Chamber and committees

I am pleased to announce that I am today publishing the business case for the merger of Historic Scotland and RCAHMS and that I intend to establish the merged body as a non-departmental public body and make provisions for it to apply for charitable status in line with Scotland’s National Collections.

I am also publishing a draft Strategy for Scotland’s Historic Environment. This is a strategy for Scotland and seeks to establish a common shared direction for the varied organisations and individuals who play a role in caring for our historic environment. The new body will have a key role in leading and enabling its delivery

I am today launching a joint consultation covering both the strategy and the establishment of the proposed new body. The published documents are available at: www.scotland.gov.uk/HEstrategy_merger

Following work to record the remains of a historic wreck site discovered by scallop divers close to the harbour of Drumbeg, Sutherland, Historic Scotland has today designated Scotland’s first Historic Marine Protected Area (MPA) under the urgent designation procedures in the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. This is the first time that the new MPA powers have been used. Public consultation will follow shortly on a proposal to make this designation more permanent.

As part of this first round of consultation, Historic Scotland will also be inviting views on proposals to designate six further Historic MPAs during 2013, to protect seven historic shipwrecks ranging from a 17^th century Scottish warship off Duart Point, Mull, to the Campania, a Clydebuilt former Blue-Riband winning Cunard liner, which performed valuable service as a converted aircraft carrier during WW1. Their designation as Historic MPAs will allow the Scottish Government to replace existing statutory protection for these sites under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. This will align marine heritage protection in Scotland with the Scottish Government’s new marine planning system and its overall approach to protection of our outstanding marine environment. The change in designation will not only help to protect these sites from harm, but will also help to streamline the consent arrangements and provide new opportunities for responsible access by scuba divers and others who will be more easily able to enjoy and appreciate these highly important sites.

Once these initial designations are in place, Historic Scotland will be visiting Orkney to consider the need for a historic MPA to protect what remains under water relating to the key wartime naval anchorage of Scapa Flow in advance of the centenary of WW1. A small number of other high priority, currently undesignated sites around the Scottish coast may also be considered between now and 2015.

Scotland’s Census 2011: Release 1A is published today (Laying number: SG/2012/254). This report presents the first results from the 2011 Census in Scotland, which was held on 27 March 2011. The statistics provide estimates of the usually resident population of Scotland on Census Day broken down by age and sex along with estimates of the total usually resident population in each council area. A copy of the report is available in the Scottish Parliament Reference Centre (Bib. number 54593), or from the Scotland’s Census website at:

www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk.

I visited India from 26 October to 1 November 2012 spending time in Delhi and Jodhpur.

India is a priority country for the Scottish Government’s international engagement. The strategic aims of the visit were to develop Scotland and India’s bilateral relationship in terms of trade and investment, education, culture, tourism and government. Specifically to: promote business links between India and Scotland; develop deeper relationships with existing and potential key investors; connect and supporting cultural activity that celebrates and develops links between India and Scotland, helping to develop greater trade links and inward investment; develop a closer relationship between the Scottish and Indian Governments heritage bodies (Historic Scotland and the Archaeological Survey of India) to promote the sharing of technical expertise; develop links between educational institutes in India and Scotland; promote Scotland’s strengths in innovation and education; promote Scotland as a place to visit and develop a closer relationship with the Indian Government

On 27 October 2012, I had a high level business meeting with India’s newest Global Scot, Mr SK Munjal, Chairman of the Hero Group. At the meeting we discussed HERO’s continued commitment to working in Scotland and their future business plans.

I then met with the Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) - an autonomous organisation affiliated to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. At the meeting they discussed areas to develop Scotland and India’s cultural collaborative relationship, such as by encouraging more Indian artists to perform in Edinburgh’s Festivals. I then attended a lunch (facilitated by ICCR) with leading members of the Indian cultural sector, including Pratibha Prahlad, Director of the Delhi International Arts Festival and Shashi Tharoor, who was subsequently appointed Minister for Human Resource Development.

Later that day I met with the British High Commissioner to discuss issues of interest regarding Scotland and India’s bi-lateral relationship.

On 28 October 2012, I travelled to Jodhpur in Rajasthan to witness the signing of a historic three - year agreement between Celtic Connections and the Jodhpur RIFF (Rajasthan International Folk Festival). The reciprocal performing arrangement will enable Scottish and Indian musicians to showcase their work internationally. Indian musicians will perform at Celtic Connections in January 2014, the year of the Commonwealth Games.

During the festival, I supported Scottish musicians who were performing and met with the patron of the festival – His Highness Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur. I also visited a local Rajasthani village to learn about the impact of a ‘water harvesting’ project run by the Jal Bhagirathi Foundation to provide clean drinking water to villages in the region. I shared information about the innovative working taking place in Scotland in relation to the ‘Scotland as the hydro nation’.

On 30 October 2012, I returned to Delhi and visited a local school where I met with young people who are participating in Scottish Opera’s ‘Friendship Oratorio Project’. The project will unite 100 young people and emerging artists from seven Commonwealth countries who will develop their own stories about what friendship means to them. In India, they are working with the Tehelka Foundation - an organisation who aim to empower disadvantaged young people through arts education. The Friendship Oratorio will be performed in Scotland in 2014 as Glasgow gears up to host the Commonwealth Games.

Later that evening, I raised the profile of Scottish Dance Theatre’s first tour of India, by attending their performance as part of the Delhi International Arts Festival. Alongside the Director of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, the British High Commissioner and the Artistic Director of the Delhi International Arts Festival, I congratulated the performers and highlighted Scotland’s burgeoning cultural relationship with India.

