The next item of business today is a member's business debate on motion number 11361, in the name of Jamie McGregor, on tackling projected population decline in Argyll and Bute. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put, and I would invite those members who wish to speak in this debate to press the request-to-speak buttons now, or as soon as possible. I would also remind members or invite members who are leaving the chamber to do so quickly and quietly, please. Mr McGregor, seven minutes. Thank you. I thank colleagues for supporting me on this frightening challenge facing Argyll and Bute. There's so much to say in only seven minutes, but it's necessary to grasp the thistle to quote the title of Mr Russell's literary terms and do something now to change this alarming picture. I thank Dick Walsh and Argyll and Bute Council for their briefings. Argyll's people matter and their children matter. That's what worries me. I've had six children in Argyll and Bute, but it's one thing to have them and quite another to keep them there. Argyll was and is a fantastic place to live, but the lack of modernisation of its infrastructure is causing very significant problems now for those who want to make their living there. Last May's NRS projections are that the population of Argyll and Bute will fall by 13.5 per cent over the next 25 years against a 9 per cent rise in the overall Scottish population. Even more concerning, people of working age are projected to fall by 22 per cent by 2037, and that comes on to top of a 3.5 per cent decline between 2001 and 2011, with some islands such as Bute seeing a population decline of more than 10 per cent in that time. Dept of Siding Officer, when you look at the facades of the buildings in Rothsy or Danun or Helensborough, you see the traces of an era of prosperity and enterprise, but these are fading fast. Despite the great efforts of very gifted people like John McCaslan, who has converted the Danun borough hall back to its former glory, and I've seen the decline in population on Loch Oeside where I live and a sharp fall in the number of people employed in the primary industries of forestry and farming. Forestry villages like Eridine and Dallavich were mainly inhabited by forestry employees up until the 1980s, and I've seen a decline in the 1980s. Now all these jobs in those villages are gone, so you have land that was nationalised taken over by government to provide local employment no longer fulfilling that purpose. On the farming front, I personally remember the hard physical work which occupied many young people on the farms all over Argyll, which went hand in glove with the social life which made Argyll living so agreeable. That era has passed. Skills are being lost. Fisheries used to employ so many of the coastal communities. Again, this is in decline. Small villages were proud communities who competed in a friendly manner to have the best schools, shops, post offices and the like. That was the key to happy living. There are still sustainable communities, strong ones. Ard Fern sets an example, but all of us here will recognise the pressures on declining population and an ageing one will place on public services and the local economy. We risk losing the critical mass needed to retain services like rural primary schools, the loss of which will discourage people moving to the area, a vicious cycle which is difficult to escape. The challenge for us is to reverse this population decline and sow the seeds of something different. Increasing economic growth and attracting new business is essential. Government must provide the infrastructure, in particular transport links and digital communication technology. People like to be modern, not to be considered as hillbillies. Since Roman times, areas have been judged by their roads. The future of the A83 trunk road, that key artery into Argyll, which links Can-Dude, Campbell time, must be at the top of the transport list. Many words have been spoken, diversionary routes have been put in place but ask any business in Argyll and Butte and they will ask the Scottish Government for a permanent solution to deal with landslides, a canopy or covered emergency route option is the answer. Frankly, people are frightened to travel that road. Argyll needs a reliable and safe road system, please. That is fundamental, as are reliable and ferry services to Argyll's islands and for those who live and commute from Danone to Glasgow. The Isle of Colonsy suffers from the unfair situation where freight charges are 25% more for a shorter journey than other islands. An unfair playing field. On broadband, too many Argyll communities suffer from slow, unaffordable or non-existent broadband. Improvements must be inclusive. On the islands of Isle and Dura, Beaumont and Port Ellen are to get fibre optics, but while the roads are all being dug up at Argyll and Butte, people there will not benefit. Neither will Brewer Claddock, Port Charlotte, Port Nehaven. They are all being bypassed. It is not good enough for islands which provide a huge boost to our treasury through whisky revenues. Holidaymakers now ask if letterable properties have 4G and 3G, let alone broadband. No broadband can mean no visitors nowadays. Ministers must consider additional funding for HIE to support new business start-ups and attract new companies to Argyll and Butte. And planning relaxations are necessary while housing can be in short supply and business developments are hampered. What's the point of conserving particular features of rural community buildings if the end result is no-one ends up living or working there? And how about local government sponsored cooperative initiatives for businesses to overcome expensive overheads? The expensive overheads involved in individual efforts. The council or HIE could act as a co-ordinator for this. New initiatives between the council and the private sector for land use. What about tax incentives to grow business? Remember what Schedule D did for forestry planting? And finally, connectivity, emphasised by Dick Walsh and the council. The writer, E. M. Forster, writer of five masterpieces, had the motto only connect. That's vital, connection of transport and digital links and connection both physical and mental of people and ideas. Argyll has so many positives. Our wonderful scenery means tourism is a key part of the economy, from Oban's world-class selfish restaurants to our stunning islands to historic sites like Inverary Castle and Mount Stewart and endless fascinating and historic ruins. This can be expanded with better promotion and focus on genealogical and archaeological tourism. We have world-class country sports in Angling. The reintroduction of sporting rates will not help this sector and that should be reconsidered. The food and drink sector, not least Islay's whisky industry, is strong. Look at the telephone and electricity grid on Islay and Dura if you want to see something that needs improving. Incentives for farmers to actually grow something other than just silage would be good, good for biodiversity too, especially the bird love of Argyll in Bute, which is still an ornithologist's dream. The Scottish Association for Marine Science has done staff needs, has modernised and the new European Marine Science Park is a great addition. Argyll has great potential, but I am running out of time, so to conclude, Presiding Officer, I am looking for commitment from the Scottish Government that it will treat tackling Argyll in Bute's projected population, a depopulation, as a priority within their policies because Argyll, or in Gallic, Argyll, the coast of the Gales is a land of mystery and history, a vital and integral area of Scotland where the blood and the beauty lie strong. There's a gypsy traveller saying that they would not swap one square foot of Argyll for the whole of Perthshire and the Kingdom of Fife. There will be those in this chamber who may disagree, but nonetheless Argyll is the enduring heartland. Many thanks. I now call on Mike Russell to be followed by David Stewart. Four minutes or thereby please. Thank you very much Presiding Officer and I congratulate Jamie McGregor on securing this debate and on the poetry of his conclusion. The whilst I would not necessarily sign on to promote Argyll in Bute by means of criticising other areas, it is a most wonderful and remarkable place and I'm very proud to be its member of the Scottish Parliament. It's a measure of the seriousness of this problem that the party politics have been put aside by most of us to debate and discuss this, so it is rather strange that no Liberal Democrats in the chamber, considering that they have the MP for Argyll in Bute, and indeed they are increasingly driving the policies of the council, mostly in the wrong direction. The population summit that the council held earlier this year was something of a damp squib. The meeting was cancelled, rearranged, cancelled, rearranged, and when it took place it came up with a little, apart from a recommendation that it should be something which is called a sustainable task force. It hasn't even met yet. There have been two council papers, but Argyll and Bute council is at the heart of this problem and it should be much more active than it is in promoting change and growth, but there are roles, of course, for others and Jamie McGregor is right to talk about that. I was at a meeting last week of the E83 task force held in Aracar where there was a commitment by the Scottish Government to the principle of continuous access. In other words, there does need to be a permanent solution to the problem that exists on the E83 and the Scottish Government knows it and is working on it. The Scottish Government is also very heavily invested in the infrastructure of Argyll and Bute. Not only has there been substantial expenditure on the E83, but the broadband project that is going forward in the Highlands and Islands is the largest in Europe. There were 25 submarine cables laid last summer. The majority of those were ended in or started in or both are Argyll and Bute. There is a massive programme of investment, but it needs to be matched by the actions of the local authority and by some private enterprise too. The mobile phone companies are very remiss in their lack of investment in Argyll and Bute. It has the worst mobile phone service in Scotland and, indeed, there are regular outages that the companies seem incapable of dealing with. I apologise, Presiding Officer. Oben was without a Vodafone signal for nine days at the start of this year. Vodafone has also failed to provide a signal in Lochgylpedd, Ila and in other places on a regular basis, and EE and O2 are not much better. I want today, Presiding Officer, to put forward three ideas that I put to the council leader Dick Walsh for his population summit. I wrote to him about them and had a five-page rebuttal. I want to start again and to see if they will listen to some of the things that need to be done. The very start is to listen to what the community is saying. On Saturday, I attended the march and rally in support of the castle towered buy-out. The community in Castle Towered has received £750,000 in the Scottish Land Fund. It is very keen to purchase the castle and to make sure that 100 jobs are created. For some reason, best known to themselves, the council are resistant to that change. I appeal to the meeting at this late stage on a day when they have a motion in front of them asking to continue the issue for another month that they do that and enter into serious negotiation. There are three constructive things that could be done. First, there needs to be a focus on the problem with an entrepreneurial and adventurous approach. That has got to be a priority. There needs to be urgency and intelligence in devising solutions. Secondly, the council must work with others to do that. It needs a small, flexible group of people that is looking at lots of different ideas. There is no silver bullet in that. However, it should put together that group, not some massive process-driven task force that will simply take minutes. What it needs is a small group of people working together, elected representatives and others, who can bring forward ideas. For example, one idea that I am conscious of at the time that is already on the table is to talk to those who come and take holiday cottages because some of those may wish to stay. Very simple information that is provided to them will help. Thirdly, that policy has to be driven at the heart of everything that the council does. It is no use closing schools or making planning much more difficult. What you need to do is to have every policy focused on population growth. Finally, we need innovation and ideas. In the 19th century, in fact in 1868, there was the first proposal for a real way that would connect Ireland to Scotland. It was to go from Torhead to the Mall of Kentire. That is a big project that I am not asking the minister to commit to it today. I am glad to see David Mackenzie here in the gallery. He has been working very hard with myself and others on ideas for a fixed link to Cowell, something that would be affordable and we could invest in, which would generate new business and new population within part of our guile that should grow outwards. We need big thinking. HIE proposed last year a new road from Danun to Lochgyllpedd. Let's look at capital investment, let's look at work, but, above all, the council has to get active, because presently it is passive and process-driven, and that is not good enough. Many thanks. Now, Colin, David Stewart, to be followed by Mike Mackenzie. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and could I first congratulate Jamie McGregor on securing this afternoon's debate. The member spoke passionately about population decline in Galen buton. I must say that his speech was very thoughtful and very colourful. Skills Development Scotland, in its recent document, the Skills Investment Plan for the Hands and Islands, argues that the biggest challenge for the region was the retention and attraction of working-age people, and where there has been strong population growth, this, of course, has been driven by immigration, typically of older people. Of course, the beauty of a Galen buton has made it a very desirable area to tyron, albeit it also has attracted many highlanders from all over the world to return to their place of birth. However, a Galen buton has an older age profile and is the deficit of school people of working-age, particularly in the 15 to 39 age group. So what can we do to address the population decline? I would certainly endorse the comments made by the two previous speakers in terms of the way forward. I believe that education is a very powerful tool in the army, and, of course, the University of Hands and Islands has received support from successive Scottish Governments and from all parties in the chamber. I think that I could put the record of the support that Mike Russell gave to UHI when he was the Cabinet Secretary for Education, which is very greatly supported. There are now around 90,300 students taking HEC qualifications across the region, including in the Galen buton. I believe that, Presiding Officer, as the university matures develops and broadens its range of academic courses, this will decelerate outmigration, encourage more people, and students of all ages to study, train and work within a Galen buton. Of course, we have to develop the niche. For example, the great work that is being done by SAMS in the marine is a good example of how you develop the niche to reflect the needs of the local area. The key in my belief is that we need to align academic experience learning and training provision with the current and future needs of employers. For example, the provision of modern apprenticeships in energy, engineering, food and drink. We have to be realistic that regions in Scotland are effectively in competition with each other as far as industry and urban migration is concerned. If the aim is to target those of working age, we need to the question of how competitive is Highlands and Islands as a region and a Galen buton specifically around ensuring, and some members have already touched on this, ensuring adequate affordable housing, ensuring integration of transport, looking at broadband speed, and the point that Mike Russell made about the quality of mobile phone infrastructure. Of course, employers will play a very key role. I believe that it is really important that they are not just passive observers, but that they are key partners with Skills Development Scotland and others in making sure that they prepare a skills plan based on not just on current but in future needs. I also believe that structural funds will play a very important part in providing both infrastructure and helping with social skills in training. Finally, of course we all know this point but it is worth stating this, that depopulation and economic activity are inversely related. For example, if you take the last figures that I could find in 2012, in Galen buton had an employment rate was below the hands and islands average. Again, in the same year, the unemployment rate was above the average and the economic activity rate was also above the hands and islands average. That is the task. Again, looking at population change, if you just take the figures from 2011 and the change from 2001, a Galen buton lost 3.4 per cent. That is the largest area of population decline in the region. I also had the lowest employment rate of young people and the largest economic inactivity rate of young people in fact higher than the Scottish average. That may be the facts in the past but I believe that we have got to be positive for the future. In conclusion, of course we have got beautiful landscape and breathtaking scenery of our Galen buton. That does not by itself put food on the table and clothes on the backs of children. The key goals must be to address the population decline is to stimulate and grow the economy, target the retention and attraction of young people. I believe that UHI is an impressive and dynamic institution and in conjunction with Schools Development Scotland employers will give young people and incoming students the tools to serve the local community. I believe that the area is open for business and I convinced that with UHI and as UHI grows and develops and we remedy the infrastructure headaches that population decline and economic inactivity will reverse. Thanks again to Jamie Greger for his initiative taking forward this debate. Many thanks. I now call Mike Mackenzie after which we move to closing speech from the minister. I must congratulate Jamie Greger for securing this debate and I agree with a lot of but maybe not absolutely everything that he says because population loss is the most significant and profound issue facing our Galen buton and it's one of the few parts of Scotland now facing population decline and it's the only part of the Highlands and Islands facing population decline and we know this population loss has been experienced mainly by the more rural and the peripheral communities and many of these communities after years of progressive decline are reaching their tipping point where they will plunge into complete unsustainability. Good evidence for this became apparent in 2010 when the council then proposed closing 26 primary schools one third of their school estate and this was our reaction to following school roles but the effect of closing these schools would have been to hammer the final nails into the coffins of communities that were beginning to die and thankfully parents and politicians fought a determined and vigorous campaign and succeeded in halting these proposals and I must pay a tribute to my colleague Michael Russell in providing leadership and energy in that campaign which was ultimately successful and our Galen buton council should have realised at the outset that the school's issue was a symptom of a deeper malaise but it was not really until the publication of the 2011 census that they began to become aware of population loss and this was hammered home as their budget settlement began to decline along with the following population because as we know the GAAE formula is a population based formula and the response of our Galen buton council so far has been to organise the population summit that Michael Russell touched on which was held finally a few weeks ago and this in itself was an admission that they don't know how to remedy the problem but even now I'm unconvinced that they're willing to acknowledge that they in part are at least responsible for this problem and today I'm unaware of any credible policy response to tackle the problem and it's a problem that I've described for many years of witnessing the sad decline as the dead hand of our Galen buton council the council of course are quick to deny this and defend their position the point to a number of other challenges beyond their control the credit crunch, the ensuing recession, poor connectivity but they fail to recognise that these challenges affect all other parts of the Highlands and Islands and in some cases more profoundly than our Galen buton so removing all these other reasons leads to the only possible conclusion that's the policies and the practice of the local authority that are responsible for the sad demise of our Galen buton but the patient continues to deny that it has any disease and it refuses to take any medicine and the culture and the upper echelons of our Galen buton council is of an organisation that exercises power by saying no saying no to the aspirations of individuals saying no to the aspirations of businesses and social enterprises and saying no to the aspirations of communities that are unable to fulfil their reasonable aspirations they go elsewhere Presiding Officer it's as simple as that Many thanks and I now move to the minister for the closing speech on behalf of the Government Mr Biacchi you have seven minutes or thereby please Thank you Presiding Officer and I just want to recognise Jamie McGregor for bringing this motion here it does stem from the work of a community planning partnership that has been described and I would just like to take a moment to recognise a community planning partnership with my community empowerment hat on is something that is uniquely placed to provide a forum for all the public bodies that have an input on this to work together The Deputy First Minister, Finance Secretary at the time was very pleased to contribute to that summit speaking taking questions on how the Government can support the work and population decline doesn't come under any one authority or agency's remit, it can only be dealt with by partnership and at a time when improvements to the work of CPPs have been coming forward from Audit Scotland and when we are updating their role and function in the community empowerment bill this shows an example of the sort of cross cutting issue they are the right forum in which to tackle and looking at the demographics you can clearly see the population challenges that are being faced by a dispersed, gradually declining population The picture is more mixed than might at first be obvious and that's not to take away from the direction and the challenge that there is but to see in it the seeds of how we can perhaps as a country and as local agencies attract people In the 10 years to 2013 more people actually moved in to Argyllyn Bute than moved out the population decline was brought about by deaths outnumbering births