Hansard

I thank the Presiding Officer and members from all parties for their support in bringing this debate on the future of the marine biological station at Millport to the chamber. I also thank all the staff employed at the station, who currently face an uncertain future, the academics from the scientific field, and members of the Cumbrae Community Development Company, many of whom have joined us in the public gallery, for their support. I know that they have had a long journey to get here. I thank all members who are going to participate in the debate.

The facility that is based on the isle of Cumbrae has been used for more than 100 years, and it has been a crucial part of a network of research stations around the British and European coasts. In the past 30 years, it has become a leading teaching facility. It brings thousands of students, not just from Scotland and the UK but from all over the world, to Millport.

The facility belongs to the University of London. On 20 March 2013, the governing board of trustees decided to close the university marine biological station in December this year, following the withdrawal of £400,000 a year of revenue funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England. This is not just an English problem, however. The station may be a University of London asset but, if it closes, the education of marine biology scientists will be affected for years to come, and the closure will have a devastating effect on a Scottish island community. That is why we need to do everything we possibly can to save the station.

Situated in the Firth of Clyde, the marine station at Millport is a unique and valuable resource, and I am pleased that the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell, now agrees with me on that. Professionals who have worked both at the Scottish Association for Marine Science in Oban and at the Millport station have told me that Millport offers a rich variety of conveniently accessible habitats within walking distance, something that the SAMS facility at Oban does not offer. One such person, Dr Peter Barnett, who has been an honorary senior research associate at the station for the past 21 years, has joined us in the public gallery.

There is no doubt that the abundance and variety of marine life on the sea bed is invaluable to the students for their field studies. The station also has an 80-bed hostel for students on the site, and it owns research boats and seawater species tanks. Those are facilities that SAMS in Oban is not able to replicate. That is why there has been tremendous support, with more than 13,000 signatories from around the world calling for the station to be kept open.

I should also mention that the station has a rather quaint museum and an aquarium, which are enjoyed by tourists on the island.

The station has been used by the University of Glasgow, the University of Edinburgh, the University of St Andrews, Edinburgh Napier University, Heriot-Watt University and the University of the West of Scotland. In 2012, 533 students from Scottish universities and 521 students from English universities used the facility, which is contrary to the claim by the First Minister that it is not used by any Scottish universities. Unfortunately, despite the recognition for the station, none of the Scottish universities has come forward with a lifeline. I ask the cabinet secretary what discussions the Government has had with Scottish universities about the possible acquisition of the facility.

As regards the damage done to the local economy, it would be a travesty for such a small island, with a population of approximately 1,200, to lose 30 high-quality jobs—that is the equivalent of 4,000 jobs being lost on the mainland—and up to £2 million from the local economy. If those 30 families move off the island to find employment elsewhere, it will not only impact on local businesses; it will affect the viability of the local school and other public services. The impact will be much more than the loss of a marine research facility; the consequences for the island will be far reaching.

North Ayrshire Council, working with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, has commissioned an analysis of the commercial development potential of the facility, which is due to be completed by the end of June. I hope that that will produce a viable business plan to attract interested parties to invest the £10 million capital and revenue funding that is required to provide a sustainable operational structure, perhaps with a teaching facility and a commercial aspect, to secure the long-term future of the station.

I am not sure that the Scottish Government truly understands what the loss of the station could mean for the island and beyond. It is disconcerting that, at a public meeting in Millport on the marine station’s future that was held by Labour MP Katy Clark and attended by around 100 people on a wet and miserable evening last week, the Scottish National Party councillor Alan Hill said that he believed that this debate would make no difference. Does he have no faith in the Scottish Government?

I am happy to work with anyone—political or otherwise—to find a viable solution, because this is not about politics, and it is not just about saving the marine station; it is about saving the fragile economy of an island in the already disadvantaged area of North Ayrshire. I hear that community ownership of the facility is being considered, although I have not been privy to the detail. Will the cabinet secretary expand on that proposal and say whether he supports the idea?

To conclude, I ask the cabinet secretary to give assurances that his Government is 100 per cent committed to finding a way to secure a long-term sustainable future, including an element of financial support if necessary, for the marine station and the community of Cumbrae. I urge everyone to come together on the issue for education, for science and for Scotland, so that we unite in doing everything that we possibly can to keep the marine station open and the island’s economy afloat.