Hansard

I thank Jeremy Purvis for bringing the debate to Parliament. It is timeous because of the forthcoming by-election and the first part of the switchover in the Borders. As we have heard, the Selkirk transmitter will begin its switchover tomorrow, which is a major step in broadcasting in this country.

Members' speeches have been welcome. There is consensus, so I hope that we will all move forward together to try to get the best possible outcome for people in the Borders and beyond. As has been said and as everyone is aware, digital switchover is reserved to the UK Government, and I understand that the matter was raised with UK ministers by MPs from the Borders and elsewhere in a debate at Westminster on 14 October.

Obviously, the Scottish Government is extremely keen for the switchover to go smoothly in Scotland. I have on a number of occasions met representatives of Digital UK to discuss progress and to press Scotland's case. I met Digital UK representatives on 29 October to establish whether the Selkirk transmitter switchover was progressing according to plan and whether, in its view, people in the Scottish Borders were ready for switchover. The response that I received was positive, and there was discussion about the pilot in Whitehaven in Cumbria. Digital UK's figures show that by August, 88 per cent of main sets in the Borders and 40 per cent of secondary sets were ready for switchover. The figure for main sets is now up at around 90 per cent.

Many areas of the Borders are served by relay transmitters, as we have heard, and the people who are served by them will not get the full service until much later. As has been mentioned here, we will not know until tomorrow the total effect of the switchover scheme, given the number of relay transmitters.

I understand the concerns that have been expressed by everyone. Digital UK has informed me that seven advice points will be operating—in Duns, Galashiels, Eyemouth, Hawick, Peebles, Jedburgh and Kelso. The centres will be open for three days, around both switchover days, and will be staffed by Digital UK and help scheme staff. The Digital UK call centres will be able to provide advice to anyone who cannot make it to an advice point. Scottish Borders Council and local voluntary sector groups will provide crucial support, and I hope that their support is visible. Christine Grahame was quite right to point out that a lot of people who say that they are aware of what is going on do not really understand what has to be done.

That brings me to the help scheme, which Jeremy Purvis mentions in his motion. The scheme was established to give help to those who need it most. The UK Government recently announced that the help scheme will be extended to all people living in care homes who have been, or will be, resident for six months. That change is welcomed by the Scottish Government. It came up at the Local Government and Communities Committee, and Shona Robison, on behalf of the Scottish Government, wrote to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport about the matter to ensure that people who receive free personal care will not miss out on the help scheme. I have been advised that the information pack was sent to everyone who was eligible for it. In the Scottish Borders, that covered 16,000 people. I also understand that reminders were sent out.

Uptake of the help scheme in the Borders, according to the most recent figures that I have, was about 15 per cent. However, the response rate among the eligible people whom I mentioned was much higher: about two thirds responded, either to accept or to say that they did not wish assistance. As Christine Grahame said, the situation might, however, become apparent when the time comes. People can access the help scheme beyond tomorrow. It will be open to eligible people until the switchover in the Border Television region is complete. That will be in July 2009, when the Caldbeck transmitter switches over.

I am very much aware of the concern that rural areas are receiving a poorer service. More people in such areas receive their television signal from a relay transmitter and, as Ted Brocklebank and John Lamont pointed out, some areas in Scotland and Wales suffer because of that.

The plan is for everyone in the Borders to continue to get public service broadcasting services. At this point, I will pick up on something that Jeremy Purvis said about any new Scottish digital channel. The Broadcasting Commission report recommended that that network should be carried, like all other public service broadcasters, on the public service broadcast multiplex. It should therefore be available to all. We should keep pushing for that.

Pauline McNeill and John Lamont brought up the subject of digital radio, and different issues must be discussed in that regard. I recently met DCMS, together with its agent, and the Government will respond to its consultation.

Digital switchover in the Borders is the first such exercise in Scotland following the pilot scheme in Whitehaven. We all hope that it goes well and we will keep our eye on it.

On working with the UK Government, I want everyone to be assured that discussions have been on-going. I will send a copy of the Official Report of the debate to Westminster to show that there is genuine concern to ensure that people are not disadvantaged. It will be useful for Westminster to see the strength of feeling about BBC Alba, for example, which is so important to us all—we really must push to have it on freeview.

Please be assured that, as far as I am concerned, the move forward with digitalisation is a joint initiative and Scotland's case will always be pressed by this Government. Anyone who feels that they can usefully contribute to that should not hesitate to do so. I hope that all Borders representatives will keep us informed of their perspective on how things are progressing with the digital switchover.