PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Arts Funding: Scotland - 30 October 2024 (Commons/Commons Chamber)

The Scotland Office is committed to championing Scottish arts, and regularly showcases the sector’s significant cultural and economic contributions to UK and Scottish Government Ministers. In the Budget later today, the Chancellor will set out her spending decisions, and those will allow the Scottish Government to make their own spending decisions on devolved matters, including arts funding.

I was glad to hear the Secretary of State celebrate events in Scotland in his opening remarks. Scotland, and the UK in general, boasts one of the world’s leading arts industries, and we have the notable Edinburgh Fringe festival, but it faces funding pressures due to Government cuts and increased Brexit red tape, which complicates travel to Europe. British artists are being shut out of European markets, which hinders their ambitions and success. What steps is the Minister taking with other Departments to ensure that a thriving arts sector is unimpeded by Brexit red tape?

The hon. Lady has a background in performing arts, and brings her experience to this House. I agree with her: Scottish artists are world-renowned, and it is important to them and to promoting Scottish culture around the world that they can perform internationally. We are supporting Scottish artists, and continue to work to help our musicians tour, including through the Government’s successful music export growth scheme, the international showcase fund, and the Department for Business and Trade’s internationalisation fund. We are engaging across Government with the EU and member states on how best to improve arrangements for touring in Europe without a return to free movement.

Since being elected, my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (Chris Murray) has secured a Westminster Hall debate on the culture and economic contribution of the Edinburgh festivals—the first debate on the subject since 1992. Does my hon. Friend agree that that highlights the SNP Government’s shameful treatment of the Scottish creative sector, and can he outline what the UK Government will do to secure the future of the industry, and support thousands of Scottish writers, artists and performers?

I welcome my hon. Friend’s comments, including those about my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (Chris Murray). I was pleased to attend his debate in Westminster Hall, at which those issues were discussed. The UK Government have supported creative industries across Scotland, including in the city of my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh North and Leith (Tracy Gilbert), with £8.6 million for the Edinburgh festivals, £2 million of capital funding for the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh, and £5 million of capital funding across Scotland for the Burrell Collection. Millions more have been committed to Falkirk arts centre through the Falkirk and Grangemouth growth deal. We will continue to support arts and culture across Scotland.