 Ivan McKee, do you speak to and move the motion? Thank you, Presiding Officer. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to speak this afternoon about space and the importance of the space sector in Scotland to our economy and the focus that the Scottish Government places on the development of the sector. Those are indeed exciting times for the space industry in Scotland. The sector's rapid growth globally offers huge opportunities that Scotland is well placed to take advantage of. Scotland already has, as we know, an innovative and diverse engineering base, with world-class companies competing in international markets. We have excellence in data science and data application, and we are already punching above our weight in the space sector. We are in a great place to consolidate on those existing strengths. Over two years, we have seen a 27 per cent increase in the number of space organisations in Scotland to more than £130 million, with a total income of £140 million. That includes the headquarters of 83 UK space industry firms. Nearly a fifth of all UK space jobs are in Scotland, more than double our population share. On your way into the Parliament building today, you may have seen the Black Arrow rocket parked outside. If you haven't, I recommend that you have a look. Black Arrow's third flight was the first and only successful UK-led orbital launch. It placed the Prospero satellite into orbit from a launch site in Australia in 1971, the only British satellite to be put into orbit using a British launch vehicle. Prospero is still in orbit, although no longer in communication with planet Earth. Some may say that that is a characteristic that it perhaps shares with some of those who are currently responsible for the future of UK's place in Europe. I could not possibly comment. At a time when Scotland aims to be the first place in Europe capable of launching small satellites into orbit, it seems fitting that Black Arrow is now here in Edinburgh. I congratulate Skyrora, one of Scotland's rocket manufacturing businesses, on successfully bringing it back. When we talk of space, we might think of the massive rocket launches at Cape Canaveral, but the modern space industry comprises much more than space rockets. It is exciting. We have opportunities in upstream space manufacturing and in space operations, including small satellite manufacture, and opportunities for companies dealing with downstream space data and space data applications. Looking ahead, there are other longer-term potential opportunities emerging, such as energy provision through solar panels in space, asteroid prospecting for minerals, together with associated supporting habitat facilities and low-gravity manufacturing in space. Not so long ago, that would all have been considered science fiction, but it is rapidly becoming science fact. Scotland is proud to be the home of agile space, a versatile and adaptable sector with close collaboration between government, industry and academia. Our culture of open innovation and collaboration is essential for our continuing success. We have a supportive business environment for the developing national manufacturing institute for Scotland, real academic strengths, a range of practical support and advice available via our enterprise agencies and a strong partnership with the sector through the industry-led Scottish Space Leadership Council. Enmys will be an industry-led international centre of expertise in manufacturing, which will make Scotland a global leader, with academia, industry and the public sector working together to transform manufacturing skills, productivity and innovation right across Scotland. Our excellent higher education sector is at the forefront of that technology. Glasgow, Strathclyde, Edinburgh and Dundee universities are all of major strengths in the space sector. Edinburgh's Higgs Centre for Innovation, built on the site of the Royal Observatory, is a business incubation centre, as well as providing space, test and development facilities. I was at the centre earlier this year and thoroughly recommend a visit. Scotland is very much open for business and our enterprise agencies will continue to work with any company with a viable proposal seeking to develop a future in our increasingly successful space sector. Scotland is already a world leader in small satellite manufacture and we have businesses who analyse and use the valuable data beamed back from orbit. The missing link is the ability to launch satellites. Scotland is the best place in the UK to reach in-demand orbits with vertical rockets and there is a real opportunity to capture a share of the growing market for launching an estimated 2,000 small satellites by 2030. With the city of Glasgow building more small satellites than any place in Europe, affordable and efficient access to space is key to growing our fast-developing small satellite industry. Clyde space is recognised as a world-class innovator and supplier of small satellite systems, and it has inspired global, the first company in the UK and Europe to provide an end-to-end CubeSat development and data service offering in ALBA orbital, who are building and launching some of the world's most advanced Pico satellites for earth observation and telecom's purposes, also based in Glasgow. Our ambition is to have at least one spaceport within Scotland. Having satellite launch facilities will help us to deliver strong economic benefits and is expected to open up a wide range of market opportunities in Scotland. With launch capability, we will then be able to build, launch and operate satellites all from Scotland, supporting the ambition to grow the sector here into a £4 billion industry by 2030. The UK Space Agency's decision to support the development of space hub Sutherland is key to meeting those aspirations, although that is not the only spaceport consideration in play as people will well understand. A total funding package of £17.3 million will be invested in the site. Highlands and Islands Enterprise are working hard to deliver on that ambition in partnership with Lockheed modern space systems and with Orbex. As a market for small satellites continues to grow, solo demand for launch facilities, with sites in the western Isles, the Shetland Islands and at Presswick, all interested in developing space-related launch activities. Just on Friday, my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity signed the Heads of Terms for the Ayrshire growth deal. That includes support for the aerospace and space programme that will benefit from up to £30 million of Scottish Government investment, with partners up to £80 million in total investment. The aerospace and space sector employs more than 4,000 people in Ayrshire, and we have ambitious plans to help to double that. The