Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government funds Screen Scotland, the dedicated public sector agency for the film and television industry in Scotland, which was formed in 2018 and sits within Creative Scotland. Screen Scotland supports the development and growth of the film and television sector in Scotland through increased support for film and television production, an increase in specialist staff and further investment in skills, facilities, festivals, audiences and education.

Working with Screen Scotland the Scottish Government has facilitated the delivery of studio facilities in Scotland, most recently the First Stage Studio in Leith and Kelvin Hall in Glasgow. Amazon’s The Rig recently concluding filming in the Leith facility and Amazon’s Anansi Boys will commence pre-production in the same space in the next few months while Good Omens 2 , also from Amazon, will begin production in Scotland this autumn.

Having secured those projects for Scotland, Screen Scotland has ensured they work wherever possible with Scotland’s highly respected freelance and self-employed crew base and facilities providers and maximised training opportunities on the productions. The significant positive step change in production activity across Scotland in the last 18 months has been welcomed by this crew base, who are experiencing unprecedented levels of demand for their services.

As part of the training requirements that complement any successful funding award, Screen Scotland advocates for and supports a range of training initiatives, including a minimum number of trainees on a production, outreach programmes and also supporting local freelance and self-employed crew to be promoted into more senior positions or to work closely with international Head of Departments to learn from their experience.

The work of Screen Scotland’s Screen Commission is also vital in securing opportunities for Scotland-based self-employed and freelance crew and facilities on international projects. Whether a project accesses Production Growth Fund support or not the Screen Commission can support exploratory recce and budgeting costs. This allows international producers to access funding for Scotland-based location scouts and local Line Producers to develop draft budgets for projects exploring the possibility of filming within Scotland. Line Producers are a key member of each production as they negotiate with suppliers and hire the crew. This gives our Scotland-based line producers an opportunity to advocate for local freelance and self-employed crew at a very early stage. Screen Scotland provides details of all freelance and self-employed crew and facilities providers who have agreed to have their details shared to incoming productions.

The First Minister announced that Kathleen Jamie is to be Scotland’s next Makar at an event at the Scottish Poetry Library on 18 August.

The news release provides the details of this appointment. This is available at: New Scots Makar - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Following Jackie Kay’s departure from the role in March 2021 an Expert Panel was convened to consider nominations for the next Makar. They met a number of times to consider potential candidates against the role description, they compiled a confidential shortlist of potential candidates and agreed upon a recommendation which was put to the First Minister for endorsement. The First Minister accepted that recommendation.

Collectively the Expert Panel bring a wide range of skills in poetry, including in the use of the Gaelic and Scots languages, and in the way it is communicated to audiences.

The Expert Panel comprises:

David Seers, Head of Sponsorship & Funding Team, Culture & Historic Environment Division, Scottish Government, (Chair)

Alan Bett, Head of Literature and Publishing, Creative Scotland

Jackie Cromarty, Associate Director of External Relations, National Library of Scotland

Dr David Goldie, President, Association for Scottish Literary Studies

Peggy Hughes, Chair, Literature Alliance Scotland

Eleanor Livingstone, Former Festival Director, StAnza, Scotland’s International Poetry Festival

Marjorie Lotfi, Poet, Director of Open Book and Chair of Board of Trustees, Wigtown Book Festival

Dr Robyn Marsack, Independent Advisor, Editor, Director of the Scottish Poetry Library 2000-2016

Dr Peter Mackay, Lecturer in English, University of St Andrews and poet who writes in Gaelic

Michael Pedersen, Poet and Poetry Programmer, Neu Reekie

The Scottish Government recognises the need to deter and prevent abuse of our immigration and asylum systems, but we are clear that people who come here to live, work or study, to seek sanctuary or who have been subject to human trafficking and exploitation should be treated with dignity and respect at all times. Extremely vulnerable people, such as trafficking victims, should find a system which enables access to support rather than one which erects barriers.

We have set out our concerns about the Nationality and Borders Bill to the UK Government with regards to victims of human trafficking and exploitation. Identifying trafficking victims and enabling access to support and assistance must be a priority. Vulnerable and traumatised individuals should not be penalised for failing to disclose their experiences within mandated timeframes or face impediments to accessing support.

Oil & gas, and wider energy policy is reserved to UK Government, including the licensing of exploration and extraction of offshore reserves. UK Government did not consult with Scottish Government prior to issuing the licence for Cambo. On the 12 August, the First Minister wrote to the UK Government, making our position clear that the UK Government to reassess oil and gas licences already issued but where field development has not yet commenced. This would include the proposed Cambo Field. There was a further call for a four nations summit to be convened in order to discuss how we can work together, both in the run up to COP26 and beyond, to ensure that we provide clear leadership to ensure a just transition to net zero that does not repeat the mistakes of the past.

The Scottish Government has offered to work with the UK Government on a revised licence process – to ensure that licences already issued but where field development has not yet commenced are now reassessed in light of the global climate emergency which all of us now face. As part of this process, we would expect to see robust analysis of the climate impacts of the developments.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01865 on
‎ 18 August 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Transport Scotland has been engaged, and will continue to be engaged, with key stakeholders prior, during and subsequent to the timetable consultation for May 2022 to seek to secure its preferred service pattern for Reston station namely up to eight daily direct services in each direction between Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Current observed levels of compliance with the requirement to wear face coverings, as reported by transport operators to the Scottish government, are broadly in line with levels reported previously throughout the pandemic. However as more restrictions ease and offices begin to reopen following the move beyond Level Zero, we will start to see people using public transport for the first time since the pandemic began. Given that context, Transport Scotland and operators are reinforcing messaging on the continuing legal requirement to wear face coverings in indoor public places including public transport.

Police Scotland publish data on their website in relation to the numbers of people who have been issued with Fixed Penalty Notices or arrested in relation to breaches of Covid-19 regulations. However the data does not identify the settings in which the breaches occurred. Specifically in relation to the railway network, cumulative intervention figures across all divisions in Scotland up until
21 July 2021 show there have been 6,229 interventions, 854 directions to leave and 34 Fixed Penalty Notices issued by British Transport Police in relation to non-compliance with Covid-19 regulations.

We are wholly committed to becoming a net-zero economy by 2045 and, whilst oil and gas licensing is ultimately a reserved area, any Scottish Government support for oil and gas businesses operating in the North Sea is conditional upon them contributing to a sustainable and inclusive energy transition, and ensuring a secure energy supply.

The oil and gas sector has a positive role to play in our journey to net zero. Indeed, we are clear that the North Sea has a vibrant future in renewable energy, hydrogen, and Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage. Meeting our climate obligations while ensuring a secure energy supply and supporting our highly skilled workforce to transition to the green jobs of the future must all go hand in hand. We will continue to work closely with industry, trade unions, communities and workers to ensure the right skills and training are in place to protect and create jobs as we become a net-zero economy.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01865 on
‎ 18 August 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers