Hansard

Well, there is always a chance.

Seriously though, T in the Park compares favourably with any festival in the world. It should be celebrated. Last year, virtually all festival goers—96 per cent of them—came from outwith the local Perth and Kinross area, and 30 per cent travelled from outside Scotland. In its advertising campaigns, VisitScotland uses footage of T in the Park to attract new visitors to Scotland.

Although the event takes place in Perth and Kinross, the benefits spread throughout Scotland. T in the Park brings in £18 million for the country and provides hours of television time as it is broadcast on the BBC network. There continue to be industry concerns over whether Scotland has done enough to ensure that Scottish companies can compete for the huge business that the festival generates in lighting and staging in particular. Perhaps the minister will want to discuss such issues with the industry, so that we can take advantage of such wonderful opportunities.

Edinburgh has its fair share of festivals, and I want to focus on one—the Edinburgh military tattoo. The tattoo makes a vital economic contribution to Scotland and to Edinburgh itself. It is of huge importance to the Scottish tourism industry, and it directly benefits Scottish businesses—including hotels, restaurants and other attractions. The tattoo generates more than £50 million for the Scottish economy. Visitors come to the tattoo from all over the world, and many name the tattoo as their sole purpose in coming to Scotland. Yesterday I spoke to a parliamentarian from Guernsey who, at 70, will fulfil a lifetime ambition when she attends this year's tattoo. The event will play an important part in helping the Scottish Government to achieve its ambition of increasing revenue from tourism by 50 per cent by 2015.

I am delighted that, as part of homecoming Scotland, the tattoo will hold a number of satellite shows around the country—including shows in Glasgow, Linlithgow, Cumnock and, of course, Jedburgh. Those shows will be an excellent opportunity to showcase the tattoo to a wider audience.

Back in Clydesdale, we are again playing host to one of the biggest re-enactment festivals in the United Kingdom. It has grown in size and attraction since its beginning in 2002. Now entitled Scotland's Festival of History, it started about seven years ago as a half-day event to promote Lanark as William Wallace's home town. Today, it is a two-day national event showcasing more than 2,000 years of Scottish history, right up to the second world war. It is not only unique in Scotland, but one of the top handful of events in the UK. There will be more than 500 history specialists from 11 European countries on the site, and the festival will attract visitors from across the world—including people from China, Thailand, Russia and Canada. I know that the minister is attending this year's event. I am sure that he will enjoy himself; other members would be very welcome too, I am sure.

The town also hosts a Christmas festival. It began as a small street market promoting trade in the town; now it is one of the largest one-day markets in Scotland.

The two events together are a huge boost to the local economy. Studies have shown that their combined annual value to the local area is in the region of £750,000. That is an amazing achievement for a small band of dedicated volunteers, supported by the local council.

Festivals are very much part of Scotland. However, we can do more. Ministers must be ambitious in their demands for Scotland to get a share of the big UK events—which would be a bonus of being part of the UK. Scotland sells more tickets for live music than anywhere else in the UK. We punch above our weight in all genres of music, so let us pool all our resources to host more big-profile events—such as the MTV awards—here in Scotland.

Energy is not enough. There must be commitment, funding and a cohesive policy that demonstrates a shared commitment to Scotland's festivals and creative industries.

I ask the minister to examine the provision of cultural co-ordinators, because evidence from throughout Scotland shows that services are becoming more difficult to access and are being scaled back. We need links between culture and education. I hope that he will reconsider how those can best be achieved and will work with his colleagues in local government to re-examine the role of cultural co-ordinators in our schools.

Festivals are more than tradition. They are innovative, exciting and modern. Each area of Scotland has its own festivals, from the traditional miners gala days that are held throughout my constituency to the Highland games that we all celebrate and the huge music events, book festivals and cultural events that all Scotland shares in. Each area celebrates its success, but there is no doubt that our festivals make an economic contribution to Scotland. I look forward to working with the minister—as do all Labour members—to ensure that Scotland fully realises the potential of our culture, our heritage and our people in modern, innovative festivals.