Chamber and committees

My officials are currently considering additional island based, non-conflicted potential members with infrastructure investment experience and have asked local authority partners to put forward names for consideration by 18 January.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-01744 on 11 January 2023. The answer to the Oral Question can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-11-01-2023?meeting=14081 .

The Improvement Service report on Local Authority Instrumental Music Services sets out that 41,594 pupils received instrumental music tuition in academic year 2020-21, this is 6% of the total number of school pupils. The full report is available here : Instrumental Music Services: Results from the IMS Survey 2022 (improvementservice.org.uk) .

The Scottish Government recognises the difficult situation that the culture sector is facing currently.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-01744 11 January 2023. The answer to the Oral Question can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-11-01-2023?meeting=14081 .

The Scottish Government remains keen to conclude some work on multiyear funding, and will discuss this with Creative Scotland, even if economic uncertainty means that the figures for later years can be at most only indicative. The outlook, following the recent Autumn Statement by the UK Government, is even more challenging for the later years of the Resource Spending Review period.

The Scottish Government has not allocated funding nor spent any money on this.

The Scottish Government has robust security policies and procedures in place, with training and guidance available for all staff to help them understand their security responsibilities. Steps include adhering to best practice in password management and using features such as two-factor authentication which is available on most social media platforms. The Scottish Government is not responsible for the cyber defence of the platforms themselves, but we refer to the UK Government’s SAFE Framework which outlines a set of standards for digital brand safety and includes the requirement for platforms to commit to cybersecurity.

The Scottish Government runs a number of accounts on social media platforms. Responsibility for uploading content to these accounts lies with the teams who manage those accounts. There are currently four social media managers with specific responsibility for uploading content to the Scottish Government’s primary social media platforms. An additional 112 Communications staff have access to carry out this task as part of their wider role and responsibilities. Outside of the Communications Division this task could form a part of many other roles and is not formally captured or recorded .

The Scottish Government does not have access to information about cyber security incidents affecting social media platforms, except where they have been publicly disclosed by the platforms themselves. We refer to the UK Government’s SAFE Framework which outlines a set of standards for digital brand safety and includes the requirement for platforms to commit to cybersecurity. We hold no record of Scottish Government accounts on social media platforms being compromised as a result of hacking.

The Scottish Government's Communications Division has not had any meetings with Meta on this topic.

Information on Ministerial engagements is routinely published on the Scottish Government website and can be found at: www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/ .

Information on Ministerial engagements prior to May 2016 can be found at: https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20170401123936/http:/www.gov.scot/About/People/14944/Events-Engagements/MinisterialEngagements .

Information on Ministerial engagements is routinely published on the Scottish Government website and can be found at: www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/ .

Information on Ministerial engagements prior to May 2016 can be found at: Ministerial Engagements (webarchive.org.uk)

Visits are not recorded by parliamentary region. The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.