Hansard

I am sure that some members, when they were recovering from their mince pies and turkey, might have settled down at Christmas time to watch "The Great Escape"—again. If they did, they might remember the seminal scene in which wee Archie Ives, the Scottish flight officer, is stuck in the cooler with the American army captain played by Steve McQueen. The two reflect on their pre-war lives and wee Archie reveals that when he was back in Scotland he was a jockey. He utters the immortal words:

"These were the days. Aye—some of those Saturday nights in towns like Musselburgh and Hamilton."

I am not sure what Steve McQueen made of that, but I note that Scottish horse racing clearly established its place in Hollywood history. I hope that today, in this first ever debate on horse racing in the Scottish Parliament, we can establish the rightful place of Scottish horse racing in Holyrood's history. Westminster also discussed horse racing today; I hope that we can build on that synergy between the two Parliaments.

Scottish horse racing is a great industry and a great sport and it deserves our attention and support.

Horse racing has come a long way from its genesis as the sport of kings, there simply to entertain the aristocracy. However, it is not, as is sometimes thought, the preserve of the so-called serious punter. Racing is now the third-biggest sport in Scotland. People who go to racing come from all walks of life. Some of them are avid followers of fixtures, form and the Racing Post. Others—I readily confess to being in this second category—simply have an occasional flutter or go to the racing because they recognise that it is a great day out. More than 250,000 people went to racing in Scotland last year, which is a record. It is worth noting that, although attendance at racing has grown throughout the United Kingdom in recent years, its growth in Scotland has outstripped that in other parts of the UK. In short, Scottish horse racing is thriving.

Each of the five Scottish racecourses—Ayr, Hamilton park, Kelso, Musselburgh and Perth—is on the up, and we must build on that. Improvements constantly take place. More than £8 million has been invested in facilities at Scottish racecourses over the past few years, and there are more plans for development investment in the pipeline. I have seen at first hand the transformation that has taken place at Musselburgh racecourse over the last decade. The course has gone from being a pretty run-down home for occasional fixtures to a stylish, vibrant facility. It now hosts two dozen fixtures each year; it attracts more than 60,000 visitors; and it is worth around £3 million to the local economy.

It was not so long ago that the course was attended by a relatively small band of committed racegoers, who could get little more than a pie and a pint from a pretty unappealing watering hole there. Now, the course has high-quality bars, restaurants and conference facilities. It plays host to a range of corporate hospitality and corporate sponsorship packages. On family days, bouncy castles and sideshows are the norm. I pay tribute to all who have contributed to the success of Musselburgh racecourse, in particular East Lothian Council. I recognise that the other four Scottish racecourses have great stories to tell, too, and I look forward to hearing some of those from colleagues.

It is not just those who go to the races who reap the benefits of racing's success. Scottish horse racing is a major contributor to the economy and to tourism. A report on the economic impact of Scottish horse racing, commissioned by Scottish Racing and representing the five Scottish racecourses, was published in 2002 with Scottish Enterprise's support. It found that the five Scottish racecourses contribute £125 million a year to their local economies, and that the industry employs around 1,700 full-time-equivalent jobs. I must stress that those figures exclude the betting industry.

Race meetings generate huge benefits for local areas. Jockeys, trainers, owners, stable staff and racegoers account for tens of thousands of bed nights in hotels and bed and breakfasts. Millions of pounds are spent in the local shops and restaurants, in taxis and in so many other places besides. It is estimated that around 10 per cent of all those who attend race meetings come from outwith Scotland, which shows how widespread horse racing's tourism benefits are.

Successful though it has been, there is still a great deal more that can be done to build on the success of Scottish horse racing. That must be one of the key messages from tonight's debate. The time is now right for all those with an interest in Scottish horse racing to pull together to exploit its full potential. Bodies such as Scottish Enterprise, VisitScotland and sportscotland, as well as the Executive, have a key role to play, as do local authorities and the various local economic development and tourism networks.

The report to which I referred earlier identifies many of the key opportunities that exist, of which I will mention a few. There is scope for greater promotion of products from local suppliers to the horse racing industry; for the development of short break packages including race meetings for tourists; for the forging of closer links between racecourses, riding schools and other equine interests; and for the strengthening of links in the wider sports and leisure sector, so that there can be more joint exhibitions, activities and events. There is a whole host of ways in which education and learning activities in schools and colleges can be linked to the many strands of activity in the horse racing industry. The planned Scottish racing academy in East Lothian is a particularly important and exciting development, which deserves support. My colleague John Home Robertson will say more about that later.

Scottish racing is going from strength to strength, but we are not at the finishing post yet. There is now a real threat to the future of Scottish horse racing, in the form of the Office of Fair Trading rule 14 notice, which has attracted widespread opposition across the UK. If implemented, there would be a deregulation of horse racing and, essentially, a fixture free-for-all. All the interests in horse racing, and politicians from across the spectrum, have united against the proposal.

The proposal would cause particular concerns for Scotland, as all our racecourses are relatively small, and independently owned and managed. They pay no dividends and plough profits back into the racetracks. They are not part of some big racing group. In short, Scottish racecourses would be especially vulnerable in a fixture free-for-all.

Let me be clear that the vast majority of people who are involved in horse racing believe that there is a need for change. Indeed, in Scotland we want more fixtures and more control over dates. However, a free-for-all is not the answer. It would be plain daft. Every sport needs a degree of planning, co-ordination and control. Racing is no different. There is a crying need now for common sense to prevail and for a sensible way forward to be developed. The current uncertainty must end.

While recognising that the matters are for decision at a United Kingdom level, I urge the minister to take up the specific Scottish concerns with his UK counterpart who, I note, recently indicated in the House of Commons that he would be happy to have such discussions.

Scottish racing is going from strength to strength. There is so much to be built upon. I urge the minister in his reply to commit to working with the industry and with other agencies to build on that potential. I hope that we can see off some of the current threats. The Parliament and the Executive could make a real difference in this very important area.