On 31 October 2012, I shared a platform with senior representatives from the Planning Commission (Government of India), Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and senior representatives from Scottish Universities, at the Innovation in Education Roundtable.

At the event, which was attended by more than 40 representatives of the Indian government, academia, business and industry, I positioned Scotland as a centre of excellence for research and innovation, reinforcing Scotland’s commitment to work in, and with, India in developing sustainable partnerships. This built on last year’s visit to India by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.

I announced four innovative partnerships: Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen (RGU) will work with the Maharashtra Institute of Technology School of Telecom Management (MITSOT), to host Indian postgraduate students in Scotland for part of their postgraduate diploma; Dundee University will run a UK-wide work placement programme as part of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative, helping graduates to gain work experience in India; Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh will run a project that will use Scottish academic expertise to support the development of sustainable community-led tourism businesses in rural India; and following a successful pilot-programme in India, Scottish Investment Operations has launched the Investment Accounting Diploma, an industry-made professional qualification backed by the world’s largest financial institutions.

Later that afternoon, I attended a workshop as part of VisitScotland’s Indian sales mission. The event was attended by 25 Indian travel agents and tour operators who were graduating from the Scots agents programme – an online educational programme providing in-depth information about what to see and do in Scotland.

That evening, I hosted a ‘Team Scotland reception’ at the British High Commissioner’s Residence with over 200 high level guests from the India business, education, tourism and culture sector, where I delivered a keynote speech that launched the Indian business network and announced the opening of the new Scottish Development International office in Hyderabad. Musical collaboration between Indian and Scotland was showcased as well as Scottish food and drink.

On 1 November 2012, I welcomed the expansion of Scottish energy company Wood Group’s Indian operations. I visited their new office in Gurgaon, South of Delhi, where they will consolidate all their activities in India and presented the Wood Group with a plaque to commemorate their expansion and move to new offices. The visit reinforced the Scottish Government’s commitment to supporting and encouraging business links with India.

Later that afternoon, I met with the President and Country Head of Yes Bank to hear about progress being made on the Cooperative Tourism Development project. Yes Bank are a key partner in the project (financed through the Scottish Government’s South Asia fund) which aims to deliver sustainable economic development through the creation of tourism enterprises in Uttararkhand and West Bengal. The project uses the destination management organisation (DMO) model which was originally developed in Scotland and is being refined by Queen Margaret University in this project.

During the course of the visit, I had meetings with several Indian Government departments, including the Planning Commission and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. I also met with Dr Sengupta, the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) – an office of the Indian Ministry for Culture. At this meeting I gifted the ASI and Indian people valuable data (three-Dimensional animations and models) from the Scottish Ten site in India – Rani ki Vav in Gujarat. They discussed the progress of the Scottish Ten Project and the continuation of partnership and skill sharing between Archaeological Survey of India, Historic Scotland, the Glasgow School of Art and CyArk.

Rani ki Vav is currently on the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage List which means that the World Heritage Committee will consider it for official World Heritage Site (WHS) designation. It is hoped that the Scottish Ten digital preservation project will contribute to the ASI’s bid for UNESCO World Heritage Status recognition for the site.

My visit successfully developed Scotland and India’s bi-lateral relationship in terms of trade and investment, education, culture, tourism and government. The visit also attracted positive press coverage in both India and Scotland.

On 26 November 2012, the nineteenth meeting of the British-Irish Council was held in Cardiff, Wales. We had a successful meeting attended by ministers from all eight member administrations. The Deputy First Minister, the Minister for Children and Young People and I represented the Scottish Government.

The meeting began with a discussion on current economic developments and the measures being taken by each administration to tackle these issues. More specifically, delegates focussed on administrations’ respective efforts to stimulate the economy through the utilisation of well managed and coordinated programmes of capital investment. The Scottish Government asserted that the three-pronged approach being taken in Scotland, which focuses on boosting public sector capital investment; taking action to tackle unemployment and, in particular, youth unemployment; and enhancing economic confidence by encouraging private sector investment and providing security to Scottish households, is crucial to securing future prosperity for the people of Scotland. The Deputy First Minister called on the UK Government to provide a much needed stimulus to the economy through increases to capital investment.

The Council then welcomed a paper on Early Years policy, with all council members recognising the importance of continuing in efforts to do everything possible to protect and nurture our children and give them the best possible start in life. The Minister for Children and Young People made clear the projected benefits, both social and economic, in taking a strong collaborative approach with local authorities and health and social service providers to deliver support to parents throughout the key formative years of their children’s development.

In line with discussions held at previous summits on youth employment and its particular significance to both the contemporary and future economic and social climate, delegates noted the latest relevant data provided in a report to the Council. It was agreed that such data should be supplied at every summit meeting as a supporting element of the now substantive agenda item on the economy.

The council noted the ongoing collaborative engagement of administrations through the various policy workstreams. Members agreed that final proposals for a new workstream on creative industries, to be chaired by Jersey, should be consolidated into a report to be presented to the council at the next summit.

Members also acknowledged the progress of the Standing Secretariat in this first year since their having been established in Edinburgh and agreed that the Secretariat should continue to report to the Council on the actions that they undertake in providing support to Senior Coordinators and Workstreams.

The Communiqué that was issued by the British-Irish Council after the meeting can be found on the Secretariat website at:

http://www.britishirishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/19%20-%20Nineteenth%20Summit%20-%20Cardiff%20-%2026%20November%202012%20.pdf.