Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-24184 on 24 March 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

This is primarily a matterfor the management of Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature, but they have beenworking closely with VisitScotland on promoting Edinburgh as UNESCO City ofLiterature.I refer the member to thequestion S2W-24187 answered on 28 March 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The benefits in achievingrecognition for Edinburgh as UNESCO’s first City of Literature are expected tobe: raised awareness and prestige of Scotland’s literature nationally andinternationally; new initiatives attracted to Scotland; Edinburgh used as amodel for other World Cities of Literature, providing partnerships with othercities with strong literary profiles and aspirations, and a focus and co-ordinationfor literary activity, encouraging greater participation at all levels ofScottish society.

It is too soon to judge the fullimpact; however, some benefits already accrued are:

the inaugural Mann BookerInternational Prize, one of the most valuable new international awards, washeld in Edinburgh in 2005;

during the EdinburghInternational Book Festival in 2005 a high-profile delegation from UNESCO andfrom other potential cities of literature enjoyed a special programme of events;

City of Refuge – inpartnership with Norwich, Liverpool and Cardiff, to inaugurate a UK network of cities of refugefor writers in exile from their home countries over issues of freedom ofspeech;

Edinburgh has also beengaining profile as a centre for publishing, with a new literary agency openingin August 2005 (the Maggie McKernan literary agency), and a new cross-partygroup on publishing set up by members of the Scottish Parliament, and

development of a city-widecampaign to encourage Edinburgh citizens to read one book, to be launched inthe autumn of 2006 with Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped.

The city’s title has inspiredseveral new books, including a new edition of The Edinburgh Literary Companionby Andrew Lownie, Allan Foster’s The Literary Traveller in Edinburgh, andan Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature branded title published in November 2005,A Sense of Place - a collection of winning essays drawn from a Scottish PublishersAssociation competition.

Edinburgh has also been gaining profile as a centre for publishing,with a new literary agency opening in August (the Maggie McKernan literary agency).

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-24183 on 28 March 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

To achieve for Edinburgh andfor Scotland international recognition as a world centre for literatureand literary activity and creativity.

The Executive provided £70,000for the two year period 2005-07 on a one-off basis, matching the contribution fromthe City of Edinburgh Council. A further £58,000 was provided by the Scottish ArtsCouncil.

No public interest immunity certificateswere issued in the years 1999 to 2003. Five certificates were issued in 2004 andtwo certificates have been issued in 2006.

There are no prescribed procedureswhich have to be followed before a public interest immunity certificate is issued.A public interest immunity certificate must be signed by a minister.

Three public interest immunitycertificates were signed but not deployed in 2005 and one certificate has been signedbut not deployed this year. There is no central record of cases in which a questionof public interest immunity has arisen for consideration but where, for whateverreason, a certificate has not been signed.