Hansard

The Convener: Lab

Our next petition, PE850, is by Andrew Wood, on behalf of supporters of the south of Scotland alliance. The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge...

Andrew Wood (South of Scotland Alliance):

Thank you for allowing me to make a presentation. The supporters of the south of Scotland alliance work in the Cairndale group, whose remit is for rural deve...

The Convener: Lab

Thank you.

Ms White: SNP

Good morning, Andrew. I declare an interest, because I know Andrew Wood. I did not even know what NUTS stood for until I read it in the committee papers: it ...

Andrew Wood:

I confess that I do not have that information at hand, but other regions in the EU have been reclassified and have managed to secure extra support. I underst...

Ms White: SNP

Perhaps if we write to someone we can find out which other regions with a similar population qualify for NUTS II.How tight is the timescale? Is the date immi...

Andrew Wood:

It is not imminent, but frankly we will have to act very quickly because, as we all know, politics is a very slow moving process. We have approximately a yea...

Jackie Baillie: Lab

Minimum and maximum population numbers, which are set down in regulations, would ordinarily rule out the south of Scotland, but I accept that that is not a s...

Andrew Wood:

I am led to believe that it would have no impact because the areas that we are talking about taking out are already in a lower classification. A reclassifica...

Jackie Baillie: Lab

I, too, have a timescale question. I hear what my colleague Sandra White has said, but I do not think that it gets to the nub of the issue. My understanding ...

Andrew Wood:

Indeed. That is why we have to act as quickly as possible. I hear what you are saying about 2007 and 2008, but we do not want to act too late.

Jackie Baillie: Lab

I shall clarify what I was saying. I think that this is the showstopper in your petition: irrespective of what we do, the regulations do not come into force ...

Andrew Wood:

No. I am not suggesting that you are wrong; all I am suggesting is that if we do not act, we do not know what we are going to get. I hear what you are saying...

Jackie Baillie: Lab

For 2014?

Andrew Wood:

Basically, if it is not achievable in the current timescale.

Mike Watson: Ind

My reading of the letter from Günther Hanreich of Eurostat backs up what Jackie Baillie just said. You said that if nothing can be done in time for the comin...

Andrew Wood:

I do not have an answer for you at this stage.

Mike Watson: Ind

The information that we have is from our clerks, who are ultra-reliable. Given what the regulations state, it seems that the population issue to which Herr H...

Andrew Wood:

Yes.

Mike Watson: Ind

I can see from the map how far south South Ayrshire stretches; it must be part of the south of Scotland. I wonder whether simply adopting two local authority...

Andrew Wood:

To return to your figures, I was led to believe that the 800,000 figure was not set in stone; it can be varied depending on the area.

Mike Watson: Ind

There would have to be a big variant, would there not? There would have to be a complete departure from that principle.

Andrew Wood:

Even at present we are not sitting anywhere near 800,000.

Mike Watson: Ind

I accept that. The current NUTS II area must have a population of more than 800,000.

Andrew Wood:

Not at present. Not as far as I am aware. I think that we are still short.

Mike Watson: Ind

I am going by the map that we have here. The NUTS II areas of south-west Scotland seem to me—although it is difficult to be precise—to include Glasgow. Glasg...

Andrew Wood:

I apologise; I did not realise that the area took in the whole of Glasgow.

John Scott: Con

I, too, am trying to understand the areas that we are talking about. For example, I have a specific interest in South Ayrshire, but does that area come under...

Andrew Wood:

Yes.

John Scott: Con

It is therefore regarded as an area of even greater deprivation. Is that what NUTS III means?