Meeting of the Parliament 25 October 2023
I think that that would be set out in the draft budget, as is normal. We are talking about a five-year investment, starting from the spring of 2024, which is the next financial year. Regardless of what we do, you will vote against the budget—we know that full well. That is how the budget is done. It will be put into the draft budget, like any other spending line. I would have thought that that would be fairly obvious to someone who has been here for so long.
Creative Scotland strives to ensure that funding delivers the widest possible public benefit across Scotland, but that has not always been the case. Even taking into account the fact that prestigious national companies such as Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet are based in Glasgow and that our capital has an important role, not least through the Edinburgh festival, other areas of Scotland, including Ayrshire, have received a disproportionately low share of Creative Scotland’s funding. It is important to encourage growth in those areas. I ask the cabinet secretary to ensure that funding is allocated fairly across all regions of Scotland, including rural and island regions that often face barriers to accessing the arts. I thank Alex Cole-Hamilton for also raising that point.
Amid the unprecedented pandemic, in which the culture and events sectors were among the worst affected, the Scottish Government delivered £256 million of support to creatives, many of whom were otherwise unable to earn a living during that time. Support that was provided by the £85 million Covid-19 emergency fund prevented 82 per cent of Scottish organisations from cutting jobs or becoming insolvent, which highlights the Government’s dedication to supporting the sector.
The Scottish Government’s plan to more than double arts and culture funding by more than £100 million over the next five years is very welcome, and I am astonished by the Grinch-like comments that we have seen from the Opposition in response. Talk about rejecting a solid increase in funding. It is astonishing.
Reckless economic decisions made by the UK Government undeniably created a perfect storm of long-term budget pressures, reduced income generation and increased operating costs, forcing the Scottish Government to make difficult financial decisions. The Tories have some cheek to talk about arts and culture, which they have completely eviscerated south of the border, so let us have no more crocodile tears in that regard. We all know about the damage that Brexit has done, too.
I support calls on the United Kingdom Government to seek visa-free and work permit-free arrangements for Scots working in European Union countries on a short-term basis. Creatives in Scotland previously benefited from funding from Creative Europe, but the final round of funding of more than €18 million is now lost. In its first year, the UK Government’s shared prosperity fund has offered only a measly £7 million in replacement funding to its global screen fund, which is something that the Tories should maybe raise with their bosses down south.
Had we remained in the EU, our creative industries would have received an additional €184 million. As long as Labour joins the Tories in supporting Brexit, Scottish businesses and workers in the culture sector will suffer financially, given that, across the UK, £200 million in arts and culture funding has been lost.