioned, an evaluation report was carried out on big noise Torry in June 2017, and it makes for very good reading. Like Jenni Minto, I found that the experiences that children and parents fed into the report were my favourite part. One parent said:

“My son is so funny—when we see someone from Big Noise, he always shouts ‘hello’ to them. He’s really proud that he’s in an orchestra, he was telling everyone over the Christmas holidays. He’s more open now, not just wanting to be on his own all the time.”

Another parent said:

“It’s nice seeing something give her confidence. Confidence with other people but for herself as well. She knows she has a talent and that’s really good for her. She’s not just in front of the telly all the time now.”

The report describes the impact on one pupil, which highlights the programme’s worth. It says:

“Big Noise is described by his teacher and musician as providing Scott with a sense of purpose in school, and a feeling of belonging as a part of the team. Without going into detail, it is felt that Scott is a child who is at risk of being caught up in negative behaviours outwith school, particularly as he gets older. The routine, structure and stability of the after-school programme appear to provide a positive diversionary activity outwith school hours. It also gives him a chance to channel his energies positively. Perhaps most importantly it gives him an opportunity to develop skills and confidence and to be able to demonstrate that he is good at something and for this to be recognised by his teachers, family and peers.”

I wish the big noise project at Wester Hailes all the best. I am sure that it will be a huge success and will change lives in the local communities for the better. As a Parliament, we do not always agree, but on this good news story, I am sure that we can. As Michael Marra said, local authorities face enormous budget pressures, but we need to do everything that we can to defend and protect such projects.

As we can see from the progress that Scott has made, big noise is the ultimate early intervention programme, which gives children hope, improves attainment and sets them on the right path in life. I encourage all members to visit a big noise project if they can, so that they can see for themselves the smiley faces and the impact that the projects have on communities.

When will the “Following the pandemic pound” reports start to come to us?

I guess that that includes bodies that were given money to allocate in Covid funding. As an example, I am thinking of Creative Scotland, which had a cultural organisations and venues recovery fund from which it could allocate between £10,000 and £250,000 in each case. There is a list of the organisations that received money from that fund, but I cannot see a basis for how it was allocated. Is Creative Scotland an organisation on which the public could be given more transparency?

That is good. You answered the question that I was going to ask next, which was on following the pandemic pound. Will organisations such as Creative Scotland be part of that work?

In paragraph 5 of your submission, you mention “disruption to education” and say that it is “most likely” that

“those who are already economically and educationally disadvantaged”

will be affected more by the pandemic, and in paragraph 7 you refer to “increasing inequality”. I believe that someone mentioned £300 million that has not been committed yet. We all think that such matters are important. Am I right in saying that there is money available that the Government can spend quickly if it chooses to do so?

It is all about urgency and priorities. Thank you.

In paragraph 23 of your submission, you say that

“The Scottish Government has committed to produce a consolidated account to cover the whole public sector in Scotland, including ... assets, investments and liabilities”,

and that you have

“recently highlighted that there is a need, more than ever, for”

that work to be done. When was that commitment made and do we have any idea when it will be met? Why is it so important?

Why is the information so important?

Auditor General, when Liz Smith asked about transparency in external organisations, you said that, in terms of audit, some are under the Scottish Government umbrella and some are not. As a new member, I would like you to explain that a bit further.