Hansard

It has been a good-natured and informative debate, although it has included some odd moments, to which I will refer, in passing, as I sum up. Before I do so, I want to respond to some of the positive and serious suggestions that have been made.

Karen Gillon suggested a festivals event in the Parliament, through which we could spread knowledge of the work that the festivals do and allow members to provide information about the festivals in their areas. That is an excellent idea, which we will try to take forward collaboratively. Another strong suggestion that I thought was a good idea was that festivals could share knowledge of what was taking place and art forms could speak to each other. There is an element of such collaboration already, and I think that some of the programmes that we are developing under the innovation fund that will be announced next week might give us an opportunity to resource such an intervention at a future festival. I thank Mr Whitton for that idea; we will take it away and see what we can do with it.

By and large, the points that have been made in the debate apply to us all. We have heard some interesting personal reflections. Karen Gillon said that we should ensure that events are drawn in from other places, including the rest of the UK. When the Music of Black Origin awards are held in Glasgow in September, it will be the first time that the event has been held outside London. The fact that that extremely important event was secured for Scotland was the result of a Scottish group of organisations ensuring that they could bid for an event that would make a difference in Glasgow.

I thought that Mr Brocklebank was a little churlish in his introduction to an entertaining speech. To suggest that the debate was a filler was probably the wrong thing to do; it has been an opportunity for the Parliament to exchange information and to celebrate good things in Scotland, and I know that Mr Brocklebank eventually came round to that point of view.

Iain Smith made some interesting points about the need to take a longer-term view of the resourcing of festivals. By and large, a long-term view is taken, but when that does not happen, which is often the case with smaller festivals—I have been working with Mr Smith on a festival in his area of which that is true—we need to help as much as possible. However, it is a two-way street. Organisations need to know what they will spend and to plan ahead. Before other organisations can join in, they need to be sure of what their commitment is. It is necessary for a longer-term view to be taken of certain events if we are to ensure that they are not single events.

Elaine Murray made an important point about licensing. I am happy to commit myself to speaking to my friend the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, who is now in the chamber, to see whether we can make progress on the issue. Repetitive form filling should not be necessary for local festivals, into which members of local organisations put a great deal of time and effort. They need to be helped as much as possible by the organisations that are there to support them, which should not hinder them. I will take the issue up and will ensure that I communicate directly with the member and with the organisations that have raised it with me.

I am not sure that I will do the same for the festival of guga hunting, to which Alasdair Allan drew attention. I am familiar with what takes place on Sula Sgeir and although I have supported it, and been condemned for so doing, it is perhaps stretching the idea of a festival just that little bit too far to define it as such.

A number of festivals with interesting origins have been mentioned. Elaine Murray made an important point about the fact that some festivals arise out of the natural rhythm of the year and the age-old rhythm of communities, whereas other festivals—such as the G66+Live festival, to which Mr Whitton referred—arise out of a particular need. They are the result of people deciding that they need to do something about their community. I was extremely sorry that I was not able to attend the G66+Live festival—it was not my fault but Sir Kenneth Calman's. I hope that I will be there next year to take part.

Mr Whitton was right to say that one good year should, but does not always, lead to another, so festivals need to be constantly ambitious and constantly aware of the pitfalls that they might face. As several members have said, we do not know what effect the recession will have on the arts or the festivals in Scotland. It is possible—we hope that this is true—that there will be more people in Scotland this year. The idea of the year of homecoming is that not only will people come from other places, but that people from Scotland will travel around the country taking holidays and going to events. If that turns out to be the case—and the signs are good—that will be tremendous. However, we must always be aware that there are difficulties and pitfalls, and that nothing is guaranteed. Inventiveness and ideas are needed.

Mr McGrigor was right to draw attention to food festivals. Festivals should celebrate the best of Scotland, and we should certainly invest in the celebration of Scottish food. I did not learn from Mr McGrigor's speech whether Shed Seven was a place or a performance; no doubt he will tell me at some stage. I claim absolutely no cred. Karen Gillon asked me to get some cred, but I do not think that it would be legitimate for me to do so—I admit my ignorance on such matters. However, I recognise that T in the Park is a huge economic force, as well as a huge cultural and entertainment force.