BBC Director General Lord Tony Hall said at a Scottish Parliament committee last week that “now is the time to make a change” to the BBC in Scotland. I completely agree.

It’s time for BBC Scotland to be empowered and resourced to be more bold and creative for Scotland.

We’ve set out an ambitious potential future for the broadcaster – a new TV channel, an additional radio station, and a federal structure that would give BBC Scotland full control over commissioning and editorial decisions and how to spend the £323 million raised by Scottish licence-fee payers.

Full control over commissioning and editorial decisions would have an enormously positive impact. It would enable BBC Scotland to take a long-term, strategic approach to delivering sustainable, high quality programming that benefits audiences, the global market and the creative sector.

Under questioning last week from Stewart Maxwell MSP, convener of the Education and Culture Committee, BBC Scotland’s Director Ken McQuarrie confirmed that similar proposals had been put forward within the BBC, among other options.

While there are those in Westminster who may want to abolish publicly-funded public sector broadcasting, by contrast the Scottish Government is committed to continuing to work positively with the BBC and our stakeholders to protect the corporation’s future.

The kind of change we are seeking in Scotland would strengthen the BBC, not diminish it.

I welcome Lord Hall’s recognition that more needs to be done in Scotland - not only with regards to commissioning and the BBC’s contribution to the long term sustainability of our creative sector, but in the way the corporation represents Scotland to itself, and the wider world.

But there is much the BBC could do now, outwith the Charter process, to meet the needs, views and ambition of the people of Scotland.

Scotland needs new platforms for our producers to showcase their talent and creativity. I want to see the investment that would be associated with a new TV channel and radio station help deliver this.

Lord Hall said at the committee that “…building an online channel is important.” The BBC has to set out what investment in production would come from creating a new online TV channel for Scotland.

New BBC commitments to improve Scottish news coverage and provide a ‘nations front page’ online and on the i-player are welcome, if overdue, developments – but we need clarity on what autonomy and funding BBC Scotland will have to invest in high quality, creative content for the new online TV channel indicated by Lord Hall.

The BBC has made no real commitment to transferring decision-making powers to Scotland. Meaningful change will not happen without such a commitment, so I will continue to press for a federalised, or at least decentralised, model with the decision-making power over a fairer share of licence fee sitting emphatically in Scotland.

Prior to last week’s committee, some media suggested we had underestimated the BBC’s spend on new TV content produced in Scotland for Scottish viewers – so I was pleased that the BBC’s Managing Director for Finance and Operations, Ann Bulford, took the opportunity to set the record straight on Tuesday, confirming that there was only a £35 million cash spend on “above the line” original TV content for Scotland.

I welcome the increasing clarity we are getting on the figures involved, and the BBC’s commitment to work to improve their statistics on expenditure in Scotland to improve transparency.

Scotland’s creative sector has engaged with us willingly and positively to consider the opportunity of BBC Charter renewal because they recognise the impact that a different way of working would have on Scotland - economically, democratically, socially and culturally.

I have welcomed the reasoned, detailed and passionate debate and discussion that has taken place during our stakeholder events and regular conversations and I believe that we are beginning to settle on a genuine consensus as to what a final `Scottish ask` might look like.

The Scottish Parliament will consider this issue in further detail next month and I look forward to representing the conviction, ambition and commitment of Scotland when I enter into the next stage of this process and negotiate our position with the Secretary of State, John Whittingdale.

I believe public service broadcasting plays a key role in the cultural, democratic, social and economic life of our nation.

I want to see a BBC Scotland that is independent from Government, and is empowered and resourced to work for the people who fund it and who want to see their skills, their talent, their lives and their world, in all its diversity, reflected back at them and beyond.