Chamber and committees

When I was a councillor, I always knew when there was an inspection, because the jannie would be wanting the bins moved or sorted out so that everything was perfect. That kind of panic tends to happen at school level, too.

You said that the system might be a bit too closed, with too many reports being generated. The problem is that, if a very good report is being discussed at a local authority education committee meeting, a whole bunch of councillors—with multimember wards, it might be four or five councillors—will say, “This is a very good report, and I’m very glad about it.” They, as well as mums and dads, measure the success of a school based on that. You spoke earlier about the idea of league tables. I have a lot of sympathy with what you said, but how can we move away from that kind of culture? That is part of the culture change that you are talking about.

You said earlier that you saw the bill as a foundation for moving on to further reform, and you said that not all of that would have to be legislative. Are we in that kind of aspect? When we talk about cultural change, as John Mason said, that is not all legislative. In the past, the Government has been accused of legislating for far too much, so maybe it is just a case of trying to find a way to get that cultural change, which is a big challenge.

I was going to ask another question about how you do this from the ground up, but you answered that just now, so thank you.

Good morning. I agree about the importance of culture in society, full stop. Many of the Scottish Government’s ambitions tick the box. I also respect the iconic institutions that you represent. Like Susan Deighan, I like to say that I am a solutions-based person. I will follow up a question that Patrick Harvie asked, so it is the two guys who were just recently in Government who are asking this question. What is the mechanism for engagement with the Scottish Government and the cabinet secretary, in order for you to say the things that you have said to us today? What has that on-going engagement been like?

Visiting the museum does not cost anything, which brings us back to what we were discussing.

You said earlier—I am quite excited about some of the things that you are saying—that you would be willing to work together on making changes to the sector. How do you see that working, and what would be needed to do that?

My daughter and her partner had their first date at the Riverside museum, and we are now four grandchildren later. It is clearly a national iconic building.

In summary, we are talking about possibly having a national conversation about the importance of culture and how it affects every part of life, so that we have confidence in the sector and understand what it gives back. Have I got that right?

It is for anyone—but go for it.

In my case, you are preaching to the converted, because Paisley’s bid to be the 2021 UK city of culture was all about that. I thank God that we did not win, because we were in lockdown in 2021—it was a shame for Coventry. The bid was made because we wanted to say that culture could make a difference to the challenges that the town faces, so I understand what has been said.

I will continue with that, because you mentioned something else, as well. Another on-going issue during my time on the committee has involved the Government’s commitment to widening access, especially for those from areas of deprivation. We seem to have got to the stage at which there is good news to be given on that, because the situation has got a lot better. Can you give me some more detail on that? From my perspective, it is important that young people in my constituency are getting the opportunities to be all that they can be and to do whatever they want in their life.