Chamber
Plenary, 19 Jan 2000
19 Jan 2000 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Inverclyde (Flooding)
That is okay. We all make mistakes.
As I was saying, I am here not as a representative of an old shipbuilding town, but as a representative of the export manufacturing capital of Scotland. Some people find that hard to believe, but I can assure them that it is true. In recent years, Inverclyde in general, and Greenock in particular, have overcome many of the problems that were the result of the decline of the traditional industries.
We are now beginning to recover. We used to build ships; we now build microchips and computers. We continue to succeed in attracting major high-tech investment—IBM has its base in Greenock, and One2One and National Semiconductor are also there, to name just three. They have all invested heavily in Greenock. Empty shipyards have been turned into mortgage centres; derelict docks have been replaced with the college campus; and unemployment and degeneration have been replaced by new jobs and fresh opportunities.
When I look at how far we have come, I am proud of our achievements. We have begun to reverse the decline and have taken the first real steps along the road to sustainable prosperity. However, I feel apprehensive. I am concerned that all the hard work of the people of Greenock could be for nothing, and that we could end up back where we started. The reason can be summed up in a single word—water. It seems that every time we have heavy rain in Greenock, transport links are cut and we become Scotland's newest island. That poses a threat to our local economy and is simply not good enough for the export capital of Scotland. The significance of that cannot be overplayed.
Let us be absolutely clear what we are talking about: this is not a debate about a few minor roads in a housing scheme being closed, as inconvenient as that might be, and as real as the problems might be to constituents; we are talking about the A8—the only route in and out of the area—being impassable. That raises the stakes. Rather than bemoaning a hindrance, we are talking about a real threat to investment, jobs and continued regeneration.
Last summer, approximately half a million visitors attended the Tall Ships event and saw with their own eyes the giant strides that our community and our area have taken. They saw the new Inverclyde and went away with a positive image, which put us on the map as a tourist and leisure area. But what would have happened if we had had a wet weekend? Only a fraction of those visitors would have been able to attend, denying us all those benefits.
Many parts of the constituency are affected by the problem. We will shortly have an improved and expanded marina at Inverkip, which will address our niche market of sailing. How can we maximise that development's potential and convince those who might wish to use it to berth their yacht when we cannot even guarantee that it will be open 52 weekends of the year?
There has also been a huge expansion in housing in the Wemyss Bay and Inverkip areas. Those houses are essential to address the long- term depopulation that damages Inverclyde's
economic viability. Isolating those new developments would leave hundreds of people stranded. It would keep workers from their place of business, pupils from schools and would-be consumers from the Oak mall and the Waterfront complex.
Gourock is a transport hub with connections to Glasgow and the islands. What future will the exciting new developments at Gourock have if we do not get the transport links sorted? Greenock is also hard hit. People who work in courts, schools, the emergency services, businesses and many other places all suffer extreme inconvenience and financial loss. I will return to those issues later.
Not only the roads are affected. Water running down from the hills to the sea has caused railway stations to close and has risked undermining the track. If Inverclyde is cut off, the damage to commerce is significant. Every day, 10,000 people commute from Inverclyde and 7,000 come in—so 17,000 people are on the move twice a day, yet the road link is not secure. That figure excludes non-commuter commercial traffic. Deliveries to and dispatches from various businesses must also be made daily.
At the moment there are several semi-derelict sites that are crying out for redevelopment, with the potential to deliver jobs and to attract investment. How can we attract companies to a site that is rendered inaccessible every winter because of flooding? I am full of admiration for the invest in Inverclyde campaign, but selling an underwater business park is beyond even the talents of those who run the campaign.
Furthermore, the threat to the retention and expansion of investment is not the only issue raised by the flooding. Local businesses, public services, emergency services, councils, official bodies and others are subject to inconvenience, disruption and financial loss.
