Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 15 May 2024.
Sarah Boyack
Labour
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the culture secretary has had with the finance secretary regarding future funding for culture, in light of its commitment to invest an additional £100 million in the sector. (S6O-03423)
Angus Robertson
Scottish National Party
We are increasing funding for the culture sector in this financial year by £15.8 million to £196.6 million, which is the first step on the route to investing at least £100 million more annually in culture and the arts by the financial year 2028-29. In 2025-26, we aim to provide an additional £25 million for the culture sector.
I have highlighted to the finance secretary on a number of occasions—and, more recently, to the new First Minister and Deputy First Minister—the importance of additional funding for the culture sector. As is the normal procedure, the Scottish budget for 2025-26 will be published later in the year.
Sarah Boyack
Labour
The former First Minister made the pledge seven months ago, so we would have liked to have received more detail today on how organisations can access that critical finance. In Edinburgh, our world-class culture sector is hanging by a thread. The Edinburgh Filmhouse’s open the doors campaign has, thankfully, done very well, but the King’s theatre urgently needs major investment and, just this week, the Summerhall events venue is set to be put on the market.
Our arts and culture sector is too important for government by press release. It needs urgent support, and people need to know how to access funding. Will the Cabinet secretary outline what additional funding will be available, how people will be able to access it and how the Government will not only support but grow Edinburgh’s world-class culture sector?
Angus Robertson
Scottish National Party
Sarah Boyack has identified both the challenge and the opportunity as we ramp up culture spending. Cultural organisations know how to get in touch with Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government, and they do so regularly, including to deal with the financial distress that is experienced by the venues that Sarah Boyack has mentioned and others that are not in the public realm. I assure her that the Scottish Government and arm’s-length organisations such as Creative Scotland take such distress extremely seriously, and we are trying to ensure that there are the financial means to deal with that.
I know that Sarah Boyack is committed to the culture sector, and she can meet me at any stage to discuss at greater length any priorities that she has identified or to give early warning about venues or organisations to ensure that they can get through difficulties, because—I assure her—we are seized of the need to address such issues in Edinburgh and throughout the rest of Scotland.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
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It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
