Chamber
Plenary, 21 Mar 2007
21 Mar 2007 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Cairngorms National Park Boundary Bill: Stage 1
I thank the Environment and Rural Development Committee for the consideration that it has given the bill and for hosting an evidence session in my constituency, at Blair Atholl, to hear from a range of local organisations and representatives.
It is important to stress at the debate's outset that the committee heard from a wide cross-section of individuals and organisations that support the bill. They include local organisations such as the Pitlochry partnership, the Blair Atholl area tourism association and Mount Blair community council; local authorities such as Perth and Kinross Council; and various national bodies such as the John Muir Trust and the Ramblers Association Scotland.
Of the submissions that were received, 24 were in favour of the bill, one was against it, one was in favour of neither the present nor the proposed boundary and two took no stance on the boundary. On any objective analysis, it is clear that support is strong for the proposition that I put to Parliament. No wonder: the issue has been around for a long time. In September 2000, ministers made a formal proposal under section 2 of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 to establish a national park in the Cairngorms. Scottish Natural Heritage undertook an extensive consultation that lasted 20 weeks and it listened carefully to interested parties' views. After due consideration, SNH recommended for the park area a designation that the Government decided not to follow. Principally, the Government decided not to extend the national park boundary to include the northern part of my constituency—the Angus glens and highland and east Perthshire.
However, after an inquiry by the Rural Development Committee in the previous session of Parliament and much pressure from outside Parliament, the Government revised its proposals and provided in the Cairngorms National Park Designation, Transitional and Consequential Provisions (Scotland) Order 2003 (SSI 2003/1) for the inclusion of the Angus glens, but not highland and eastern Perthshire. At that stage, the Rural Development Committee faced a dilemma that faced everybody, in that the order was one that members could vote only for or against. I was not a member of that committee, although some of its members are in the chamber today, but I suspect that the committee voted with some reluctance in favour of the order, while making it clear that it felt that highland and east Perthshire should be included.
It is important to stress at the debate's outset that the committee heard from a wide cross-section of individuals and organisations that support the bill. They include local organisations such as the Pitlochry partnership, the Blair Atholl area tourism association and Mount Blair community council; local authorities such as Perth and Kinross Council; and various national bodies such as the John Muir Trust and the Ramblers Association Scotland.
Of the submissions that were received, 24 were in favour of the bill, one was against it, one was in favour of neither the present nor the proposed boundary and two took no stance on the boundary. On any objective analysis, it is clear that support is strong for the proposition that I put to Parliament. No wonder: the issue has been around for a long time. In September 2000, ministers made a formal proposal under section 2 of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 to establish a national park in the Cairngorms. Scottish Natural Heritage undertook an extensive consultation that lasted 20 weeks and it listened carefully to interested parties' views. After due consideration, SNH recommended for the park area a designation that the Government decided not to follow. Principally, the Government decided not to extend the national park boundary to include the northern part of my constituency—the Angus glens and highland and east Perthshire.
However, after an inquiry by the Rural Development Committee in the previous session of Parliament and much pressure from outside Parliament, the Government revised its proposals and provided in the Cairngorms National Park Designation, Transitional and Consequential Provisions (Scotland) Order 2003 (SSI 2003/1) for the inclusion of the Angus glens, but not highland and eastern Perthshire. At that stage, the Rural Development Committee faced a dilemma that faced everybody, in that the order was one that members could vote only for or against. I was not a member of that committee, although some of its members are in the chamber today, but I suspect that the committee voted with some reluctance in favour of the order, while making it clear that it felt that highland and east Perthshire should be included.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Murray Tosh):
Con
The next item of business is a debate on motion S2M-5758, in the name of John Swinney, that the Parliament agrees to the general principles of the Cairngorms...
Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP):
SNP
I thank the Environment and Rural Development Committee for the consideration that it has given the bill and for hosting an evidence session in my constituen...
Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD):
LD
I am one of the members to whom John Swinney referred. I felt that the boundaries should not have excluded highland Perthshire and that to do so was wrong. I...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
I understand the dilemma that faces members when they deal with designation orders that are not well defined or well argued for, as with the order for the Ca...
Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con):
Con
As the convener of the Rural Development Committee in those days, I put it on record that although the committee was in a huge dilemma, as Mike Rumbles said,...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
I am grateful to Mr Fergusson for that remark and for the way in which he has pursued the issue assiduously and supported efforts to remedy the situation ove...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
Would Mr Swinney, as the SNP's finance spokesman, like to reflect on the value for money of the committee's decision? Parliament has spent a lot of time and ...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
Mr Fraser makes a reasonable point. Not only will the consultation have to be done again, but if we agree to extend the boundaries, that might involve reloca...
Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I thank the committee's clerks for their invaluable support and I thank all those who supplied written and oral evidence. In particular, I thank the people o...
The Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Sarah Boyack):
Lab
Since giving evidence to the Environment and Rural Development Committee, I have had exchanges with the committee and with John Swinney on the detail of his ...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
Will the minister give way?
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
No. I am in my first minute, so I ask John Swinney to let me get going.In my evidence to the committee, I was absolutely clear about three things. First, I w...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
The minister has talked about affordable housing and the need to guarantee environmental protection for all the areas in the Cairngorms national park, which ...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
I am happy to address that full on. This morning, I met the chair of the Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce—which, incidentally, did not exist when we started di...
Mike Rumbles:
LD
As the minister will be aware, I represent West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, which is on the other side of the boundary from the area that John Swinney repr...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
Let me be absolutely clear: as part of its considerations, evidence was presented to the Environment and Rural Development Committee specifically on business...
Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP):
SNP
I begin by congratulating John Swinney, the local constituency member, for doggedly pursuing the campaign since 2003. I also pay tribute to his campaigning c...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
As a point of accuracy, the serious concerns that are being raised are about changing the boundaries at this time. That is the key issue about which there ar...
Richard Lochhead:
SNP
I am pointing out to the minister the extent to which representations are being made, given that two of the constituency members who have spoken in the debat...
Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
John Swinney's member's bill is about righting a wrong. In that, it is fairly unusual. In my experience, much of the legislation that is passed by the Parlia...
Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab):
Lab
Does Ted Brocklebank understand that someone who arrived from planet Mars might wonder whether he is debating the merits of Nora Radcliffe or of the bill?
Mr Brocklebank:
Con
I am not sure what that intervention meant, but it might have made more sense if Nora Radcliffe or the other members whom I have mentioned were here to respo...
Mike Rumbles:
LD
Excuse me. The Lib Dems are not hell-bent on kicking out John Swinney's bill. I shall certainly support it at decision time.
Mr Brocklebank:
Con
I thank Mr Rumbles for keeping me right, but I am still not sure that the minister has given an adequate answer as to why the Executive as a whole appears to...
Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD):
LD
I am an assiduous watcher of "Yes, Minister" DVDs. Unfortunately, today I am in the position of the Sir Humphrey brigade, who often say, "Yes, of course I su...
Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green):
Green
I, too, remember the excellent work of the Rural Development Committee in the first session of the Scottish Parliament. At the time, I was not a member of th...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP):
SNP
A substantial part of the Cairngorms national park lies in my constituency and in that of Mike Rumbles. From the south at Dalwhinnie to the north at Cromdale...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
It would be helpful if I clarified two points. First, the challenge is not the number of people in settlements—although I was concerned about their being exc...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
I do not accept that that work would in any way be disrupted. Why should it? It would simply be supplemented in respect of an area with very few people and o...
Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I start by declaring an interest, as I did during the committee's consideration of the bill. I am a former member of the Cairngorms working party and was br...