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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 23 November 2024
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Displaying 448 contributions

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Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 16 June 2022

Maurice Golden

Thank you. That was interesting.

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 16 June 2022

Maurice Golden

Just to clarify, in relation to the Scottish supersponsorship scheme, Highland Council has said:

“The lack of funding instructions from SG prevents the Council from planning ahead for this resettlement scheme.”

Is that incorrect?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 16 June 2022

Maurice Golden

On a separate topic, what are your thoughts on the humanitarian effort in Ukraine and the Scottish Government’s role in that?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 16 June 2022

Maurice Golden

To date, none of the Scottish Government’s humanitarian emergency fund has been used to support the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Are there any plans in place to deploy that fund?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 16 June 2022

Maurice Golden

Minister, we heard earlier that approximately 500 Ukrainians have been staying in a hotel for one month or more. Is that a number that you recognise? If so, how long will it be before that situation is addressed?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 16 June 2022

Maurice Golden

I want to follow up Sarah Boyack’s questioning. We have heard from people who are close to the supersponsor scheme that there are some flaws in it. I am keen to explore your experience of the scheme. For example, you have mentioned 500 or more people staying in a hotel for a month or more. Do you have a sense of where the blockage is? Is there anything that the Scottish Government, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities or individual local authorities could do?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Scottish Government Resource Spending Review

Meeting date: 9 June 2022

Maurice Golden

We have focused rightly in this evidence session on how cultural organisations can continue to do what they are already doing. However, business as usual is clearly not acceptable when it comes to achieving net zero.

Despite the climate of a reduction in expenditure, there is also a requirement for our cultural organisations to invest in energy efficiency measures, which will be extremely challenging. Could the Scottish Government assist with assessment of that expenditure for cultural organisations directly or through its agencies? Is consideration being given to exemptions for certain buildings or organisations, although that would need to be squared off as a whole with meeting our wider net zero targets? What are your thoughts on that, cabinet secretary?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Scottish Government Resource Spending Review

Meeting date: 9 June 2022

Maurice Golden

Thanks for that. I have a specific question for Angus Robertson. As you will be aware, one of the initiatives that is facing a funding reduction is the culture and business fund Scotland, which faces a 33 per cent cut in funding for 2022-23. It makes funding, which is matched by business, available to cultural sector organisations, so that cut is a double whammy for the cultural sector. Could the cabinet secretary explain the rationale behind that funding cut?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Scottish Government Resource Spending Review

Meeting date: 9 June 2022

Maurice Golden

Kate Forbes talked about increased UK Government public expenditure. Does she accept that there is a tricky balancing act in that regard, because increased UK Government public expenditure will also fuel inflation, which means that although it would be a benefit in cash terms, it could be problematic in real terms?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Intergovernmental Relations

Meeting date: 9 June 2022

Maurice Golden

In the interests of time, I will bundle my questions into one, so it will probably be in two parts.

First, we have discussed changing the culture. I used to work at the Murray-Darling Basin Commission in Australia. It was a tricky process of attempting to manage finite water resources between competing states and, indeed, competing actors within states. I want to explore your thoughts. We have also mentioned a sectoral conference or other body to look at a specific issue. Even with that, are the structures sufficient for when it is in political interests for intergovernmental relations not to work very well? Secondly, beyond the sectoral conferences, where sharing best practice on specific issues is a really good idea and would be welcomed—Wales has done fantastically on recycling, so that model could be rolled out in Scotland, although it would be more challenging in England—is there something beyond sharing best practice within those structures?