SCOTTISH artists should look to cuts made in England and be relieved that funding north of the Border has not been similarly slashed, the Culture Secretary said yesterday.

Fiona Hyslop, speaking at the launch of a consultation on Scotland's new architecture policy in Glasgow, said the recent controversial changes in funding policies at Creative Scotland contrasted favourably with severe arts cuts south of the Border.

Creative Scotland revealed that more than 70 companies, including the CCA in Glasgow, Celtic Connections and the Edinburgh Fringe, would be put on either project funding or annual funding.

The core grant to Creative Scotland from the Scottish Government will drop from £35.5 million to £33.4m by 2014, but Ms Hyslop pointed to a significant rise in Lottery money for the arts in the coming years.

Ms Hyslop said: "[Creative Scotland] are arms-length and I cannot interfere with individual decisions ... but in terms of the cultural situation in Scotland: look down south, and look to the slashing of culture funding which is happening elsewhere.

"We are working very carefully to ensure frontline funding is as protected as it can be."

She added: "It should be remembered that no organisation is getting their funding cut, and in our climate where clearly public finances are limited, it is very re-assuring to know that no organisation is to get their funding cut."