Hansard

This has been a consensual debate, which has reflected the consensual nature of the committee’s discussions. I welcome Alex Johnstone to the world of culture and hope that he will be a regular visitor from now on.

I have a feeling of déjà vu, because I suggested reform measures for the National Library in the draft culture (Scotland) bill, which was consulted on when Labour was in government. I do not know why the Scottish National Party decided to remove those provisions from what became the Creative Scotland Bill, but that is water under the bridge. In today’s debate we must focus on the bill that is in front of us.

Many members have put on record their high regard for the National Library of Scotland and libraries in general, and I share that view. Since 1925, as we heard, the National Library has been Scotland’s only legal deposit library, but it is so much more than that. Indeed, the National Library is an important guardian of our history and culture and part of our family of national collections.

I remember the great excitement when the library was able, with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the generosity of the Murray family, to purchase the Murray archive, which contains the private papers, manuscripts and records of luminaries of literature such as Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott and important figures such as David Livingstone.

The library was kind enough to give the President of Malawi a gift of a copy of a drawing that was sketched by David Livingstone in the margin of the diaries that he wrote during his travels in Malawi. I know that the president treasured it. As an admirer of the poetry of Byron, I remember my reaction to being given a draft printed copy of the poem “Childe Harold”, with handwritten corrections by the poet, to hold and to look at. I am sure that the minister will agree that the post that she occupies is one that comes with challenges but also with great opportunities.

I was delighted to hear the minister’s announcement about the film archive moving to Glasgow. The city will make a good home for the archive and the Kelvin hall is a splendid place for it to be located, as it is close to the Kelvingrove museum. I look forward to seeing the archive there.

Scottish Labour agrees with the Government that the time has come to modernise the governance arrangements for the National Library of Scotland. However, as Neil Findlay has pointed out, we still have questions that we hope that the minister will address.

I was glad that the minister took on board the issue of the size of the board. We look forward to hearing a little more about how she sees that fleshing out and developing, although I think that it is heading in the right direction. However, I have to say that Clare Adamson tempted me to suggest a further restriction to the size of the board when she spoke about the First Minister potentially losing his job. In that vein, I very much hope that Marco Biagi has not taken the minister’s decision about the board of the National Library too personally—I am sure that the decision was not intended in that way.

We are concerned about ministerial powers of direction and the shape and form that those powers might take. I caution against anything that would call into question the curatorial independence of the library or its ability to decide on its own research or exhibitions or on its acquisitions policy.

I mentioned earlier the draft culture (Scotland) bill. Some members may recall that, in the consultation on that bill, I floated the idea of there being ministerial powers of direction in respect of what is now Creative Scotland—I am sure that Mr Maxwell remembers those debates well. Having considered the responses to that consultation, I decided that we would not pursue that power in relation to Creative Scotland as its use would have been so limited as to render it unnecessary. I believe that that is even truer of the bill we are discussing today. Indeed, the further restriction of the opportunities that ministerial direction would give, which the minister outlined today, makes the case against ministerial direction even stronger. However, I look forward to hearing more about that issue as we go forward.

Ministers will have the power to make appointments to the board, and the chief executive officer is an accountable officer to the Scottish Executive, so a strong framework will already be in place. I think that anything additional to that would be questionable in terms of proportionality and might compromise the National Library’s ability to raise money from donations.

We understand that the library might want to capitalise on its ability to raise money from merchandising, particularly around a popular exhibition. However, as Neil Findlay has indicated, we are concerned about those aspects of the bill that suggest that the library might charge for certain services or for the provision of goods. Similarly, what mechanism does the minister see the National Library adopting to allow it to borrow money and, more importantly, to pay it back, and to what purpose would it do so?

Like colleagues, I am intrigued by the idea that the library might want to set up new companies. Perhaps the minister might clarify how they would operate and to what purpose they would be put.

I was interested in Mark Griffin’s remarks concerning “Oor Wullie”, and I bow to Mr Johnstone’s family expertise in that area. However, I simply say to Mr Griffin that there are other families that have the tradition that his seems to have. I also point out that you know that you have received one too many “Oor Wullie” books when you notice that the stories are being recycled—an experience that my brother and I have discussed on more than one occasion.

We all want the National Library to be able to grow and flourish and to be able to move with emerging technologies. So far, it has been remarkably good at doing so, and nothing that we put in place now should stifle that ability.

Scottish Labour is happy to support the principles of the bill and looks forward to hearing more from the minister about some of the specific points that we have raised in the debate. We also look forward to the discussions that we will have as the bill progresses.

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