Chamber and committees

Yes, that aspect is at the heart of the petition.

Mr Borg-Barthet, I want to understand—you alluded to this—the extent to which the issue is a problem about legal threats rather than about court action. Is that where the centre of gravity is in this matter?

Please, God, spare the arts from politicians. I was so full of enthusiasm at the prospect of this debate. When I heard before the recess that we were going to be debating culture after years of neglect, I said to my team to put me down for it because I really want to be in a debate where we celebrate, nurture and encourage Scotland’s arts. I was so hopeful. The cabinet secretary has written an uplifting, enlightened and inspiring book about Vienna, where Mozart performed—Vienna, the home of Schubert, Gustav Klimt and the Spanish Riding School. I was so full of hope and expectation.

I cannot therefore believe, having read this dry-as-dust document, that it is the cabinet secretary’s own work. It does not sparkle, as did his book on Vienna. This is the dead hand of civil servants falling on the arts and is a complete travesty of the ambition and enterprise that we would hope to see. It is a polemic on independence and Brexit. It is Stalinist in its direction of the arts. It says, “You will celebrate climate change and you will talk about our colonial past”.

I do not want the arts to be told what to do. If artists want to discuss, celebrate or perform those issues, I want them to do it organically. I do not expect the Government to tell them any more than I expect it to tell them about tractor production factory figures. That is not what politicians should be doing. As I have pointed out, in 29 pages, our five national companies are mentioned in a footnote on page 3, which simply says what they are.

The strategy does not talk, as Clare Adamson did, about the enormous contribution that Scottish Opera has made with its productions of “Ainadamar” and “Il trittico” directed by Sir David McVicar, which are now being performed in different continents of the planet. It does not talk about the work that we are seeing being done by other production companies. I hope that Scottish Opera will perform in the Parliament later in the year, as will the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

It does not talk about the pressure on the Edinburgh festival. I heard Brexit mentioned time and again. I have here the programme for the Edinburgh festival, which includes major companies from Germany, Amsterdam, Berlin, France and Ireland. I remember the debates that we had on Brexit in the previous parliamentary session. None of them were going to be coming. They were all going to be unable to perform here in the United Kingdom, and here they are all coming.

I would probably agree with everything that the member has to say about Scottish Opera, but is she therefore not slightly disappointed and surprised that, in the 29 pages of the Government’s international culture strategy document, it is mentioned only once, in footnote 3 on page 3? There is nothing else—nothing of what the member has said and nothing at all about Scottish Opera’s international role or contribution to Scotland.

I recognise the on-going challenges that there are as a result of Brexit, but major companies are overcoming those challenges to come here and our major companies are overcoming those challenges to go elsewhere.

As Michelle Thomson said, there are far smaller companies that we want to encourage and nurture, so let us work together because I think that we probably all generally agree that we want to see a visa scheme for the arts to ensure that as many companies can perform wherever they need to perform around Europe.

I give way to the cabinet secretary.

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

Would Mr Mundell like to declare any personal interest in the cannabis factory in Langholm?

I am happy to work with the cabinet secretary on such matters, but he should also understand that, as well as Brexit, the changes in rent arrangements on short-term lets are having an impact on the ability of artists to come and perform here. Although I do not want to dwell on it, because it is a controversial subject, we have heard from artists who are concerned that other recent legislation might inhibit their performance.

We know that there could be a potential tourist tax. That, too, could have an impact on our arts and crafts sector. The Aye Write festival being cancelled, as Neil Bibby said, is a dangerous sign.

Yes, the UK Government has intervened with the theatre tax. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber said that it is a once-in-a-generation transformational change that will ensure that Britain remains the global capital of creativity, as has the director of the James Bond films “Skyfall” and “Spectre”, Sir Sam Mendes.

What we lost the opportunity to do in the previous session of Parliament, which I hope that we can yet recover, is to capitalise on the opportunity that there is in the modern streaming sector for film and television, when we failed to back the Pentland integrated film studios initiative. We need an integrated film studio here in Scotland—not just studio capacity, but post-production and the ability to see, from soup to nuts, major film productions produced here in Scotland.

We have the scenery and the talent, and in the creative arts sector, as Clare Adamson’s visit to the Scottish Opera production studios demonstrates, we have the ability to create a whole flourishing employment sector for young people in the creative arts in Scotland, so we need to get behind that.

I realise that time is short, Presiding Officer.

“Do you hear the people sing?”
Singing the songs of angry men?
It is the music of the people
Who will not be slaves again!”

People do not want the creative arts to be told by Government what they want to do.

Alex Cole-Hamilton will be thrilled that the UK Government has backed the Edinburgh film theatre. Our former colleague Donald Cameron was there just a few weeks ago with £1.5 million of money to open it up.

