Meeting of the Parliament 16 June 2011
I am delighted to speak in the debate as we examine the plans for broadcasting in Scotland and the proposals to establish a Scottish digital network.
In 2008, the Creative Scotland Bill sought to establish the structure and organisation through which Scotland could promote the understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the arts and culture for all people in Scotland. Creative Scotland seeks to increase the number and range of people who use and enjoy the creative arts. In addition, it seeks to identify, support and develop talent and excellence in the arts and, in so doing, to realise the benefits—economic and otherwise—of the arts and culture.
There can be no doubt that the achievement of those objectives would be greatly helped and underpinned by the establishment of a Scottish digital network. Such a network would consist of a dedicated television channel that would be available to all and supported by a large range of content on broadband. A dedicated channel for Scotland could inform, engage and entertain Scottish viewers, but that would not be in a parochial way. It would open an opportunity to establish Scotland’s culture, sporting achievements and participation, business and civic life in a European and world context. In doing so, it would showcase our talents in all those areas. A Scottish digital network could be of the highest quality of public service broadcasting. It would be independent of the Government and impartial, and it would offer an alternative to the BBC, but would not diminish the BBC as an organisation.
For our culture, we could envisage greater coverage of our festivals, not least of which is the Edinburgh international festival. In sport, we might have more coverage of events such as the Melrose rugby sevens or local coverage of the Fort William mountain bike world cup. The network would offer an opportunity that was not previously available to showcase the likes of handball and sailing, in which Scotland excels but which rarely receive coverage.
In news broadcasting, we could see greater emphasis on reporting from a Scottish perspective. National reporting frequently fails to place news items in their Scottish context, which leads to confusion among the public about devolved issues. In an earlier debate today, Marco Biagi suggested that news items should come with the warning, “Not for viewers in Scotland”.