minister will know that during the Second World War it was the largest airstrip in Europe and it has great facilities. What assessment is the Scottish Government made of that? As I said earlier in my speech, the Scottish Government and our agencies are very keen to hear from any business or opportunity to benefit and help to grow and develop the Scottish space sector. I would be very interested in exploring that discussion further. I know that work has been done across a range of opportunities for launch sites, and I believe that that was one of the ones that has been included in earlier reports. I am very willing to talk to the member about that separately. As I said, there are more than 4,000 people in Ayrshire in the aerospace sector, and we have ambitious plans to double that. Investment is secured through the Ayrshire growth deal that will deliver space for infrastructure to support the ambition of establishing a horizontal launch facility at Presswick airport, including commercial space and transport infrastructure. I will also support the creation of an aerospace and space innovation centre, which will be a central hub to encouraged growth, supporting aerospace and space businesses in Scotland and the UK. Developing launch facilities opens the door to a whole range of new business opportunities. Already we have Orbex opening its new rocket manufacturing facilities in Forrest, and I was delighted to be there at the formal opening of their launch vehicle development and manufacturing facility last month to hear about their plans to employ around 150 people on the site. To see the prime rocket itself, an impressive piece of engineering, a carbon fibre structure, a 3D-printed engine, and running on low-emission fuel. Other rocket research and manufacturing businesses are already based in Scotland, including Skyrora, which I mentioned earlier, and I thank them for bringing the black arrow back to Scotland. The Shetland Space Centre is also developing proposals for ground station satellite tracking facilities, which could also support launch facilities. Scotland is the data-driven capital of Europe, as we know, hosting the largest centre for informatics in Europe, and having more than 170 data science companies. The downstream use of space data is supporting a diverse and growing range of services, including bird eye based in Glasgow, using space-derived intelligence to monitor global construction, and trading space also in Glasgow, developing new financial services, with data collected by satellites making peer-to-peer trading fairer and easier. Econometrica, GSI and Carbomap, all based in Edinburgh, and others are monitoring the earth's forests and crops and tracking the impact of climate change. AstroSTAP, based in Musselborough, is helping people to understand the planet while aiding disaster response, and SOCSA, the Scottish Centre for Excellence in Satellite Applications, based at Shathley University, is helping to develop smart, connected fish farms. However, there are still challenges ahead, as with every sector that industry is concerned about the potential impact of the UK's exit from the EU. Companies are particularly concerned about the potential for a research funding gap to emerge. Any agreement with the EU on science and innovation will need to reflect the priorities and strengths across the whole of the UK, including in Scotland, and we fully expect the UK Government to engage effectively with us on that. It is a challenge for our ambition to start launch of small satellites in 2021 as a need for launch operating companies and launch sites to have operating licences. The UK Government has said that the required secondary legislation should be in place by the end of 2021 and has confirmed that any site that can meet the safety and regulatory aspects of space flight would be eligible to apply for a licence to establish a spaceport. Our ambitious plans for the space sector need strong leadership to succeed. Political leadership, public sector leadership and business leadership. We are working in partnership with the Scottish Space Leadership Council, which includes representatives from all parts of the space sector, from potential launch sites, satellite manufacturers, businesses engaged in data analysis and academic partners. Together, we will deliver the aspiration to grow the Scottish space sector into a £4 billion industry by 2030, and we will seize the opportunity to make Scotland the leading space nation in Europe. I move the motion in my name, and I comment on the amendments. The Government will support the Conservative and Labour amendments. We will not support the Lib Dem amendments, not because we are opposed to enterprise zones or their application in the sector, but we are awaiting a review from the Scottish Enterprise into the effectiveness that will inform our future decision. The Scottish Conservatives welcome today's debate on the Scottish space sector. We believe that Scotland is in a unique position to become Europe's leading commercial space nation, and grasping this opportunity should, I believe, unite all MSPs across the chamber. The Scottish Conservatives welcome the funding from the UK Government that is boosting Scotland's space industry and ensuring that Scotland is a world leader in research and development. We also support the partnership of Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the UK Space Agency in delivering the first spaceport in the UK. As our Highlands and Islands MSP, I am delighted that Sutherland will lead the way in the UK's first spaceport. I am also delighted to be opening for my party today because it means that I will be able to make the case for Sutherland before John Scott makes the case for Pressway, and Tavish Scott builds on the article that he wrote for the papers today about the suitability of Shetland. However, we are under no illusions. All the sites have merits, and all the sites can deliver for Scotland. Joking aside, the simple truth is that I believe that every MSP would like to see their constituency or indeed region reap the benefits of the space industry and what all that it offers. I firmly believe that every region, as I have said, has something to offer, and this should be celebrated by everyone. My initial position to support Highlands and Islands brings me into conflict of who to support whether it should be the spaceport in Sutherland or Tavish Scott's recommendation about Shetland. However, I do not believe that it should be either or, because I think that there are opportunities not only for vertical spaceports that we have heard about but also for the horizontal ones that I am sure that we will hear about. However, we are not in Scotland just capable of launching rockets, although we can build them too. In fact, Scotland