I want the international audience to be moved by Scottish song. I want them to be marvelling at Scottish dance, to be inspired by Scottish acting, to be challenged by Scottish paint and sculpture, and to be provoked by Scottish writing. Let us not lead the artists—let the artists lead us. Our job is to back them, not to direct them. They do not need pamphlets. They need practical support, and that is what this Parliament should be celebrating and delivering.

I congratulate Foysol Choudhury on lodging his motion and bringing the debate to the chamber. I have the great pleasure of serving with him on the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, and I know how committed he is to this issue. In his speech, he focused on individuals, and I will return to that aspect in my own remarks.

Every 33 minutes, an individual in the UK is informed that they are living with a brain tumour. Around 45 people are diagnosed every day, and 60 per cent of those who are diagnosed with a high-grade brain tumour will not survive the course of a year.

Earlier this year, along with Paul Sweeney, I hosted an event for less survivable cancers, at which the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health was present. Brain tumours are one of those cancers, along with lung, liver, oesophageal, pancreatic and stomach cancer. This debate is a great opportunity to discuss the issues that arose from that event.

The key asks of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce, which includes the Brain Tumour Charity, are to collect and assess both clinical data and patient-reported outcome measurements; to establish more medical oncologist positions in the UK; to see a major increase in the number and frequency of tissue samples; to better understand the diagnostic pathway for brain tumours in adults; to promote and encourage greater joint working between clinicians and industry leaders; and for investigations to take place over lengthy time periods to collect information on the long-term and late effects of brain tumours.

I pay tribute to Beatrice Wishart, who has brought a tremendous amount of focus to the issue during the past month, and who I know intends to set up a cross-party group on brain tumours. If it would assist her, I would be happy to lend that group my support.

I will now focus, as Foysol Choudhury did, on individuals—in particular, a constituent of mine, Fraser McAllister. Fraser was only 16 at the time of his diagnosis. It was a late diagnosis, which is the subject of an investigation. However, I will focus tonight on the courage that Fraser showed at the age of 16, and the strength and resilience with which he tackled his condition.

Just a week ago, my constituent Henry Wuga died, as we highlighted in the chamber. Henry used to say to everybody, whenever confronted with a problem, “Just get on with it.” If anybody just got on with it, it was Fraser, who, at the age of 16, decided that he was not going to put his life on hold, and did everything that he could.

More important is that Fraser decided that he would document his brain tumour story, and his dignity, courage and bravery in the face of the adversity that he faced is truly inspiring. In his account, Fraser wrote:

“Just 4 days after admission, I had surgery to have a drain put into my head. 5 days after that I had an operation to remove the tumour. I was in theatre for nearly 11 hours because of complications. The following day I was back in theatre to have a tracheostomy fitted. I had a bad couple of weeks after the main operation, but I never gave up, even though I couldn’t move my body.”

I say to the minister that Fraser reached out to her parliamentary colleague Amy Callaghan, who had also suffered from a brain tumour. She responded to Fraser and gave him courage and advice that I think helped him at that time.

Just as we saw in the events over the weekend, those who are suffering can, in reaching out, have a profound impact on others who are suffering. I am sorry to say, however, that Fraser passed away in July 2022, at the age of 18. His courage came from his mother Caroline, who is in the public gallery tonight with her husband. She is just as courageous as Fraser was, and she has made sure that his memory and fight continues.

Fraser produced a poster, which I hope that, when I share it online tonight, other members might take the trouble to repost. It listed his symptoms as a young man facing the condition—what he felt. His symptoms were:

“Dizziness (not constantly)

- Whilst bathing in hot water

- Looking vertically upwards to the sky

- Or unusual time (for you)

- Eye movement, double vision.

Headache (not all the time)

- If they do not massively reduce or

go away with a pain killer (if happens often)

Nauseous or sickness

- Feeling sick or having stomach pain

for any length of time.

- Being sick with Bile Only

- in the morning.”

Those are the symptoms of a teenager, and Fraser wanted to ensure that others facing the same condition would have a chance of surviving by having the earliest possible diagnosis. That is the sort of example that can inspire us all.

In order to manage resources across parliamentary staff teams and the campus on busy business nights, agreement was given by the corporate body to limit the number of events accordingly. We currently deliver and support between nine and 10 member-sponsored events and two member-sponsored exhibitions weekly. The events and exhibitions team, which leads on delivery and programming of member-sponsored events and the exhibition programme, also designs and delivers the corporate body’s agreed major events and exhibitions programme, which supports the goals of the Scottish Parliament’s public engagement strategy. Outwith that, it is open to members to organise events that are consistent with the meeting-room booking policy, should they wish to do so, but they have to provide infrastructural support to allow such meetings to take place. That is, reasonably, not practical for large gatherings, but it would be practical for smaller gatherings.

On the wider point, the corporate body will see whether, if we find that there has been a significant increase in demand for member-sponsored events, it would be appropriate to suggest in the legacy report from this session of Parliament to the next that that part of the corporate body infrastructure should receive additional resource.