Chamber and committees

Before I come to the island issue, I will merely say that, understandably, members regularly raise what is referred to as a postcode lottery in services. If we are going to address that, we will have to think about what it implies for how we provide the same high standard of care across the country. As I say, that will mean change.

People in the islands who have a family member in hospital on the mainland face significant extra stresses and costs just to visit them or even just to find out what is happening to them—stresses and costs that are multiplied if there is not good communication between different parts of the NHS, as well as with patients, airlines and families. I am afraid to say that hospitals have not always quite appreciated, for instance, what discharging a frail person in Glasgow and asking them to find their way home to the Outer Hebrides actually implies. We need a stronger protocol in place about those issues. Healthcare cannot be seen in isolation from wider economic issues in the islands. If we are going to have more care workers in rural areas, for instance, we will need to do some serious planning about where they will live.

Today is an opportunity for the chamber to unite—if such a prospect is not altogether far fetched—and recognise the needs of our health and care services and the ways that we can make those services fit for the future.

I thank the witnesses for joining us. I am not sure whether my question is for Ms Tavaziva or Mr Carson, but I want to hear your views on the long-running issue of spend in Scotland. We all welcome the fact that there has been more spend on big network productions involving Scotland, but are we not talking about two slightly different things? On the one hand, there is the part played by Scotland in big network-wide productions and, on the other, the discretion that the BBC in Scotland has to spend its money on the things that it feels to be important to it instead of putting that money into something else. Can you tease out those differences, and tell us where we are going with regard to the latter point about local spend?

My question is again for either or both of the witnesses. You rightly mentioned that a public service broadcaster can do certain things—such as providing a variety of programmes—that, for example, Netflix cannot or does not do. How much pressure is the BBC feeling from the competition with platforms such as Netflix, and how does that apply to different age groups, particularly younger age groups? On a related point, how does Scotland compare with other parts of the UK for people in essence opting out of the BBC altogether?

Thank you.

I want to ask Mr Dallman a question about an issue that his and other organisations have raised in the past—namely, the impact on their members of the loss of freedom of movement around Europe. I imagine that, to some extent, the situation varies from one European country to the next, but I do not know. What is involved in artists in Scotland seeking to work in the EU now? Please give examples, if possible.

My next question is related to that. Are there funding streams from the European Union that you accessed in the past but that you think you will not be accessing once you get back to touring? I am thinking of things such as the Creative Europe funding stream. Is that a major consideration for you when you are planning ahead?

You mentioned some of the economic benefits of the dispersal of work. I am interested in the point that you made about the cultural benefit. For example, one of the long-running questions about broadcasting in Scotland is what can be done to commission more drama here. I seem to remember hearing a rumour when the new BBC Scotland channel was established that we were going to get a dramatisation of Sir Walter Scott’s “Waverley”—I live in hope of that.

What can you say about new writing and a focus on drama? Everyone looks back to programmes such as “Tutti Frutti” as great examples of new writing and drama. Does the BBC in Scotland have discretion to produce something like that?

The October to February period is often a challenging time of year for CalMac Ferries. The company uses the period to dry dock and refit vessels as the tourist season comes to an end. However, with continued demand for staycations, it seems likely that Scotland’s islands will continue to be busy beyond the normal shoulder months. With that in mind, will the First Minister outline what preparations are being made for this year’s maintenance programme?

I know that you are aware of the issue of crofting law. It does not feature in this year’s legislative programme. Is any planning being done on what future crofting reform legislation might look like, given that we have a body of work—the attractively named crofting law sump—on the changes that might be made? Will that be made use of and considered by the Government?

You will not be too surprised to hear that my questions are all islands related. First, can you tell us anything more about plans for inshore fisheries and how they might affect fishing effort within the 3-mile limit? Obviously, this is an issue of great interest on the west coast.