builds more spacecraft than anywhere else outside California, and that is something to be proud of. It is a remarkable success story for Scottish manufacturing. Scotland is leading the European space race, because not only can we design and build and operate, but we will now be able to launch spacecraft. I believe that the UK has the right business environment, the right industrial capability and also blessed to have the right geography to succeed. As my amendment sets out, it is important to recognise that this success is underpinned by a UK Government that is making the right choices in supporting the space industry. Firstly, the UK Government Space Industry Act 2018 allows for commercial operators to launch flights into orbit with payloads such as satellites or scientific experiments. Secondly, the UK Government's industrial strategy includes support for a £50 million programme, known as Launch UK, to support small satellite launches and suborbital flights. Taken together, the Space Industry Act and the UK industrial strategy make Scotland the best place in Europe to start and grow a space business. The economic potential is huge, as we have heard. I want to mention that a bit more. Satellite launches could be worth up to £44 billion to the UK economy over the next decade and contribute to the UK Government's aim to grow our share of the global market to 10 per cent by 2030. Choosing Sutherland as Scotland's first spaceport must be just the start. I will excuse the puns—there are just about two in the speech. While that might be just one small step for the launch of the UK programme, it could be a giant leap for the Highlands economy. Lockheed, Martin and Orbex have already signed memorandums of understandings to use the launch site, and it is anticipated that there could be up to six launches per year. It is expected that the Sutherland spaceport will create about 40 highly skilled jobs in the area, and HIE estimates that that figure could multiply to 400 jobs by 2023. That is a really positive impact, which will spread across a wider region, too. We have already seen Orbex looking to base its mission control and design hub in Forrest and Murray. That is important. Overall, that crucial investment in Sutherland and across the Highlands could not come at a better time for the region. There is a real need, I believe, for high-skilled stem jobs in the area, and the growth of the space industry has the potential to soften the negative impact of the dune ray being decommissioned. That brings me to my final point. It is vital that the investment in the space industry is made to work for local communities. It is fair to say that the plans for Sutherland spaceport have divided opinion in the communities of Melnus and Tongue. I believe that the appropriate channel to support or oppose the development is through the local planning system. I have always been clear that I strongly believe that that planning system should decide locally on the decisions, and that should be honoured by the Government. I believe that the communities will see the benefit, because the space industry is a lucrative business. The growth of the industry, I believe, could work for local communities, not only in the Highlands, but across Scotland. I excuse that my second pun now comes to infinity and beyond. That is the prize that is within touching distance, I believe, for Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. We are leading the way in cutting-edge commercial space technology, and the opportunity is there to launch an estimated 2,000 satellites by 2030. By making the right choices now, we are giving Scottish businesses a head start in the European space race. I would like to say at the outset that we as a party are looking to support the Labour amendment, but we are also slightly concerned about the Liberal Democrats amendment, and we look forward to the explanation of those enterprise zones being fully explained during this debate. Scotland is well placed in the space race, and I believe that it is a race that we can win. I hope that all across the chamber will join me in supporting it, and I will move the amendment in my name. Thank you very much. I now call on David Stewart to speak to remove the amendment in his name. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I warmly welcome the Scottish Government's initiative to debate the Scottish space sector and with perfect timing appearing during Science Week. I am sure that that was well planned, Minister. Labour will be supporting the motion in the name of Ivan McKee. On 9 July 1962, a Thor Delta rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral, and on board was the United Kingdom's Aerial 1 satellite, which not only made the UK the third country after the USA and the old Soviet Union to operate a satellite, but launched the UK's space industry. That industry has developed a point of which, in 2014, it contributed 11.8 billion to the British economy and supported 35,000 jobs according to the UK Government figures. Just as it was a satellite that began the UK space industry, it is the satellite that will allow the UK Government to secure its ambition of a space industry that will be worth, as we have heard, £40 billion by 2030, which will represent 10 per cent share of the global space industry market. A first step towards that goal was the UK Government's announcement that tended to develop a single site as the UK spaceport. In July 2014, a shortlist of potential sites was announced, with a view that the chosen site would be up and running by 2018. The original shortlist of eight was reduced to five, which included three sites in Scotland, in Prestwick, Campbelltown and in the Western Isles. In May 2016, the Department of Transport wrote to the spaceport bidders to inform them of their decision to end the bidding process and to move towards a licensing model. In previous debates, I have supported the case for the selection of Campbelltown Airport for a horizontal take-off spaceport, but I also recognise the great strengths of the other locations in Prestwick, in Shetland, in the Western Isles and in Sutherland. In the intervening three years, since my original member's debate on spaceports, there has been substantial developments. For example, the UK Space Agency, the UKSA, announced financial support last summer for a high-back scheme to launch satellites in the Mernist Crofters estate in Sutherland. The board of high, as we have heard, has approved £17.3 million to support the project, which includes UKSA's £2.5 million, high's nearly £10 million and £5 million to be stopped from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. However, the high board approval depends on the identification and delivery of local community benefits. However, the space