Meeting of the Parliament 16 June 2015
I was trying to forget them, but Mr McArthur has just made that slightly more difficult.
To be fair, this has been an informative, informed, useful and valuable debate on a relatively new area of activity. I am delighted that many members from all parties have paid tribute to the work that Stuart McMillan has led. He has gone beyond the call of duty as the convener of the cross-party group on recreational boating and marine tourism, into which he has put his whole heart and soul. I am delighted that so many members have paid tribute to his work.
I think that there were three calls for additional money, but I am afraid that I will accede to none of them on the spot. However, I will certainly come back to members, provided that they are willing to drop me a note and give a little bit more detail, as they did not have time to develop their points.
Liam McArthur talked about hyperbaric centres and coaches. The coaches issue is a serious one that I am very well aware of.
Angus MacDonald talked about canal dredging. I certainly was not aware that that is a problem that deters Swedes from coming to Scotland, but we learn something new every day.
I think that Jamie McGrigor made a point about additional moorings.
We will check the Official Report to see whether I miss any points, but I want to refer to some of the speeches and respond to specific questions that were asked.
Lewis Macdonald raised the concerns of fishermen on the west coast. Although that topic is perhaps not directly relevant to the debate, it is nonetheless an extremely serious one. I know it well from the days when I represented Lochaber and regularly engaged with the Mallaig and North West Fishermen’s Association and with representatives from the Clyde and indeed the Hebrides. I know that Richard Lochhead will continue to engage appropriately with all those representatives on what is a very serious matter.
Stuart McMillan mentioned the campaign for the QE2. I think that Inverclyde Council has written to me about that. We need to establish whether the vessel is for sale before any consideration is give to purchase. Members can call me a lawyer, but that seems an important piece of research. However, he was right to raise what would plainly be an iconic attraction for Scotland. The royal yacht Britannia on the east coast provides that role, so the QE2 would be appropriate on the west coast. I am sure that we will look into that sympathetically.
Jamie McGrigor quite fairly raised the question of costs, including the costs of the Crown estate post devolution. I am aware of the publicity, which I have seen and followed. To be fair, the strategy says that our ambition is to provide an excellent marine tourism destination, with value for money being applied. I know that Richard Lochhead wrote to Mr McGrigor in February, saying:
“It is important that the arrangements for the transfer of the Crown Estate retain key staff expertise and do not affect investor confidence.”
I hope that those comments provide Mr McGrigor with a measure of assurance.
I am delighted to inform Richard Baker that Glasgow Caledonian University is the Scottish partner for the cool route initiative. Blue Sea Marinas, which is based in Greenock, is also involved.
In response to Stuart McMillan, I say that I have never met a more enthusiastic cadre of people who welcome visitors to Scotland than the volunteers who work at Greenock Ocean Terminal. They are excellent.
Annabel Goldie has raised that issue previously. I would be happy to take the intervention that—although she did not expect to—she is going to make. [Interruption.]