and in the last two years Argyllyn Bute had a net loss of people through outmigration in the 16 to 29 age group that I was sure pointed out but had a net gain in all the other working age age groups running from 30 to 65 making any place a sustainable, a vibrant community depends on a whole set of factors coming together and that's as valid for a village as a county indeed as a country I would say that recognising the thrust of where everyone is coming from the issue of opportunities for work which from government means putting in place the right economic support, the right infrastructure opportunities for a fulfilling life more broadly which from government means the schools, the health facilities the places where communities can come together and a physical environment that's conducive to all of that I have to say in that regard Argyllyn Bute, Argyllyn Alps, Iona, Cowell it doesn't need much help from the government to be an inspiring and beautiful frankly place to choose to live on the other two though there is a lot we can do and are doing and the programme for government sets out a range of measures which are very relevant to Argyllyn Bute and will help tackle inequality and ensure the region flourishes transport links have been talked about extensively 14.2 million is going to improve the A82 at Pulpott Rock in Cree and Larich we've already improved the A83 9 million pounds at the rest and be thankful further works at Glen, Kinglas and elsewhere and the task force which has already been mentioned is addressing the problem of continuous access which all would recognise and all would want to see brought in we're also importantly rolling out road equivalent tariff to further boost connectivity but connectivity these days isn't just about moving vehicles it is also about internet connections which have been raised yes of course it is vitally important in Argyllyn Bute to mention every part that's affected I'm sure he will want to recognise it RET in its final rollout will also go to the island of Mull which also needs it very badly yes indeed we have a full rollout in effect from October and the nature of Argyllyn Bute is that sometimes I find when I have the list I have so many names that I would spend the whole course of my time going through the entire list is not to leave anywhere out but simply to say that Argyllyn Bute is such a diverse set of communities that all will benefit and on that I have for example a list of 15 no 17 places that are benefiting from community broadband which I will not occupy my time with reading out but simply say that that support is there for those that are not being reached by the mainstream project which has been referred to already as being the largest such project in Europe let me be very clear 800 kilometres of new fibre on land 400 kilometres of subsea cables this is vast and importantly the programme of extending broadband infrastructure will cover 85 per cent of premises whereas wholly commercial development without government intervention would only have reached 28 per cent that margin is the margin that is being brought about because of our government intervention yes I thank the minister for taking intervention on that and whilst I agree that this big project is very welcome would you agree with me that the areas that are left out are left at a very considerable disadvantage especially in the tourism market and that those areas that are connected have an enormous advantage and it's very difficult for some businesses minister I'll certainly agree that it's very important for any business to be able to connect and we do have as I referred to before Community Broadband Scotland which is targeting the work for community broadband solutions that will affect communities, localities that will bring that benefit to those that will not receive the benefit from the mainstream roll-out that is our way of ensuring that broadband and proper quality in the kind that is demanded by these communities can reach every possible corner of Scotland of Argyll and Bute and that's not the only thing vital for the economy you know there's regeneration going on the regeneration capital grant fund to improve Dunun pier, tax increment financing will be north pier the people in communities fund is supporting people across the region empowering communities fund which will be shortly being detailed by the government will undoubtedly offer more opportunities the small business bonus scheme in Argyll and Bute is helping a tremendous proportion more than half of all business properties are now paying zero or reduced business rates one of the higher in the country and the community empowerment bill trying to put through Parliament will allow the local council to adopt local business rate schemes as well to further build on that something that will help local authorities tackle areas that need additional business rate support Highlands and Islands Enterprise has in the first three quarters of 2014-15 created retained 97 FTE jobs a £5 million increase in business turnover we have the European Marine Science Park we have the Scottish Power Renewables Investments in the Sound of Islay there are all kinds of business projects going in but perhaps what we do need is that overarching strategy everybody continuing to come together and recognising those challenges the need for effective partnership Argyll and Bute Council is setting up an economic forum due to meet next month there's a tourism summit on 17 March and I myself will be going to visit Argyll and Bute very soon there I will be discussing how we can further boost the economy how we can keep working together how we can ensure the whole region flourishes and I will be sure to raise there all the important issues that have been aired in today's debate many thanks minister many thanks to you all I now suspend this meeting of Parliament until 2.30 this afternoon