Chamber and committees

I will move to questions from the committee.

Our third item is two evidence-taking sessions for our pre-budget scrutiny of the culture spending portfolio.

For our first session, I welcome to the meeting Iain Munro, chief executive, Creative Scotland; Councillor Steven Heddle, vice-president, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, who is joining us remotely from Orkney; and Martin Booth, executive director of finance, Glasgow City Council, who is attending on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy directors of finance section. I warmly welcome you all to this morning’s meeting.

I will start with a question for Mr Munro on Creative Scotland’s plans for a new multiyear funding programme. We have had evidence from the sector on the profound importance of multiyear funding as well as the pressures that the sector is under at the moment. You have outlined that a number of organisations beyond the current network of regularly funded organisations require funding on a multiyear basis. However, given how pressured we know the financial situation to be, what would be your considerations in that regard? How would you assess the impact on the sector of funding fewer organisations on a multiyear basis?

Mr Ruskell has a supplementary question on that.

Yes, but I do not know whether you can hear us. Please come in.

I think that providing a cultural offering as part of the warm spaces initiative is a draw and makes it less stigmatising for people who want to be there. Having bookbug clubs, dementia choirs or whatever else in those spaces will make a huge difference.

Given all the evidence that we have heard, and bearing in mind that we are scrutinising next year’s budget, will wellbeing be further embedded in cross-portfolio workstreams, or are the current pressures too high to allow any measurable or identifiable progress in that area?

For our second panel on pre-budget scrutiny, I welcome Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, and Lisa Baird, deputy director of culture and historic environments at the Scottish Government. I invite the cabinet secretary to make a brief opening statement.

Alasdair Allan has a supplementary on this, and then I will bring in Jenni Minto and Mark Ruskell.

Thank you for your attendance at this morning’s meeting, cabinet secretary—[Interruption.] Did you want to come in, Mr Ruskell? You will need to be very quick.

Our next item is a decision on taking business in private. Are members content to take item 4 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Good morning and a very warm welcome to the 22nd meeting in 2022 of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee. We have received apologies from Maurice Golden and also from Sarah Boyack, for whom Claire Baker MSP is here as substitute. Ms Baker will have to leave to attend to other parliamentary duties during the course of the meeting, but she hopes to be able to return later.

I ask Ms Baker to declare any relevant interests.