Committee
Enterprise and Culture Committee, 23 Jan 2007
23 Jan 2007 · S2 · Enterprise and Culture Committee
Item of business
Creative Scotland
Since it is about two minutes past two, we will make a start. I welcome everybody to the third meeting in 2007 of the Enterprise and Culture Committee.I will deal with one or two housekeeping points before we move on to the agenda. First, I ask everybody to switch off their mobiles—they should not just be put on silent, but must be switched off. The same applies to BlackBerrys.We have apologies from Jamie Stone, but his substitute, Donald Gorrie, is here to participate fully in the discussion.We have had representations from other creative sectors, which are not represented around the committee table today, including the publishing sector, architecture and design and some others. The round-table session is a starter for 10 in looking at creative Scotland. I am sure that, irrespective of the election results, our successor committee after the election will take a keen interest in the development and establishment of creative Scotland.We will strongly recommend in our legacy paper that our successor committee goes out of its way to ensure that all the sectors that are not represented today have a full opportunity to get their views across to the Parliament on creative Scotland and on any new culture bill that comes before our successor committee. I give everybody in those sectors that assurance.I apologise for the fact that we did not have room for more people round the table, but I hope that we will have a productive discussion. It is intended to inform our legacy paper and opinion in the Parliament. I think that most of us members of the Scottish Parliament are starting from the point of view that we have a lot to learn about what is being proposed. I offer our apologies to those who are not here, but I give a warm welcome to those who are.Agenda item 1 is creative Scotland and the creative industries in Scotland. We have deliberately mixed MSPs with our guests because this is a fairly informal round-table discussion. We do not want the jury and witness set-up that we often have; we want everyone to chime in as much as possible. Some of our guests may not know some of the MSPs and vice versa, so although everyone's name tab is in front of them, it might be useful to go round the table and for people to say who they are and which organisation they represent. I will start with Professor Wallace.
In the same item of business
The Convener (Alex Neil):
SNP
Since it is about two minutes past two, we will make a start. I welcome everybody to the third meeting in 2007 of the Enterprise and Culture Committee.I will...
Professor John Wallace (Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama):
I am John Wallace, and I represent the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab):
Lab
I am Karen Gillon, Labour MSP for Clydesdale.
Paul Durrant (Dare to be Digital):
I am Paul Durrant, and I represent the Dare to be Digital project.
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab):
Lab
I am Richard Baker, Labour MSP for North East Scotland.
Ken Hay (Scottish Screen):
I am Ken Hay from Scottish Screen.
Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD):
LD
I am Donald Gorrie, Liberal Democrat MSP from Central Scotland.
Graham Berry (Scottish Arts Council):
I am Graham Berry from the Scottish Arts Council.
Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab):
Lab
I am Susan Deacon, Labour MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh.
James Boyle:
My name is James Boyle. I chaired the Cultural Commission, and I am now retired.
Lizzi Nicoll (Federation of Scottish Theatre):
I am Lizzi Nicoll from the Federation of Scottish Theatre.
Professor Philip Schlesinger (University of Glasgow):
My name is Philip Schlesinger, and I am from the centre for cultural policy research at the University of Glasgow.
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
I am Murdo Fraser, Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife.
Jenny Williams (Glasgow Film Office):
I am Jenny Williams from the Glasgow Film Office.
Stephen Boyd (Scottish Trades Union Congress):
My name is Stephen Boyd, and I am an assistant secretary with the Scottish Trades Union Congress.
Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green):
Green
I am Shiona Baird, Green MSP for North East Scotland.
Stuart Cosgrove (Channel 4):
I am Stuart Cosgrove, a director at Channel 4.
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab):
Lab
I am Christine May, Labour MSP for Central Fife.
The Convener:
SNP
And I am Alec Neil MSP, committee convener and member of the Scottish National Party. On my left are the clerks, led by Stephen Imrie, and the official repor...
Stuart Cosgrove:
People contained in a room and everything being filmed over a period of time—I hope that nothing too controversial happens. Laughter.
The Convener:
SNP
We circulated a background paper prepared by the Scottish Parliament information centre. I hope that everybody received it, but if they did not, it is availa...
Graham Berry:
The legal creation of creative Scotland is still some way off. The draft Culture (Scotland) Bill has recently been published, and we are currently in a consu...
Ken Hay:
Obviously, we have been going through where we are with the process. Scottish Screen has supported the proposals for creative Scotland because there is a key...
The Convener:
SNP
I will come to James Boyle next. James, in your role with the Cultural Commission, you were the architect of much of what is being discussed in the public do...
James Boyle:
Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I remain sceptical about the cobbling together of the Arts Council and Scottish Screen. I apply the test of public va...
Stuart Cosgrove:
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak, convener.Picking up on some of James Boyle's comments, I want to focus on industrial development for the cr...
The Convener:
SNP
Would you like creative Scotland to take over the enterprise network's responsibility for media industries and creative industries?
Stuart Cosgrove:
As long as conditional on that expectation was the idea that creative Scotland would have a strong inward investment capability that was resourced—James Boyl...
Christine May:
Lab
The speakers so far have considered opposite ends of the spectrum. Stuart Cosgrove talked about what we are aspiring to and where we hope to go; Graham Berry...
Graham Berry:
It needs to be noted that the Scottish Arts Council and, I assume, Scottish Screen are already working in the creative industries sector. A huge proportion o...