What success it had in respect of celebrating 2002 as the year of Robert Burns and what financial or other support it made available to eve…

The Executive's support for promoting the legacy of Robert Burns has involved various initiatives and is not limited to a single year. Ministers announced early in 2002 the commitment of £300,000 to develop a raft of projects to celebrate the life and works of Burns. These projects will benefit socially disadvantaged areas and under-represented groups and are being implemented this year and next through the Scottish Arts Council. In April 2002, a Tam O' Shanter CD funded by the National Grid for Learning was issued free to all primary and secondary schools in Scotland. The Executive also provided £100,000 for the inaugural "Burns and a' that" festival in 2002. The festival received much critical acclaim and, last month, Mike Watson announced that the Executive will provide a further £100,000 for this year's event. Valuable support from our agencies, VisitScotland and the Scottish Arts Council, has also been provided and this continues.