ham Sutherland would be vertical take-off, and, as we have heard, would aim for six launches annually, the first in 2010. High director David Oxley stated that the jobs target is £400, with the aim to send 2,000 small satellites into orbit by 2030. As the minister said earlier, start-up firm Orbex has already opened a basin for us with the promise of 40 jobs this year and plans to expand up to £150. Professor Malcolm McLeod, the director of the Scottish Centre for Excellence in Satellite Applications and a UKSA board member, said that we build more spacecraft than anywhere outside California. We have more frequent access to space than anywhere in the world, and we are almost certainly going to have the first spaceport in Europe. Effectively, there is a gap in the market. In Scotland, we design, build and operate spacecraft. We can exploit the data that comes from them. The gap is the ability to launch, as spaceport would solve that problem. Lockheed Martin, speaking at the last CPG in aviation, raised a few key issues for the future. First of all, will the UK Government provide a liability cap for launch activities? That might be clearer from the publication of the secondary legislation linked to the 2018 Space Industry Act. The other key issue is the commercial viability of the first European small satellite launch-on-demand service. There is intense competition across Europe, and it is crucial that the UK gets there first. The prize is immense. Oxford Economics carried out an economic impact assessment for the UK satellite launch capability. They said that it would add £2.5 billion to GDP and sustain 375 jobs, but the largest gross value added at 63 per cent will be in Scotland, as we will house the launch site. Scotland, in general, and Hines and Islands in particular, have a comparative advantage in terms of location. It provides access to synchrotys and polar orbits, which are effectively low altitude orbits, which are both well suited to a wide range of commercial and other satellite applications. In my view, it is vital that Scotland does not miss this important opportunity. Throughout history, Scottish scientists and engineers have been in the vanguard of innovation and discovery. From James Watt, the Godfather of Industrial Revolution, to Robert Watson Watt, the inventor of radar, from Wilming and Al Flemming, an early astrophysics pioneer, to James Clark Maxwell, who worked at the composition of Saturn's Rings over 120 years before a space probe studied them. Space technology can offer economic, strategic and inspirational gains. As the writer Arthur C. Clark said, the inspirational value of the space programme is probably of far more importance to education than any input of dollars. A whole generation is growing up, which has been attracted to the hard disciplines of science and engineering by the remands of space. Will it not just the people today to get behind this project but to those yet unborn? We can build up this great legacy and grasp this opportunity to be the forefront of space technology, or we can choose to be left behind. Space technology offers a new frontier for Scotland. Now we just need to boldly go and deliver it. I move the amendment in my name. Thank you very much. I now call on Tavish Scott to speak to move amendment 161.2.1, Mr Scott. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. The space race is indeed on. Scotland has a location versus European and worldwide alternatives. It is not just about whether Scotland can be the location. The important thing to recognise in there, as I am sure that Mr Stewart does, is that Andoia in Norway, the Swedish Government and the Portuguese as Oars are all competing to be the first launch vertical site across Europe. Launching small satellites can happen here, but launch will depend on being first to market. The market stress is the important aspect of this industry, which will invest £1 billion per year every year in the coming decades. That is why the Shuttle Space Centre, Shuttle Islands Council and our industry partners will deliver a ground and data centre in Andoia this year and a launch facility for small-scale satellite markets by 2020. As a director of a company, it is an incredibly exciting project, a project developed by private sector investment. Shuttle understands what industry needs and when. We have been doing that with oil and gas for the last 40 years. Andoia in particular deserves economic support and a vibrant future. Shell flew fixed-wing and helicopter oil transfers from Baltasand airfield to the East Shetland Basin until the late 1990s. In 2006, NATO closed down their Saxaford radar. Those decisions halved down its population and was a huge blow to the Islands economic future at that time. I want to reverse that, as does our council, as do our partners. Nothing will stop that objective. That includes The Netherlands Enterprise in Inverness. High authored the SEPTA report. It is an authoritative assessment of the small-scale satellite space market and where a UK launch site should be situated. That report established that the best location of a vertical launch in the UK is Unst, because it is the furthest and most northerly point. Yet High, for reasons that I do not understand, refused to publish that report. Shuttle obtained that report not from the Economic Development Agency of the Highlands and Islands, but from the UK Space Agency. High has not been working to help Shetland on launch ever since, and I do not understand why. High should adopt a fair approach of encouraging all options, as the minister and Mr Stewart rightly said. Ministers should adopt a level playing field on launch sites to ensure that Scotland delivers against this European competition. That is what, to answer Mr Mountain's question, is behind my amendment. All areas of space activity need Government support to compete, not with each other, but with a worldwide market that exists. Enterprise areas could be established to bring in business. That would be a signal that Government is taking an even-handed approach to the market and supporting all of Scotland. I hope that the minister would accept that logic in his closing remarks, and the Tories might accept that, too. Unst is the right location for space. Why? Because a rocket-blasting off for months crosses only sea, not west of Shetland oil fields and installations or the Faroe Islands. I also have a copy of the Sceptre report. Although it says that the Shetland Isles is the best location to launch from, as he said, the trajectory avoids the populations in the Faroes in Iceland, it does, however, say that a remote island location would be more logistically challenging than a mainland site such as the Moin Peninsula, and that is why that was chosen to be supported. Mr Scott, I will give you