Chamber and committees

But it has to be constructed in the right way.

They are doing outreach work.

You moved on to, and possibly through, my second question, which was going to be about the issues that have been raised about attendance at museums and other cultural sites, and how we can make sure that the numbers are there and that there are no gaps in funding. Creative Scotland highlighted the issue of business development support, which is important.

Therefore, I will move on to my third question, which is about Government policy. I asked Creative Scotland about the impacts of the regulation of short-term lets. In my area of Orkney, which we have talked about, that has led to a considerable number of bed losses, which means that fewer people are coming. Although the visitor levy has been rejected by Orkney Islands Council, it is being considered by other councils.

One of the issues that organisations raised with me—and they were not always the accommodation providers, but sometimes people in ancillary parts of the sector—was about there being less money in people’s pockets. The concern is that, if people do not have so much money in their pockets, they will not spend as much in a community, even if they still visit it.

Another issue that was raised with me in relation to the proposed legislation for a cruise ships levy was that boats may still come, but they may make fewer stops in Orkney.

If you are working positively for the cultural sector, how do you make sure that some of the other Government policies are not reducing the amount of money in people’s pockets or the money going through into communities that they visit? How do you ensure that policy is lined up in relation to your aims for the cultural sector?

Those are the concerns that have been raised by those within the sector.

One last thing, if I have time for a very quick question—

Today’s session is focused on budgets, and on your budget in particular, so where do you see the spend from audience going? Are you concerned that the proportion of income that comes in from tickets and fees will be lower, and that you may feel pressure to step in further in the future?

Do you think that there is possibly going to be a gap going forward?

I am sure that that would be welcome. I would hope that it would be part of supporting the culture sector to make it as sustainable as possible and able to maximise that income.

I asked my question for a reason. We have seen some high-profile concerns relating to the licensing of short-term lets in Edinburgh and the impact that that might have on the fringe and the festival, in terms of people coming to the festivals, given the number of available lets.

Around a year and a half ago, I had a meeting in Fort William with organisations that were concerned about the visitor levy. They were not all directly involved in hospitality or providing accommodation—some of them were in ancillary parts of the industry that support people who come to the area and spend their money. Their concern was that if programmes such as the visitor levy take money out of people’s pockets, that will exacerbate the issues that those sectors already face.

Do you have concerns about that not only in Edinburgh but outwith the city and in the regions? If people have to pay a levy, they will not have as much money, and some of the money that they have may not go to your sector.

Are you having discussions with local authorities about that?

I am very conscious of time, but I want to ask about one more thing, which is the regional aspect. I represent a region that is full of remote, rural and island, communities. Do you have a breakdown of spend outwith the cities? I am thinking about the village halls and the small communities where culture is taken up or supported.

At the events and surgeries that I hold, I hear real concern about that issue. People are concerned that there will be centralisation as funds are constrained or focused elsewhere, and that some of those remote and rural communities will miss out. Are you able to break down where you spend?

Good morning. I am grateful that the cabinet secretary has agreed to come back to talk to us about the situation at Historic Environment Scotland. I appreciate the fact that he recognises that it is an important issue and that he recognises the importance of the cultural offering in Orkney, which I am always keen to highlight. I am sure that he will have enjoyed Orkney’s cultural offering in the past.

You mentioned some of the relationships that you have with other organisations, such as the enterprise bodies, in addition to those that you have with the likes of Creative Scotland. The budgets for some of our enterprise bodies are tighter and more focused, and local government budgets are under real pressure across Scotland. What are your thoughts on how that is having an impact on the culture sector? How are you trying to address that? What are your concerns in that regard?