§ Ms. Roseanna CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what guidelines have been issued to publicly-funded bodies in Scotland regarding the use of Scottish legal firms. [25201]
77W(2) what mechanisms exist for the assessment of the Scottish Arts Council's tendering process for legal services; what assessment he has made of the Scottish Arts Council's most recent tendering process for legal services; and if he will make a statement. [25202]
§ Mr. GalbraithNo such general guidelines have been issued. The Scottish Arts Council is, like other Non-Departmental Public Bodies, required to achieve best value for money in the purchase of goods and services, and is required to place contracts of an estimated value of £1,000 or more on a competitive basis unless there are good reasons to the contrary. The Council's compliance with these requirements is monitored through the audit process: no specific assessment has been made of the particular tendering process referred to.
§ Ms Roseanna CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will make a statement on the development of sustainable support services for the film industry in Scotland with particular reference to legal services; [25199]
(2) what instructions he has given to publicly-funded bodies in the arts sector in Scotland regarding the use of public funds to develop support services for the film industry, with particular reference to legal services. [25200]
§ Mr. GalbraithNo such instruction has been issued. Scottish Screen has responsibility for promoting and developing the film industry in Scotland and it is for it to assess how best this can be done and to allocate funds accordingly.