Hansard

It is right to say that, with any kind of disruption—even when Glasgow’s streets are being showcased in international film and TV—we must be considerate of businesses. I am always interested in hearing about ways in which we can do that better.

However, there is another angle to reflect on, which is that domestic production is just as important as, if not more important than, our ability to attract international pictures. David Torrance was absolutely right to remind us of that, and Alyn Smith was correct to mention the supply chain and all the behind-the-scenes jobs. When content is developed and owned in Scotland, the benefits go further and last longer. By supporting sustainable jobs, we can strengthen independent production companies, ensuring that value remains here in Scotland and that we have the ability to tell our own stories—something that has felt elusive for too long.

We have already seen what can be achieved in productions such as “Summerwater” and “An t-Eilean”, which provided absolutely gripping Gaelic drama. Both those productions were supported by Screen Scotland’s broadcast content fund. Independent Scottish production companies continue to produce work that reaches global audiences and reflects our distinctive voice—a voice that I am so glad is being heard in English, Gaelic and Scots.

To build on that, we need to do much more on intellectual property development. That includes backing Scottish writers, producers and creators to originate ideas here, to retain rights here and to scale those ideas for international markets. We must enable people to emulate the young Liam Kerr in that regard. It is essential that we have a strong pipeline from development through to distribution if Scottish-owned content is to play a larger role in the growth of the sector.

I also want to say a word about cinema. Michael Marra, Liam Kerr, Lloyd Melville and Jenni Minto are absolutely right to mention the importance of independent cinema. As well as strongly encouraging folks to enjoy their local cinemas, I want to acknowledge this evening the campaigners who are working to save their independent cinemas. In that respect, I must mention the success of the Screen Machine campaigners, and I am really pleased that the Scottish Government was able to support that.

Time is against me, but before I wind up, I just want to make it clear that public service broadcasting is absolutely central. It is critical that Scotland’s voice is heard in it, and, as culture secretary, I will be championing that.

Our ambitions are absolutely clear: we have a sector that, as members have reflected, has gone from strength to strength and is a real growth area for our economy. However, it also has intrinsic value in providing jobs and growth in Scotland’s communities and in allowing us to tell the stories of Scotland and to put them on a global stage. I am so proud of the success that we have had to date, and I look forward to leading that further.