§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to fund overseas presentation of Scottish arts linked to efforts by Scottish businesses to win contracts.
§ Sir Hector MonroNone. Government support for overseas activities by arts organisations is primarily a matter for the British Council. The business sponsorship incentive scheme, which provides matching government funds for private sponsorship moneys, may also help.
§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to assist arts organisations to make themselves and their educational services known to individual schools and to the new unitary authorities.
§ Sir Hector MonroThe Scottish Office Education Department will draw the potential role of arts 277W organisations in education to the attention of the new local authorities in a guidance circular on the arts to be issued later this year.
The Scottish Arts Council has identified education as a priority and has published a handbook "Now to Create: Arts and Education in Partnership", a copy of which has recently been sent to every school in Scotland, to every school board and to appropriate local authority officers.
§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to increase pupils' access to active participation in arts activities.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonNational guidelines on the expressive arts, issued in 1992, offer schools advice on art education for pupils aged five to 14. The guidelines cover art, drama and music, and place emphasis on the value of active participation. They set out attainment targets and programmes of study in which performance, participation and appreciation have a place. The arts community generally has welcomed this advice to schools.
Guidelines issued by the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum for pupils aged 14 to 18 also ensure that the arts have a secure place within the curriculum. Scottish Examination Board and Scottish Vocational Education Council courses and qualifications are available at standard grade, higher grade, certificate of sixth year studies and national certificate in the areas of music, drama and art. Within the higher still programme, a unified framework of study programmes and qualifications will be developed in these areas.
§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what funding is available to arts organisations to assist them with tourism-related projects.
§ Sir Hector MonroRelevant financial assistance is available to arts organisations from the Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise networks, including the local enterprise companies, and the Scottish tourist board. The Scottish Arts Council has a general responsibility for funding and encouraging the arts in Scotland; in partnership with the Scottish tourist board and the Scottish Museums Council among other public sector organisations, the council is actively involved in various initiatives to develop arts-based tourism.