The National Youth Performing Arts Companies have issued this response to the Cultural Commission's report:

The five National Youth Performing Arts Companies (National Youth Choir of Scotland, National Youth Orchestras of Scotland, National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland, Scottish Youth Theatre, YDance - Scottish Youth Dance) welcome the final report of the Cultural Commission "Our Next major Enterprise".

 As the experts in the field of performing arts with children and young people in Scotland, we believe our work is crucial to the further development of our cultural life, and to the growth of an informed population, involved with the arts, and able to decide for themselves how to participate in the vast array of cultural opportunities open to them in a future Scotland.

The Commission has recognised the National Youth Performing Arts Companies as a "tremendous asset to the cultural life of Scotland" and the report reflects the potential for the youth companies to make a greater contribution to the further development of Scotland's cultural life, and the growth of a more culturally aware society.

We believe, as the report states, that all school pupils in Scotland should have the opportunity to work with the National Youth Performing Arts Companies, and that these opportunities should form part of a long-term strategy to enable our children and young people to participate to the full in the cultural life of Scotland, and to discover and develop their own talents and abilities in the performing arts.

The proposed Youth Arts Strategy Forum would enable us to participate in discussions across the various policy areas in which we currently operate, including culture, education, health, youth Justice and tourism, and to produce a national strategy for children's and young people's arts in Scotland.

Each of the National Youth Performing Arts Companies has already represented Scotland as Cultural Ambassadors abroad, and the creation of the proposed International Unit would enable us to respond t o more of the many annual invitations we currently turn down due simply to lack of funding. Our participants are the future of the performing arts in this country, and as such should be give the opportunity to show their talent to the widest possible audience.

We welcome the opportunity to develop closer links with the "adult" National Companies, a proposal which will build on the existing relationships we have within our own artform sectors.

The National Youth Performing Arts Companies will continue to work together, and to participate in future dialogue on the report of the Cultural Commission.