your time back. Gail Ross might accept that, if that argument was followed, we would have never built the Shetland oil terminal. We would have never built the total gas plant, which has just been built with $4 billion of finance. We would not have engineering companies like Summa Jay and so many others who have been based in Shetland for the past 40 years. So I understand how high running down Shetland and arguing in the way in which they have been that we cannot do things in Shetland. We do not have engineering companies and we have not had oil and gas for 40 years. The evidence is rather to the contrary of that. As anunch launch directly reaches polar and sun synchronises of orbits, as David Stewart rightly says, that is what industry needs. Anunch does it directly, no other site does that. The parallels with oil and gas are resonant. When the vast East Shetland basin was discovered in the 1970s, the industry needed the nearest point of land for a terminal that became Sulunvo. Once again, with space, industry, not public agencies, will choose their preferred location. That is why Arianne, the European space monolith, is partnering with Shetland to design and build the launch facility. I am grateful to the First Minister for her discussion with our partners in Arianne when she recently met the company in Paris, as they explained to the First Minister, Unst is the best location in Northern Europe. It is why commercial satellite businesses across Scotland are the kind that the minister and others have described have been to Unst and want to launch from Unst. It is why Gunheilian Cornwall, UK Earth Observation Centre, will partner with Shetland. Their chief executive says that it is obvious that Shetland is recognised as the best location by key launch companies. It is why the policy of the UK Government and their regulator, the UK Space Agency, all support launch options right across the UK. Being no doubt, Unst will be the centre of this exciting new industrial future and for Mr Mountain it will be the final frontier. Please move your amendment. I do not want to take any more of those satellite and astronomical quotes, but I am going to get more. I now call Clare Adamson to be followed by John Scott for minute speeches in the open debate. I beg your pardon for something that I have done wrong. Sorry, you jumped the gun. I did not get it wrong. I beg your pardon, my fault. Oh, that is such a change. I call Clare Adamson and then the former deputy, Presiding Officer, John Scott. Is she no better? Thank you, Presiding Officer. I declare an interest and I will not be arguing for the space sport to come to my constituency this afternoon. Although I do say that Mother Olmysha has a great tradition of engineering and science and a wonderful college, I would welcome any of the new businesses in this area to come to investigate that in Mother Olmysha. Last week, I was delighted to attend the celebrating EU researchers nice, hosted here by Lewis Macdonald. I certainly hope that it will not be the last time that we are able to celebrate horizon 2020 projects in this area. It was explorathon who were there. Seven of our world-class universities have shown off some of the work that they are doing and funded by the European Commission. It includes the University of Strathclyde, and I was delighted to meet Peter McGinty, network manager for the Stardust project. It is a project involving asteroids and space debris, and it is devoted to mastering the techniques that are required to monitor asteroids and space debris, managing the removal and deflection of them, and to explore the possible benefits from moving them to exploit them as a resource in the future. The Stardust Consortium is a collaboration of universities from across the EU, and private investors are seeking to ensure an ethical approach to space exploration that embraces reusability, reusable components, and manufacturing that will limit debris in space and allows to limit the potential risks of asteroids and man-made space debris. It was a fantastic project to see. If we want a timely reminder of what space debris looks like, we have the Black Arrow R3 outside. I thank you for working with Skyroda to bring that to the Parliament today. The Stardust Consortium is a truly visionary project that exemplifies the potential for Scotland and our universities to lead in this new industry. In 2016, the OECD, Directive for Science and Technology and Innovation, produced a policy note on space and innovation and on how space activities relate to the global economy. The note states that the three overarching thrusts that are driving innovation in the space sector up until 2026 are the persistence of national security and science objectives, with ever more countries investing in space programmes, the expansion of down-street space applications and the pursuit of human space exploration. Not surprisingly then that government funding is key to this sector, but at that time the UK had one of the lowest percentage shares of GDP being spent in this sector—just 0.05 per cent of the research budget, in comparison to 0.1 per cent for France—double what the UK was doing at that time. Since then, the business enterprise research development statistics show that Scotland is investing in R&D in this area, investment that is reaching—particularly impressive—over £1.2 billion was spent in R&D businesses in Scotland last year. It is a sizeable 13.9 increase in real terms from 2016 and a 93.6 per cent increase when compared to 2007 levels. The bird expenditure in Scotland was £1.247 billion, the highest level since 2001, and the UK expenditure increased by 2.9 per cent in real terms in this period, as compared to 13.9 per cent for Scotland. It is an area that we can lead in. We can boldly go on to be world leaders in this. Space is the final frontier, and whether it is space debris or landing on Comet 6.7p, Scotland can lead the way. John Scott, who is followed by Kenneth Gibson. