Hansard

I commend Susan Deacon for her motion, which I was happy to sign, and I congratulate her on securing the debate.

Four of the five Scottish racecourses have been mentioned this evening and the remaining one is Perth, for which I am delighted to speak up as I drive past it every day on my way to Parliament. The recent success of the racecourse in Perth is something of which the city of Perth and the whole of Scotland can be proud. It was recently voted the best small course in Scotland and the north-east by members of the Racegoers Club and annual turnover has climbed from £100,000 to £1 million in the past 10 years. The focus on attracting sponsors and providing high levels of prize money has seen Perth climb to 14th place on the British Horseracing Board merit table.

In addition, the racecourse plays an important role in the civic and economic life of Perth and the surrounding area. It manages to draw average crowds of 3,000 people per race day, which is the highest at any of the Scottish racecourses. It is also a popular local tourist attraction. Families in particular enjoy the Perth gold cup day in June—Scotland's biggest family race day, which attracts more than 10,000 visitors. Families also enjoy the family fun race meeting in August, which has a range of activities for all. In light of its recent successes, the racecourse was recently awarded two new race days—2 and 3 July—which coincide with the Game Conservancy Scottish fair at Scone, which gives a massive boost to the local economy.

The Perth gold cup has been supported for the past few years by a grant from the partnership administration on Perth and Kinross Council. Far be it from me to introduce a partisan note to proceedings, but it is rather regrettable that the SNP opposition on Perth and Kinross Council has consistently opposed that grant. I say as gently as I can to SNP members that, in the interests of consistency, they might wish to have a word with their party colleagues on that council to suggest that they reconsider their opposition and support the horse racing industry.

The racecourse in Perth has also been successful in reaching out to the business community. Its excellent private facilities ensure that the racecourse remains high on the list of corporate opportunities. It provides a corporate outing for more than 200 companies, with more than 4,000 guests every year. Furthermore, the new owners and trainers suite, which is regarded as one of the best in Britain, provides excellent facilities for exhibitions and conferences on non-race days.

Perth racecourse is a model of success that shows what can be done and it matches other members' experiences of racecourses throughout Scotland.

Members have referred to the OFT ruling, which is a concern for the Scottish racing industry. However, it is not the only concern and other problems face the industry. A constituent who wrote to me recently identified the small number of Scottish thoroughbred horses that are racing. He wrote that our racing is almost totally dependent on horses coming from England and Ireland to keep it going. On the day of the Scottish grand national meeting at Ayr last April, the six jumping races featured just four Scottish-trained horses.

Much more must be done to promote the industry—it is not simply a matter of the OFT ruling. The Executive should work with the industry to identify opportunities to promote and develop the industry right across the board. For that reason I welcome the debate and I commend Susan Deacon for her motion.