Chamber
Plenary, 21 Mar 2007
21 Mar 2007 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Cairngorms National Park Boundary Bill: Stage 1
John Swinney's member's bill is about righting a wrong. In that, it is fairly unusual. In my experience, much of the legislation that is passed by the Parliament has little to do with right and wrong and a lot to do with politics. However, here we have a bill that is approved of by virtually everybody who gave evidence to the Environment and Rural Development Committee.
John Swinney's bill proposes restoring the Cairngorms national park to the boundary that was originally recommended by SNH, by including Blair Atholl and parts of eastern Perthshire. As we all heard from Alex Fergusson, that was also the boundary that the Rural Development Committee unanimously recommended in 2002.
Alas, politics are never far away. How else are we to explain the fact that, although all members of the 2002 Rural Development Committee—including Labour members Alasdair Morrison and Elaine Smith, who are not here but for whom I have some regard—voted for the SNH boundary that included Blair Atholl, five years later members changed their minds and voted against it during stage 1 consideration in committee?
There is also the remarkable case of Nora Radcliffe, who has form as a caring and conscientious member. Few who heard it will forget her impassioned plea on behalf of lobsters during the passage of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Bill, when she argued that it was more humane to kill them by stabbing them between the eyes than by boiling them to death. However, when the vote came, she decided to boil them after all.
What does that have to do with the Cairngorms national park? Here is what Nora Radcliffe said about the park in John Swinney's members' debate on Wednesday 20 April 2005:
"I agree with every word of John Swinney's motion and I hope that the Scottish Executive will move at the first sensible opportunity"—
I ask members to note that phrase—
"to review the boundary and to adopt the one that was extensively consulted on and that won a high degree of consensus."—[Official Report, 20 April 2005; c 16218.]
So what does she do in committee when the first sensible opportunity to right the wrong comes along? Surprise, surprise, she votes to kick the bill into the long grass.
John Swinney's bill proposes restoring the Cairngorms national park to the boundary that was originally recommended by SNH, by including Blair Atholl and parts of eastern Perthshire. As we all heard from Alex Fergusson, that was also the boundary that the Rural Development Committee unanimously recommended in 2002.
Alas, politics are never far away. How else are we to explain the fact that, although all members of the 2002 Rural Development Committee—including Labour members Alasdair Morrison and Elaine Smith, who are not here but for whom I have some regard—voted for the SNH boundary that included Blair Atholl, five years later members changed their minds and voted against it during stage 1 consideration in committee?
There is also the remarkable case of Nora Radcliffe, who has form as a caring and conscientious member. Few who heard it will forget her impassioned plea on behalf of lobsters during the passage of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Bill, when she argued that it was more humane to kill them by stabbing them between the eyes than by boiling them to death. However, when the vote came, she decided to boil them after all.
What does that have to do with the Cairngorms national park? Here is what Nora Radcliffe said about the park in John Swinney's members' debate on Wednesday 20 April 2005:
"I agree with every word of John Swinney's motion and I hope that the Scottish Executive will move at the first sensible opportunity"—
I ask members to note that phrase—
"to review the boundary and to adopt the one that was extensively consulted on and that won a high degree of consensus."—[Official Report, 20 April 2005; c 16218.]
So what does she do in committee when the first sensible opportunity to right the wrong comes along? Surprise, surprise, she votes to kick the bill into the long grass.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Murray Tosh):
Con
The next item of business is a debate on motion S2M-5758, in the name of John Swinney, that the Parliament agrees to the general principles of the Cairngorms...
Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP):
SNP
I thank the Environment and Rural Development Committee for the consideration that it has given the bill and for hosting an evidence session in my constituen...
Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD):
LD
I am one of the members to whom John Swinney referred. I felt that the boundaries should not have excluded highland Perthshire and that to do so was wrong. I...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
I understand the dilemma that faces members when they deal with designation orders that are not well defined or well argued for, as with the order for the Ca...
Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con):
Con
As the convener of the Rural Development Committee in those days, I put it on record that although the committee was in a huge dilemma, as Mike Rumbles said,...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
I am grateful to Mr Fergusson for that remark and for the way in which he has pursued the issue assiduously and supported efforts to remedy the situation ove...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
Would Mr Swinney, as the SNP's finance spokesman, like to reflect on the value for money of the committee's decision? Parliament has spent a lot of time and ...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
Mr Fraser makes a reasonable point. Not only will the consultation have to be done again, but if we agree to extend the boundaries, that might involve reloca...
Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I thank the committee's clerks for their invaluable support and I thank all those who supplied written and oral evidence. In particular, I thank the people o...
The Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Sarah Boyack):
Lab
Since giving evidence to the Environment and Rural Development Committee, I have had exchanges with the committee and with John Swinney on the detail of his ...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
Will the minister give way?
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
No. I am in my first minute, so I ask John Swinney to let me get going.In my evidence to the committee, I was absolutely clear about three things. First, I w...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
The minister has talked about affordable housing and the need to guarantee environmental protection for all the areas in the Cairngorms national park, which ...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
I am happy to address that full on. This morning, I met the chair of the Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce—which, incidentally, did not exist when we started di...
Mike Rumbles:
LD
As the minister will be aware, I represent West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, which is on the other side of the boundary from the area that John Swinney repr...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
Let me be absolutely clear: as part of its considerations, evidence was presented to the Environment and Rural Development Committee specifically on business...
Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP):
SNP
I begin by congratulating John Swinney, the local constituency member, for doggedly pursuing the campaign since 2003. I also pay tribute to his campaigning c...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
As a point of accuracy, the serious concerns that are being raised are about changing the boundaries at this time. That is the key issue about which there ar...
Richard Lochhead:
SNP
I am pointing out to the minister the extent to which representations are being made, given that two of the constituency members who have spoken in the debat...
Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
John Swinney's member's bill is about righting a wrong. In that, it is fairly unusual. In my experience, much of the legislation that is passed by the Parlia...
Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab):
Lab
Does Ted Brocklebank understand that someone who arrived from planet Mars might wonder whether he is debating the merits of Nora Radcliffe or of the bill?
Mr Brocklebank:
Con
I am not sure what that intervention meant, but it might have made more sense if Nora Radcliffe or the other members whom I have mentioned were here to respo...
Mike Rumbles:
LD
Excuse me. The Lib Dems are not hell-bent on kicking out John Swinney's bill. I shall certainly support it at decision time.
Mr Brocklebank:
Con
I thank Mr Rumbles for keeping me right, but I am still not sure that the minister has given an adequate answer as to why the Executive as a whole appears to...
Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD):
LD
I am an assiduous watcher of "Yes, Minister" DVDs. Unfortunately, today I am in the position of the Sir Humphrey brigade, who often say, "Yes, of course I su...
Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green):
Green
I, too, remember the excellent work of the Rural Development Committee in the first session of the Scottish Parliament. At the time, I was not a member of th...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP):
SNP
A substantial part of the Cairngorms national park lies in my constituency and in that of Mike Rumbles. From the south at Dalwhinnie to the north at Cromdale...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
It would be helpful if I clarified two points. First, the challenge is not the number of people in settlements—although I was concerned about their being exc...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
I do not accept that that work would in any way be disrupted. Why should it? It would simply be supplemented in respect of an area with very few people and o...
Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I start by declaring an interest, as I did during the committee's consideration of the bill. I am a former member of the Cairngorms working party and was br...