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. May I begin by saying what a pleasure it is to take part in this debate about Scotland becoming Europe's leading space nation? I also say that it is a pleasure to do so following the signing last week of the Ayrshire growth deal at the Ayrshire College, when £80 million was allocated to the aerospace and the space programme, with £32 million being allocated by the UK Government, £30 million being allocated by the Scottish Government, and £18 million being added to the total by South Ayrshire Council. I say thank you in my old fashioned way to each of those agencies of government for the massive level of support. Presiding Officer, Presby Airport, with 880 acres of land and its unique natural and geographical attributes, has a bright future and enormous potential. Of still greater importance to Ayrshire and particularly South Ayrshire is the almost 4,000 largely MRO jobs supported by the aerospace sector in and around the airport. The concept of a spaceport at Presby would build on and from the solid foundation. Companies such as Spirit employing over 1,000 people build 65 leading-edge wings per month for airbus and are involved in pioneering use of composite materials. BA systems design the aeroplanes of the future and are involved in helping to develop a new horizontal launch reusable spacecraft, while companies such as Chevron are seeking more hangar space to refurbish aircraft from many of the world's major airlines. Ryanair, UTC, Woodward and G Caledonian support over 1,000 jobs, with 800 jobs at Nats. There is a genuinely world-class hub of expertise in and around Prestwick. Prestwick seeks to be part of the growing small satellite space industry, which is expected to be worth £3.8 billion to the UK by 2030, as Ivan McKee has already said. Prestwick is the location of choice in the United Kingdom for horizontal launch spacecraft with cleared airspace all the way to the North Pole. That is why the allocation of £80 million to Prestwick Airport last week is so important, as it and other funds that are available will allow the airport to make the necessary modest infrastructure improvements to make horizontal launch possible from this site and, in particular, gain the necessary CAA certification, as well as host the Scottish Space and Innovation Centre. Of course, Scottish Conservatives welcome the vertical launch site to be built in Sutherland, but the big prize in this field will go to those using reusable horizontal launch vehicles, at a location supported by excellent road and rail infrastructure, as well as can-do companies that can design, build and repair anything that flies. Cleared airspace to the North Pole is another vital asset of the Prestwick site, and one of its local companies is very much involved in the new space races orbital assets, led by Stuart McIntyre, grandson of group captain McIntyre, one of the founders of the airport in 1935. In addition, Glasgow, Strath Glide and the University of the West of Scotland are all involved in the development of the spaceport, and they also support cloud space and other Glasgow builders of small satellites. I congratulate those hugely successful pioneers and market leaders in the development of small satellites in the west of Scotland. Horizontal satellite space launch may be just around the corner at Prestwick, where it is hoped that the operational model and business case for horizontal launch will be in place by October this year. When that happens, the world will once again take note of what Prestwick can deliver, and it is my hope that this type of cutting-edge industry, along with the others already on site, will attract further investors to Prestwick and Ayrshire. Presiding Officer, the Ayrshire growth deal has come at exactly the right time for the development of Prestwick, and it is an opportunity to be seized with both hands, as I am certainly will be, with both Governments, three councils, three universities and the Ayrshire College, as well as the people of Ayrshire, all working together in a collaborative way to make this a success. Thank you, Presiding Officer. As a 13-year-old, my friend Colin and I would catch the bus into Glasgow city centre and visit the old spit-and-saw-dust bay horse pub. Over a coca cola, we watched the original. Only to my mind, Star Trek, our mother's addiction to coronation street denying us the chance to see such a magnificent programme at home in a nearer before catch-up DVD and even video, although I know that for you, Presiding Officer, it was the invention of the talkies that changed your world. Anyway, while watching fleshy-flashy Captain Kirk, Mr Spock bones in the gang, we escaped the reality of the Cold War and a hot conflict in Vietnam, travelling to a future three centuries hence where Captain Kirk almost got the girl and the nations of the earth had set aside their differences, abolished poverty, racism and conflict to create a multi-ethnic, indeed multi-species United Federation of Planets, exploring the universe with astonishingly advanced technology. In the mid-70s, Apollo was winding down. However, we looked forward to humanity landing on Mars by 1985, Moonbase by 1999 and our species fulfilling its destiny and reaching for the stars along before now. But sadly, you cannae changed the laws of physics, as ScotI chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise said, and the invention of warp drive, moving fast on the speed of light, still eludes us. So I take my hat off to those space pioneers who still look upwards and see humanity reaching beyond the confines of our beautiful planet. Today we had a wee glimpse of our current involvement in space with Skyrora, bringing the black arrow to Parliament and I thank you for that, Presiding Officer. Back in October 2016, I strongly argued for Presswick to be the UK's first spaceport, since then Presswick has worked with partners to make a horizontal space launch from there a reality, moving towards a licence application, with one of the longest runways in the UK over 2,980 metres that frequently handles the largest aircraft. Already a NASA partner, Presswick is hygiene, health check and rehabilitation facilities for astronauts returning from space via Kazakhstan. With the space industry set for rapid growth, we have a tremendous opportunity for the earth to become a hub for commercial space flights. That would showcase Scotland's already world-renowned skills in engineering and science, propelling us into developing the next generation of space-related industries, and in Scotland we already have 18 per cent of all space-related jobs. Some of the largest global aerospace companies are already at Presswick, including VAE Systems, GE Caledonia and UTC Aerospace Systems, Rudward International Inc and, as John Scott indicated, Spirit Aerosystems, which alone employs around 1,000 at Presswick. Scotland's achievable share of the global space market is £4 billion by 2030, and Presswick will be vital to this, offering the UK's first horizontal launch facility low-cost regular access to space and providing full services to the sector. Not only the space industry will profit, we will have more spending power in the Ayrshire economy from spaceport workers and increased tourism, bringing further benefits. Ayrshire already has huge appeal because of our beautiful coastlines, golf courses and rich heritage. The spaceport will build on that. Prestwick is one of only two tier 1 UK airports that are able to take aircraft in the case of security emergencies, as well as being a search and rescue base for HM Coast Guard. A