I must admit that on the morning on which I was stranded I had no appreciation of the number of agencies and services that must be mobilised in such situations. However, as I sat, stranded in my car, on the morning of Tuesday 30 November— the day of the last severe flood—I saw police officers, firefighters and workers from the local council and West of Scotland Water all striving in abject conditions to alleviate the problem. I feel that it is necessary to put on record that this debate is in no way a criticism of the efforts of those workers. I congratulate them on their efforts. Indeed, I only missed a couple of meetings, while they struggled with the elements.
The police have confirmed that 40 police man hours are wasted in setting up diversions and roadblocks every time the A8 floods. That is 40 hours that would be much better spent fighting crime. Money is being poured down the drain. The local chamber of commerce has also expressed concern over the cost to businesses from part closures of the A8.
Glenbrae Children's Centre was flooded not once, but twice during November. The first flood, on 4 November, caused £9,000-worth of damage and the centre was closed for a week. The second flood,.on 30 November, was more serious. The centre was closed down and the children farmed out to other accommodation.
Have I run over my time?
As I was saying, I am here not as a representative of an old shipbuilding town, but as a representative of the export manufacturing capital of Scotland. Some people find that hard to believe, but I can assure them that it is true. In recent years, Inverclyde in general, and Greenock in particular, have overcome many of the problems that were the result of the decline of the traditional industries.
We are now beginning to recover. We used to build ships; we now build microchips and computers. We continue to succeed in attracting major high-tech investment—IBM has its base in Greenock, and One2One and National Semiconductor are also there, to name just three. They have all invested heavily in Greenock. Empty shipyards have been turned into mortgage centres; derelict docks have been replaced with the college campus; and unemployment and degeneration have been replaced by new jobs and fresh opportunities.
When I look at how far we have come, I am proud of our achievements. We have begun to reverse the decline and have taken the first real steps along the road to sustainable prosperity. However, I feel apprehensive. I am concerned that all the hard work of the people of Greenock could be for nothing, and that we could end up back where we started. The reason can be summed up in a single word—water. It seems that every time we have heavy rain in Greenock, transport links are cut and we become Scotland's newest island. That poses a threat to our local economy and is simply not good enough for the export capital of Scotland. The significance of that cannot be overplayed.
Let us be absolutely clear what we are talking about: this is not a debate about a few minor roads in a housing scheme being closed, as inconvenient as that might be, and as real as the problems might be to constituents; we are talking about the A8—the only route in and out of the area—being impassable. That raises the stakes. Rather than bemoaning a hindrance, we are talking about a real threat to investment, jobs and continued regeneration.
Last summer, approximately half a million visitors attended the Tall Ships event and saw with their own eyes the giant strides that our community and our area have taken. They saw the new Inverclyde and went away with a positive image, which put us on the map as a tourist and leisure area. But what would have happened if we had had a wet weekend? Only a fraction of those visitors would have been able to attend, denying us all those benefits.
Many parts of the constituency are affected by the problem. We will shortly have an improved and expanded marina at Inverkip, which will address our niche market of sailing. How can we maximise that development's potential and convince those who might wish to use it to berth their yacht when we cannot even guarantee that it will be open 52 weekends of the year?
There has also been a huge expansion in housing in the Wemyss Bay and Inverkip areas. Those houses are essential to address the long- term depopulation that damages Inverclyde's
economic viability. Isolating those new developments would leave hundreds of people stranded. It would keep workers from their place of business, pupils from schools and would-be consumers from the Oak mall and the Waterfront complex.
Gourock is a transport hub with connections to Glasgow and the islands. What future will the exciting new developments at Gourock have if we do not get the transport links sorted? Greenock is also hard hit. People who work in courts, schools, the emergency services, businesses and many other places all suffer extreme inconvenience and financial loss. I will return to those issues later.
