Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 28 January 2021
We recognise the acute impact that has been felt by our rural communities, whether they are in Emma Harper’s constituency or in the Highlands and Islands.
I mentioned the doubling of the rural tourism infrastructure fund, which is something that I am particularly proud of, having seen the benefit that it has delivered in rural communities. However, across the rural economy, we have increased funding for forestry, for the enterprise agencies, for tourism and for food and drink, and we have ensured that there is additional Covid funding to support businesses in those areas, responding in particular to some of the tourism task force’s recommendations.
One challenge is that the replacement for European Union funding from the UK Government has fallen short. We continue to press the UK Government for more clarity on future funding for our farming and our fishing communities.