further advantage is that it is proximity to two hospitals within 20 minutes' drive. Glasgow, home to some of our nation's finest university graduates, research teams, innovative companies and over half of Scotland's aerospace workforce, is with an hour of Presswick, along with 8,000 engineering undergraduates. Central road and rail services make it simple for equipment and materials to be transported and to attract specialist staff. Thanks to the SNP Government, there has been more than £150 million invested in Ayrshire's further and higher education infrastructure over the past five years, and £62 million in support from the Scottish and UK Government through the Ayrshire growth deal was agreed just last Friday, along with £18 million from South Ayrshire Council to support the space and the aerospace industries at Presswick. Presswick has been a centre of aerospace excellence for over 80 years, and today it continues to go from strength to strength. I am afraid that you must conclude— No, you must conclude— Strength and technology and engineering— Conclude. I am sorry. You make an ageist comment to the chair. You cannot expect me to be sympathetic. Sit down, please. I now call Daniel Johnson to be followed by Gail Ross. Presiding Officer, I was going to begin by calling you rocket lady, but I think that I would dare not do that. However, I think that it is an important debate for a number of different reasons. First of all, this is clearly an opportunity for the Scottish economy and one that we need to grasp. More importantly, I think that it is one that, as the Government motion rightly identifies, builds on the strengths that we have in Scotland. I think that, as Scots, we are sometimes too slow to recognise the strengths that we have. I think that it is important that we identify them. However, most importantly, I believe that this is an opportunity for us to talk about the cool stuff that we have seen on recent visits in and around our constituencies. Let me begin by doing just that. I was hugely excited to look at the NASA robot Valkyrie that is based at the Informatics Department at Edinburgh University. It is a 1.8-metre humanoid robot that has been donated, gifted by the Johnson Space Centre to the University of Edinburgh, so that it can help them to develop the control systems and other technology that is required to develop this robot, a robot that has been built to look at how robots can be used in space exploration. Robots in space do not really get much better than that, although I have to admit that, when I come home from work at the end of a day like that and describe what I have done, my wife does ask me whether I have a real job. However, it is hugely important that we look at those things. A number of years ago, people had talked to me about spaceports. I would have thought that they were talking about them most wisely rather than somewhere here in Scotland, although I would not dare to describe either Shetland or, indeed, Sutherland as a hive of scum and villainy, even if that is how Obi-Wan Kenobi might have described such a place. I will not embroil myself in that particular space war, but the fact that Scotland builds more satellites than anywhere else in Europe or outside of California is remarkable. The way that the space industry has changed in terms of the entrepreneurialism and the real opportunities perhaps most conspicuously by people such as Elon Musk and SpaceX and the fact that we can take advantage of those opportunities here in Scotland is hugely exciting. Scotland is truly a centre of excellence for technology and engineering. Indeed, I was very pleased that the minister highlighted the activity that is taking place in Edinburgh in my constituency in the Royal Observatory. There, we have the Higgs Centre for Innovation in the UK Astronomy Technology Centre very much at the forefront of the development and investment in SME development in terms of space opportunities. In particular, the recent funding for a sprint, which is the national space sector catapult centre to Edinburgh University, which just occurred in August 2018, is hugely welcome, enabling us to draw down on the many important factors that we have here in Edinburgh—data science being one of them, but also the data infrastructure and the opportunities presented through the city deal. We also have a number of other things occurring in Edinburgh University such as the orbital, microsystems and so on. More broadly, we need to look at how technology will change our industry and the nature of employment. The space sector is just one of those opportunities, and it is vitally important that we focus on the investment and support that is required to take advantage of those opportunities. My one final comment is that in these days, it is almost impossible to ignore Brexit, but I think that the true cost of Brexit is the distraction that it is from the real focus, which should be opportunities such as this, so that we can develop our economy for the future and make sure that Scotland is at the forefront, both of technology and of developing jobs for the future. I thank you. I call Gail Ross to be followed by Dean Lockhart. I also thank you for allowing me to leave right after my speech as I have other business to attend to and apologies for those whose speeches I will not be able to enjoy. As the MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, it is no surprise that I am able to support one site for a spaceport. A few years ago, someone who shall remain nameless whispered to me at the end of a meeting in Caithness, what do you think about launching rockets from North Sutherland? At that time, I must admit that it seemed like a bit of an impossibility, because what on earth could this little piece of the highlands possibly offer the multi-billion pound space industry? How could we ever get this off the ground? I move forward to 2018, and I find myself on Good Morning Scotland explaining how a remote peninsula in North Sutherland could become the first vertical launch site in Europe. The grant award from the UK Space Agency of £2.5 million, along with £9.8 million from HIE, giving a total of £17.3 million to one of the most remote, rural and fragile areas in Scotland, and that is not with the private investment of Lockheed Martin and Orbex. Sutherland is one of the areas set to be hit by the closure of the Dunry nuclear power plant, which is the single biggest employer on the north coast, and it is predicted that its population will fall by at least 11.9 per cent by 2041. It is imperative that we do all we can to create opportunities to keep young people and families in the area. In this, and in many more regards, the announcement of the Space Agency grant funding, along with HIE and Lockheed Martin and Orbex, is brilliant