Hansard

I am pleased to close today’s debate, which has been useful and largely consensual, as befits the subject. As Jackson Carlaw said, the Scottish Conservatives welcome the opportunity to commend and pay tribute to all those who help to keep us safe in emergencies. We are indeed fortunate to have such first-class emergency service workers and volunteers in Scotland, and it is right that the Parliament takes time to put on record our gratitude to all those involved in our emergency services, who often risk their lives to save the lives of others.

I associate the Scottish Conservatives with all the comments that have been made about the first-class work of the emergency services during the tragic Glasgow bin lorry crash just before Christmas and the Clutha Vaults bar tragedy last year, and with the tributes that members have paid to all our policemen and women, ambulance crews and fire and rescue service workers.

I am an MSP for the Highlands and Islands, and I want to highlight the work of our dedicated and brilliant RNLI lifeboat crews, as a number of members have done. I have a long family association with the RNLI. My late father, Charles McGrigor, became Scottish convener of the RNLI and travelled to lifeboat stations all over Scotland. It was a huge honour for my family when RNLI representatives played a part in his funeral, wrapping his coffin in a lifeboat flag and providing a detail to carry it to his grave in Dalmally churchyard.

The RNLI’s 47 Scottish stations provide a vital, 24-hours-a-day search and rescue service and help to save the lives of hundreds of people, including fishermen, every year. Tobermory RNLI station, in my region, is one of Scotland’s busiest, along with the Oban station. I pay special tribute to my constituent, Tobermory’s Jane Griffiths, one of the RNLI’s first female coxswains, who has just stepped down after almost 20 years of service. Her commitment and dedication are an example to us all.

Volunteers make up 95 per cent of the charity’s lifeboat crew members and shore crew. We should also record our thanks to the people who raise vital funds for the RNLI and other charities that provide emergency services—the people who run the lifeboat tents at shows all over Scotland and who collect for the lifeboats and other charities on the street in all weathers. We are an island race, surrounded by sea, and the realisation of the perils of the deep is embedded in the bloodstream of our nation.

Another category 1 response group that is of great importance in my region, to residents and visitors, is the mountain rescue team. Scotland has 27 volunteer mountain rescue teams, the majority of which are based in my region. The teams are made up of more than 1,000 volunteers, plus an additional three police teams and an RAF team. They operate effectively and safely 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, in all weather conditions.

Mountain rescue teams help to save the lives of dozens of walkers and climbers. Just last weekend, three people were rescued from the Cairngorms in blizzard conditions in two separate operations by the Cairngorm mountain rescue team. The team’s knowledge and expertise are world class. I commend all those who volunteer with our mountain rescue teams and who fundraise so hard to support them. The Order of St John sponsors our mountain rescue teams and has given wonderful support through the provision of Land Rovers.

I take this opportunity to reinforce the message that our mountain rescue teams consistently seek to put across: more people need to be aware of and prepared for the weather conditions that can be encountered in our hill and mountain ranges. Winter climbing is a rewarding activity for many people and is important to the economy, especially in the Fort William area, but the ferocious and fast-changing weather should never be underestimated. An experienced young mountain climber who narrowly escaped death in the Cairngorms last year after stepping over a blind cornice warned recently:

“You can have all the training and all the kit and skills, but that doesn’t mean you’re prepared to deal with ... the fact that poor visibility could make you that oblivious to what was three feet in front of you.”

He went on to say:

“People just assume that, because it’s in the UK, it must be nice and rambly ... But Scottish mountains can kill you, whether it’s avalanches, or the weather being truly horrendous. It can change very quickly and people don’t realise how hard it can be to get out of it if it happens.”

I put on record my thanks to everyone who is involved in rescues on our freshwater lochs, rivers and inland waters. That is another important service, but it is a bit spasmodic. For example, the Loch Lomond angling association has a rescue boat and Loch Ness is covered by the RNLI, but some of the other freshwater lochs are not covered by any specific bodies. On Loch Awe, where I live, we had the recent tragedy of the four people who were drowned. Since then, a charity called LochWatch Loch Awe has raised enough funds to buy a small boat. It has done well but, unfortunately, I do not think that it will be sustainable unless there is somewhere that will provide some sort of core funding for that operation. Until that happens, I am afraid that some of the bigger freshwater areas in Scotland will be without major cover. I suggest that that needs to be looked at. Local residents deserve praise and support for the actions that they take with regard to freshwater safety, but core funding must be called for in areas where there is none.

I support the amendment in Jackson Carlaw’s name and thank all Scotland’s emergency service workers, whose role is incredibly important to all our constituents.