Hansard

The Convener (Joan McAlpine) SNP

Good morning, and welcome, everyone, to the ninth meeting in 2021 of the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee. We have received apologies ...

Iain Munro (Creative Scotland)

Thank you, convener, and good morning, everyone. We are pleased to be able to give evidence to the committee this morning. I realise that this is the last pu...

The Convener SNP

Thank you very much. As you noted, this is likely to be our final committee meeting of the parliamentary session. It will certainly be the last committee mee...

Iain Munro

In the early weeks and months of the pandemic, we internally swung in those early moves to provide the initial support. As I noted in my opening remarks, tha...

The Convener SNP

Thanks very much. That is helpful. You talked about how individuals in Scotland get funding that individuals in the rest of the UK do not get. I note that, a...

Iain Munro

There was quite a lot wrapped up in your questions; I will try to steer my way through them. I agree that the issues are all important. I will address the ...

The Convener SNP

Thanks very much. I will come back to some of those issues later. I will hand over to Claire Baker MSP.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Lab

Good morning to Iain Munro and Isabel Davis. I have met Iain during the process—I have some questions for you, Iain. You gave a helpful introduction to how...

Iain Munro

Again, there was a lot wrapped up in your questions. I will try to make sure that I cover everything. The vast majority of funds, including the culture org...

Claire Baker Lab

Thank you. That is helpful. You mentioned that one of the purposes of the funds was to protect jobs, which is also one of the purposes of the theatre recov...

Iain Munro

Your question about the unions is an important one. Part of the change that was under way for Creative Scotland pre-pandemic was about how we move to open ou...

Claire Baker Lab

I appreciate how challenging this is. Does the data tell you how many jobs have been lost and how many redundancies there have been, or does it just say how ...

Iain Munro

That data does not tell us that, although a sense of loss of income and loss of employment opportunities is emerging from the sector survey, which is also co...

The Convener SNP

This is all absolutely fascinating stuff, Mr Munro, but I ask you to keep your answers a bit shorter. A lot of members want to ask you questions and I want t...

Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green) Green

I have a couple of questions, primarily focused on screen. I will address them to Isabel Davis in the first instance, but some of them probably cut across wi...

Isabel Davis (Creative Scotland)

No, you will not find that document. As Iain Munro has pointed out, and as we all know, this year has been about getting our sleeves rolled up, getting all h...

Ross Greer Green

Iain Munro wants to come in, I believe.

Iain Munro

Yes, very briefly. I think that you pointed to it, but the annual report and accounts, and the annual review for Creative Scotland, include sections specific...

Ross Greer Green

Yes, thanks. I have the annual report in front of me, although I could not find the annual review. The Creative Scotland website annual review section goes u...

Isabel Davis

You might be aware that we have now, happily, almost entirely restructured Screen Scotland and we have individual teams—they work together, of course—across ...

Ross Greer Green

I am conscious of the time, although this is very interesting and, in general, I am very pleased with the progress that has been made, because this has been ...

Isabel Davis

I would like to signal that we are now in a position whereby each of the component parts of what it will take for the screen industry to achieve success can ...

Ross Greer Green

Fantastic. Thank you very much.

Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) SNP

I will focus on some of the practical elements around culture, not least because if anyone was asked to describe my engagement with culture more generally, t...

Isabel Davis

It is great to know that you are an old friend of Lynda Myles, who remains one of the leading lights in the Scottish festivals. Her days at the Edinburgh int...

Stewart Stevenson SNP

Thank you very much for that. I should not overplay my relationship with Lynda Myles. I was at the biggest school in Scotland—our year was nearly 500 people—...

Isabel Davis

It is such a fast-growing industry that the gaps are everywhere. That is a very good question, and I think the answer is “all of the above” if we are to succ...

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

The question I was going to ask was the one that Stewart Stevenson has just covered. I will go back to something that I think has been covered slightly. I re...

Iain Munro

You raise an important point. I will say up front that we have a keen eye to understanding the support that we are able to provide in and alongside the suppo...

Jamie Halcro Johnston Con

Thanks. Do you want to come in on that, Isabel?