Chamber and committees

Good morning, cabinet secretary. You have been agreeing with the premise of many of the questions from committee members. Would you agree that the culture sector in Scotland is in crisis?

We have heard significant evidence from the sector that it still faces a huge crisis. Museums Galleries Scotland told the committee:

“We have reached a point at which so many organisations are in crisis that they are struggling to do the really good work that we know can be done.”—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 12 September 2024; c 10.]

Culture Counts has warned that

“the crisis facing Scotland’s culture sector is an immediate one”,

and Creative Scotland has said that it is working with

“a number of organisations that are in crisis and on cliff edges.”—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 19 September 20204; c 37.]

Recently, the First Minister received a letter from prominent figures in Scotland’s music scene, including Paolo Nutini, Biffy Clyro and 170 others, who raised concerns about an impending “cultural catastrophe” unless the Scottish Government provides immediate and reliable support to the sector.

Why are we in the situation of facing a crisis in the culture sector and an impending cultural catastrophe? How will the Scottish Government act to stop such a catastrophe and avoid such a crisis?

Forgive me, but I thought that you had already persuaded your Government colleagues about an additional £25 million over the coming—

You are asking us to vote for a budget, and you cannot even tell us how much money will be in it.

Caroline, do you have anything to add?

Clearly, Creative Scotland is our country’s national arts agency. One of the key points of the establishment of an arts council post the second world war was to ensure that the arts and culture sector was accessible to the masses across the country. Protecting our cultural assets is vital and good for society, and that must be maintained.

We have talked a lot about the public policy crossover and the sector’s economic potential. Notwithstanding the need to protect our cultural assets and ensure that people across the country have access to the arts and culture, should the review and the way in which we look at the issue include economic development and some of the functions that Scottish Enterprise has around the creative industries? Should the review consider how those functions could be streamlined or co-ordinated better, potentially through Creative Scotland having those assets?

To go back to my previous points about overheads and administrative costs, you share many objectives with not just Scottish Enterprise but VisitScotland and EventScotland. Does the review need to consider duplication of functions and how some could be streamlined and brought together to save money?

Are there any other thoughts on that question?

Are there any other thoughts on that?

I agree that we need the Scottish Government to bring forward that resource in the budget to ensure that our creatives are supported, and I will continue to make that case.

I want to ask about your current resources and how you manage them. There has been a lot of discourse in the media about Creative Scotland’s administration costs. Analysis of the published accounts from 2022-23 shows that the percentage of Creative Scotland’s budget allocation that went on staffing costs rose to 12 per cent, which was up from 5 per cent or 7 per cent in previous years. Meanwhile, the percentage of budget that was allocated to grants in 2022-23 fell to 83 per cent, compared with 92 per cent in 2020-21 and 2021-22. I know that we have had Covid, uncertainty and cuts in budgets, and that we have had moves to multiyear funding and preparation for that.

Can you explain what was behind the increase in the proportion of the budget that is spent on administration and overhead costs? I appreciate that there may be a number of factors. Are there any on-going or planned efforts to reduce administrative and operational costs? Notwithstanding the point that we need to support the culture sector with funding, are there any areas in which Creative Scotland as an agency could be more efficient, given the resources that it currently has?

Good morning. We have talked about last year’s announcement of an additional £100 million over five years. A full timeline for delivery of that extra funding has never been shared but, clearly, if it were to be delivered on a linear path, that would be £20 million a year. The problem is that, despite £25 million being promised next year, only £15.8 million was provided this year. Does that not show that, in delivery of the £100 million, the Scottish Government is already behind schedule, if it is going on a linear path to meet that commitment? Given what you have said about the need for accelerated funding and front loading of the £100 million, £25 million would only get the Scottish Government back on a linear path, and that would not be sufficient to meet the challenges that you currently face.

Maybe Lori Anderson will answer that first.