Hansard

I pay tribute to my colleagues who will not return next session, particularly Oliver Mundell, who has spoken out so well for Dumfriesshire, John Mason and my dear friend Beatrice Wishart, whom I will miss dearly. We need to reflect on the hard work that she did with the cross-party group on brain tumours—what she has achieved in such a short time is remarkable. [Applause.] I also thank my friend and colleague Jamie Halcro Johnston for once again showing his passion for rural Scotland by bringing this debate to the chamber.

Rural Scotland has been asked to do more with less, and that is simply not sustainable. For almost a decade, I have stood in the chamber making the case for rural Scotland, campaigning for a moratorium on inappropriate wind farm developments, defending the local services that our cottage hospitals once provided, leading the call to dual the A75 and working through the cost of living crisis to secure support for rural households and businesses.

Our remote, rural and island communities are central to Scotland’s economy, culture and identity, yet too often they are treated as an afterthought. Nowhere is that shown more starkly than in Galloway and West Dumfries, in a region that is shaped by long distances, dispersed populations and fragile infrastructure. However, distance must not mean disadvantage. It should not mean that a hospital appointment becomes an all-day journey, that expectant mothers face an 80-mile trip to the nearest maternity unit or that access to justice, education and essential services depends on how far someone can drive. However, that is exactly the reality for too many. Centralisation continues to hollow out rural life when a bank closes, when step-down beds vanish or when services are removed to distant hubs. It is not only an inconvenience but costs jobs, weakens high streets and leaves communities feeling forgotten.

Connectivity—physical and digital—remains one of the defining challenges. I have led the campaign to dual the A75 because it is not only a regional road but a national economic artery that links Scotland and England to Northern Ireland and carries nearly £9 billion-worth of freight every year. For too long, it has been neglected, with safety concerns, unreliable journey times and chronic underinvestment that hold the south-west back. The A77 faces similar issues. Warm words will not fix those routes—only investment will.

Public transport cuts are another blow. When rural services disappear, communities are effectively cut off—young people from education and opportunities, older residents from independence and workers from employment.

In 2026, it is indefensible that the flagship reaching 100 per cent—R100—programme has failed so many areas of rural Scotland, which still lack reliable digital connectivity. Without it, businesses cannot expand, people cannot work flexibly and communities cannot compete.

Our rural economy is strong but under huge pressures. I have stood with our farmers as they face rising costs, uncertainty and diminishing support. Those are not just businesses; they are the backbone of our communities, but this week’s rural support plan lets them down yet again by offering year-on-year reductions and asking them to deliver more.

I have also raised the concerns of fishing communities, which are navigating rising costs, complex regulation and deep uncertainty while trying to sustain an industry that is central to our heritage. Bizarrely, some of those efforts on the scallop industry were actively and regrettably scuppered by Emma Harper, who had the chance to vote to make the industry more sustainable.

I put on record my thanks to Mairi Gougeon for her support in developing a new boat-based cockle fishery in my constituency. I mean that from the cockles of my heart. [Laughter.] The initiative could bring tens of millions of pounds into the local economy. Indeed, I thank her for all the work that she has done and for being a friend for 10 years. I remember Mairi from her first few days as a new parliamentarian. I wish her all the best in the future.

Tourism is also a major issue in our region, and high streets in towns such as Stranraer, Dalbeattie and Newton Stewart are battling for survival.

I realise that I am running out of time, Presiding Officer.