Celebrating St Andrews Day An Assessment of the Economic, Social

1
Celebrating St Andrews Day An Assessment of
the Economic, Social Cultural Costs and Benefits

• Presentation of Findings of the Final Report
• to the Enterprise and Culture Committee of the
  Scottish Parliament Corporate Body
• 5th September 2006

2
Introduction

• Dr. Neil Blake Director of Economics
  Forecasting, Experian Business Strategies
• Richard Sweetnam, Project Manager, Associate
  Director, Experian Business Strategies
• Josephine Burns, Director, Burns Owens
  Partnership

3
Format of Presentation

• Research Specification
• Approach
• Celebration Options
• Key Findings
• Comparator
• Economic
• Social
• Cultural
• Conclusions

4
Definition - St Andrews Day Bank Holiday
(Scotland) Bill

• Introduced in May 2005
• To establish a bank holiday on St Andrews Day
  (30 November) or, if the day falls at a weekend,
  the following Monday
• To facilitate the creation of a National Day to
  celebrate Scotland and its people in terms of
  culture, diversity, history, tradition,
  contemporary society, arts, sport, enterprise and
  international standing
• Aim to amend the Banking Financial Dealings
  Act 1971 to make a new bank holiday

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Research Specification

• Objectives
• To compile a set of celebration options
• Provide information on economic, social and
  cultural impacts of each option
• Quantify impacts, in monetary terms where
  possible
• Review relevant research on how other countries
  celebrate national holidays

6
Approach

• Desk Based Research
• How St Andrews Day is celebrated
• Consultations to date
• Comparator Research 5 celebrations
• Primary Research
• Omnibus Survey
• Local Authorities
• Umbrella Groups ASVA, Event Scotland, SCVO,
  STUC, SRC, SFE, CoSLA, CBI, SCDI, SCCB
• Other VisitScotland, Homecoming Scotland,
  Historic Scotland
• Analysis

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Celebration Options

• Changing the date of an existing bank holiday to
  St Andrews Day
• Establishing an additional bank holiday on St
  Andrews Day
• Having no bank holiday on St Andrews Day, but
  holding an event/ celebration to mark the day
• Building on existing local practices for the
  purpose of celebrating St Andrews Day

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Key Findings - Comparator

• Ireland
• Bespoke unit to develop a week long programme of
  activities around March 17th
• Government-funded
• Showcasing Ireland
• France
• Paris-based
• Network of local activities
• 0.45 increase in working time does not equate to
  the same increase in output

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Key Findings - Comparator

• US
• Legislation to observe holidays on nearest Monday
  
• July 4th vs Thanksgiving Day
• Start of the Holiday Season
• National values inherent part of the US social/
  cultural heritage
• Sweden
• Research suggests the cost of additional
  holiday at up to 0.3 of GDP
• Neutral if substitution occurs

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Key Findings - Economic

• Negative
• Cost of days lost any extra overtime costs
• Offsetting
• Potential for re-scheduling work
• Workforce more productive on other days
• Positive
• Additional spending
• Tourism
• Retail/leisure (has to be additional)

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Key Findings - Economic

• Problems in measuring offsetting positive
  effects
• Most existing Bank Holidays taking place every
  year
• Cannot distinguish between normal seasonal
  movements (in sales, productivity etc) and the
  impact of the Bank Holiday
• Have to focus on Bank Holidays that move
• Easter
• Queens Jubilee
• Neither are perfectly comparable with St Andrews
  Day (Easter is better) but they give some idea
  of magnitudes/directions

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Key Findings - Economic

• Impact of Easter (UK Scotland Adjusted)
• GVA gt 61m and 4.6m (0.1 increase)
• Retail Sales gt 107m and 9.5m
• Tourism (UK) gt we travel more, and spend more,
  net cost' of 14m
• Alternative Method (Scotland)
• Value output on a productive day
• Assumptions on which sectors operate
• GVA gt - 135m or 0.18

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Key Findings - Cultural

• Mechanism to celebrate St Andrews Day conducive
  to achieving optimum cultural impact
• Options 1 2 greatest impact, and greatest
  benefit and costs
• Option 3 impact mitigated no time to
  celebrate, nightime activity restricted by time
  of year, but could still develop some activities
• Option 4 Localised impact in the short term

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Key Findings - Social

• How would people in Scotland spend their free
  time Omnibus Survey
• Higher proportion of people in Scotland worked
  indicative of observing local holidays?
• Non work at home (46), VFR (21), Short
  Break (12)
• UK Time Use Survey indicate how people could
  spend additional free time
• 2.3m in employment (FT and PT) gt a day off
• What sectors do they work in gt 36 of jobs in
  sectors that will remain open, rest mixed and
  closed
• 17 of residents could benefit from a day off
• Willingness to pay

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Conclusions

• Clarify what it is about St Andrews Day that
  Scottish residents identify with
• Distinct, but complements existing offer
• 5-10 year gestation period financial support
• How to celebrate depends on presence of a
  holiday, and then what day?
• Winners Losers
• In general Options 3/ 4 more popular with private
  sector, yet dilute cultural impact
• Option 1 (substitution) favoured in mitigating
  against perceived disruption/ loss but reluctance?

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Celebrating St Andrews Day An Assessment of
the Economic, Social Cultural Costs and Benefits

• Presentation of Findings of the Final Report
• to the Enterprise and Culture Committee of the
  Scottish Parliament Corporate Body
• 5th September 2006