Not only the roads are affected. Water running down from the hills to the sea has caused railway stations to close and has risked undermining the track. If Inverclyde is cut off, the damage to commerce is significant. Every day, 10,000 people commute from Inverclyde and 7,000 come in—so 17,000 people are on the move twice a day, yet the road link is not secure. That figure excludes non-commuter commercial traffic. Deliveries to and dispatches from various businesses must also be made daily.
At the moment there are several semi-derelict sites that are crying out for redevelopment, with the potential to deliver jobs and to attract investment. How can we attract companies to a site that is rendered inaccessible every winter because of flooding? I am full of admiration for the invest in Inverclyde campaign, but selling an underwater business park is beyond even the talents of those who run the campaign.
Furthermore, the threat to the retention and expansion of investment is not the only issue raised by the flooding. Local businesses, public services, emergency services, councils, official bodies and others are subject to inconvenience, disruption and financial loss.
I must admit that on the morning on which I was stranded I had no appreciation of the number of agencies and services that must be mobilised in such situations. However, as I sat, stranded in my car, on the morning of Tuesday 30 November— the day of the last severe flood—I saw police officers, firefighters and workers from the local council and West of Scotland Water all striving in abject conditions to alleviate the problem. I feel that it is necessary to put on record that this debate is in no way a criticism of the efforts of those workers. I congratulate them on their efforts. Indeed, I only missed a couple of meetings, while they struggled with the elements.
The police have confirmed that 40 police man hours are wasted in setting up diversions and roadblocks every time the A8 floods. That is 40 hours that would be much better spent fighting crime. Money is being poured down the drain. The local chamber of commerce has also expressed concern over the cost to businesses from part closures of the A8.
Glenbrae Children's Centre was flooded not once, but twice during November. The first flood, on 4 November, caused £9,000-worth of damage and the centre was closed for a week. The second flood,.on 30 November, was more serious. The centre was closed down and the children farmed out to other accommodation.
Have I run over my time?
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel):
NPA
The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S1M-371, in the name of Duncan McNeil, on flooding in Inverclyde. I ask those member...
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes that the recent flooding in Inverclyde dealt a blow to the area; recognises that this is a long-term, recurring problem; notes that...
Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab):
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to have this debate and to speak as a member of the Scottish Parliament not for a dreary little shipbuilding town or a miserable ra...
Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con):
Con
On a point of order, Presiding Officer.
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
I am sorry Mr McNeil—
Mr McNeil:
Lab
Shall I start again?
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
No. I have a point of order. Hold on for a minute.
Ben Wallace:
Con
I would like it to be recorded in the Official Report that in the second vote I voted against the motion. There was a problem with the voting box.
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
We were one vote short compared with the previous vote.
Ben Wallace:
Con
That was mine.
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
So you would have voted against?
Ben Wallace:
Con
Yes.
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
Mr McNeil, I am sorry that I interrupted you but that was a legitimate point of order.
Mr McNeil:
Lab
That is okay. We all make mistakes.As I was saying, I am here not as a representative of an old shipbuilding town, but as a representative of the export manu...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid):
SNP
I have been generous because of the interruption. You have another minute.
Mr McNeil:
Lab
I have tried to describe the effects of flooding on the community. When we have ice, rain and snow, preventive measures must be put in place. Similar prevent...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
I call Colin Campbell, to be followed by Annabel Goldie. Please keep your speeches fairly short.
Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I will keep it short. I share Duncan McNeil's view on this. But for the fact that my father removed to Paisley for an additional £50 a year in 1938, I would ...
Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con):
Con
I, too, thank Mr McNeil for lodging the motion and for bringing the problem to the attention of the chamber. He, Colin Campbell and I all share not just a de...
Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab):
Lab
I congratulate Annabel Goldie on yet again plugging the M74. Duncan McNeil said that, in the recent floods, Greenock became an island, cut off from the rest ...
The Minister for Transport and the Environment (Sarah Boyack):
Lab
I thank Duncan McNeil for giving members an opportunity to discuss this important issue. Some of the detailed points raised by members in the debate are prec...
Meeting closed at 17:33.