Committee
Enterprise and Culture Committee, 23 Jan 2007
23 Jan 2007 · S2 · Enterprise and Culture Committee
Item of business
Creative Scotland
Graham Berry:
Watch on SPTV
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 of what we do is in the creative industries. Almost all our crafts support goes to 3,000 crafts businesses and generates a turnover of the order of £100 million a year. That is not often recognised.As Christine May said, there is a spectrum. At one end there is pure investment, to make a financial return; at the other there is subsidy, which artists typically require. Even the artists at the subsidy end are working in the creative industries. One unusual thing about the creative sector is that artists in all areas do not restrict themselves to working in one place at one time: they keep popping up right along the spectrum. Occasionally, people work on subsidised support projects, but at other times they work purely on investment. We must recognise that artists need to have the flexibility to deliver the return that we all seek for Scotland in the longer term from supporting the creative industries. The remit of creative Scotland will allow that to happen.I take issue slightly with one point that James Boyle made. Creative Scotland is not simply a merger of the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen. It absorbs most of our functions, but it is a new organisation that has a powerful remit to support creative industries. As I said earlier, if it has the authority to do that purposefully, with the backing of Government and within a strong policy framework, and with the money and investment that is required, we will have the bones of something that can achieve what Christine May was asking about—the structure to deliver the growth that we all seek.
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...