Meeting of the Parliament 16 June 2011
I agree that it is not purely about TV programming. There are important technological opportunities, which I will come to later in my speech. As well as public service issues, there is a clear link to the economy—there is an economic opportunity for Scotland.
I support the previous Scotland Bill Committee’s calls for a BBC trust member for Scotland. That is logical. Such a member would ensure that Scotland had a strong voice on that trust.
I welcome some of the recent developments relating to the BBC, such as the new headquarters at Pacific Quay, and developments relating to BBC Alba. Ruth Davidson mentioned a 150 per cent increase in programming. It is clearly important that we get to the 8.6 per cent production figure that has been stipulated. The meeting of the interim 7.4 per cent target for Scottish programmes is to be welcomed, but we must be vigilant about quality. It is not just a case of churning out programmes; it is important that we get appropriate Scottish quality.
There is a real opportunity with broadband and technology in general. Things have moved on. Those of us who are old enough to have done so used to watch flickering black-and-white TVs with four buttons that sometimes had to be pressed and held in to get the right picture. Youngsters like my kids now have small devices that generate all sorts of information through social networking, and people can watch TV programmes on them. There has been a big move in technology even in the past 20 years, and it is important that we are able to tap into the benefits of that.
Broadband expansion is one way of doing that. It is important that we be able to expand broadband coverage to all areas of Scotland, but it is not just a matter of covering rural communities. There is a high number of pensioners in my constituency and it is important that we allow pensioners to tap into the technological revolution, because there are great advantages in being able to access entertainment through broadcasting and to communicate with others.
The debate gives an opportunity to present important arguments in support of the Scottish digital channel. It also allows us to highlight the opportunities that are presented by the expansion of broadband and improvements in technology, the knowledge and information that those can give people of all ages and the benefits that they will have for the Scottish economy.
15:40