General Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 12 December 2024.
Maggie Chapman
Green
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to enhance the sustainability of cultural facilities in the North East Scotland region, including to prevent job losses in the sector and improve support for cultural education. (S6O-04111)
Angus Robertson
Scottish National Party
Creative Scotland has invested more than £30 million in response to applications from individuals, projects and organisations in the North East Scotland parliamentary region since 2019 and has made more than 1,400 awards. That investment includes: a total of £1.7 million in more than 40 projects through Screen Scotland’s screen education programmes; a total of £2.9 million in six Culture Collective projects; a total of £12.5 million each year for 12 regularly funded organisations; and youth music initiative formula funding to all five local authority areas in the region each year, which, in 2024-25, totalled £1.2 million.
Maggie Chapman
Green
Culture is a fundamental human right and an important part of our expression and identity. It has a positive impact on our lives and supports social connections and wellbeing.
As Dundee marks the 10th anniversary of being the first and only United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization city of design in the United Kingdom, key cultural organisations and the creative economies that they support are at risk.
Has the Cabinet secretary engaged with Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee Rep and other organisations about their sustainability? Does he agree that a move to multiyear funding would give those cultural institutions the long-term financial guarantees that they need?
Angus Robertson
Scottish National Party
Maggie Chapman makes an excellent point about multiyear funding. As a result of the Scottish Government’s proposed budget, there will be the biggest ever funding increase—outside of the Covid recovery period—for the culture sector in Scotland. That will allow the introduction of multiyear funding for cultural venues and organisations throughout Scotland.
However, I gently say to Maggie Chapman and to colleagues in other political parties across the chamber that that will happen only if MSPs pass the budget. I hope that she will vote for the budget, vote for the increase in culture funding and give the green light to multiyear funding.
Alison Johnstone
Green
I remind Ms Chapman and all other members that large campaigning symbols are not allowed in the chamber.
I will take a very brief question—number 8—from Willie Rennie.
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.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
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.
