Hansard

I thank Alyn Smith for bringing the debate to the chamber; it is very welcome. As he outlined, the screen sector is very important for the whole of Scotland, and he rightly highlighted his own constituency’s particular assets in that respect.

The sector makes a significant contribution to the Scottish economy—it is a modern industry in a content-hungry global economy. There is huge scope for growth globally in many other sectors, but it is right to highlight some of the key assets that we have in this country, whether that be our natural physical environment or being an English-speaking nation, which allows us to export our talent around the world through digital streaming. The impact of those digital streaming platforms is significant and profound; it is driving diversity in content and disrupting the business models that were previously used by the industry.

As a result of that, there are threats as well as opportunities. Quite often, in debates in the Parliament and in other places, people talk about some of the disruptive elements of online digital streaming and social media content creation and the threats that they can bring.

However, at the same time, we have to be at the forefront of taking advantage of some of the opportunities. In doing so, it is vital that we consider the end-to-end process of creation, production and enjoyment. That all loops back into the same process, because production requires prior consumption and inspiration among young people and older people, so that they can see themselves as having a place in that industry. They have to see it to be it.

As Alyn Smith highlighted, the skills are significant, whether they are delivered through further or higher education. We should probably consider the evidence that was taken at committee in the previous session of Parliament about some of the school-level skills that might be an option for Scotland. In Northern Ireland, that is certainly the case. Production skills in Scotland are more often delivered in a partnership model between further education—our colleges—and our schools, but we know that many of those partnership arrangements with colleges are under threat or have been retracted because of the funding model. We might want to consider whether Qualifications Scotland can deliver some of those skills more directly through our schools.

In particular, I want to highlight the consumption end. I pay tribute to the Belmont cinema in Aberdeen and the campaign to restore it after its closure in late 2022. There has been a significant community campaign for that key project, which has raised £2.815 million to date. I know that members will appreciate the efforts that the volunteers have put into pulling together that money, but they still have a distance to travel to ensure that that key facility in the centre of Aberdeen is brought back to life—not just for the enjoyment of citizens and their consumption of culture, but as a key contributor to driving the tourist economy and the night-time economy. It is absolutely critical: it has been the city’s only independent cinema and it is a key cultural draw.

I would like to hear from the minister, when she is summing up, what more we can do to support not just Belmont but similar cinemas across the country.