news for my constituents and wider Scotland. With the run-down of Dunry, that will provide confidence to my area that other industries will and can move into the area and offset the impact that the closure of Dunry will have, and especially on those people who want to remain and work there. The Cathness and North Sutherland regeneration partnership is recognised as a great way of working. It has been supported from its inception by the Scottish Government, and I feel that it is now time for us as a Scottish Parliament to show that we are looking to support the area as a whole. Following the award of the grant last summer, Highlands and Islands Enterprise is developing the proposed spaceport at Sutherland, which could create 40 jobs for the local community and hundreds more in the wider supply chain. Orbex has already announced plans for their base in Murray. There are also opportunities for Inverness, the Western Isles and Argyllin Bute, and Shetland has also signed an agreement to establish a satellite tracking and communication centre in Unst. I was happy to hear that Local Member Tavish Scott confirmed that that is indeed going ahead of pace, and it just goes to prove that by working together as Team Scotland we can see rewards for all of those areas. Our proposal will give the opportunity to grow for people to grow their skills within the sector. Businesses in the supply chain will benefit and it will attract tourists who will bring their hard-earned cash to spend, enabling more small and medium-sized enterprises to flourish. The UK Government is working at pace to develop the detailed regulations to implement the Space Industry Act 2018, and HIE continued to support a range of organisations that are interested in establishing space launch services. In conclusion, the project is an absolute lifeline for my constituency, in one of the most remote, rural, economically fragile and demographically challenged parts of Scotland. We must get behind it and show North Sutherland that they are not forgotten, and to show the world that this little piece of the Highlands is indeed open for business. I am pleased to contribute to this important debate on a significant and fast-growing sector of Scotland's economy, although I am a bit disappointed that all the good quotations on space have already been used by other members. We have heard that the space sector offers the prospect of high-value jobs and a boost to the Scottish economy. The sector has grown at an average of more than 8 per cent every year over the past decade, and average wages in the sector are four times the national average. Over and above that, the space sector will deliver much wider advantages in the fields of transportation, energy, the environment, information technology and industrial productivity. The good news is that Scotland is uniquely positioned to lead the UK's commercial space sector and become one of the leading pioneers in Europe. We welcome the fact that both the UK and the Scottish Government recognise that potential. As the UK astronaut Tim Peek said after his voyage in 2015, we need to give our industry a chance to develop. If we are not involved now, then we are simply going to miss the boat. Responding to the challenge, the UK Government's industrial strategy has set the ambitious target to increase the UK's share of the global space market from 6.5 per cent now to 10 per cent in the next 10 years. The UK industrial strategy is also positioning spaceports across the country to access the global market for launching small satellites worth £10 billion. Scotland is benefiting significantly as a result of those investments. As we have heard, 18 per cent of UK employment in the space industry is in Scotland. Last year, the UK Government announced more than £31 million of funding for the UK space sector, which includes, as we heard earlier, support for the Sutherland spaceport, creating hundreds of new jobs and considerable economic benefits. Initial funding of £2.5 million has already been allocated to develop the vertical launch site in Sutherland, and it is going to use innovative rocket technologies to pave the way for a world-leading space flight facility. Commenting on those investments, Lockheed Martin has highlighted that the UK space agency's strategic vision for a world-class launch market will position the nation for a very bright future. In addition to those investments, the UK Government, working together with the Scottish Government through the Ayrshire growth deal, has committed to developing Prestwick airport as a horizontal take-off spaceport and a new aerospace and space innovation centre as part of a sector-leading cluster. As John Scott said, that investment will bring about a transformational change to the future of Ayrshire's economy, and that is something that quite rightly has cross-party support in the chamber. Another crucial area in which the UK industrial strategy is delivering is in the field of satellite technology, which has recently received investment of over £50 million. That is already an area in which Scotland leads. We have heard that Glasgow companies produce eight satellites every week, and those firms have welcomed the new investment in Scotland. Commenting on the future of the space satellite industry, Clitespace has highlighted that having a spaceport located in Scotland will bring about a whole host of commercial advantages not only to the satellite operations in Glasgow but to the entire space sector across the UK. The space sector offers a significant opportunity for Scotland to develop and lead in a vital industry for the future. The best way of doing that will be through close collaboration with industry and research partners across the UK. The UK industrial strategy provides the scale, the expertise and unparalleled levels of research and development that can help Scotland to reach our full potential in this area. I encourage the minister and his colleagues to fully realise the opportunities that work together with the UK Government and to take advantage of the scale that the UK industrial strategy will provide. I support the amendment in Edward Mountain's name. Thank you very much. I call Stuart Stevenson to be followed by Colin Beattie. Mr Beattie will be the last speaker in the open debate. For this debate, I think that two obvious questions come to mind. First, why Scotland and second, why space? The answers are really quite obvious. Why Scotland? Well, we have a long tradition of engineering and invention. Many of the technologies that we use today are possible because of that history. David Stewart referred to James Watt to introduce the steam engine to our industries. John Logie Baird invented the television. Indeed, he demonstrated the first colour television in the late 1920s, not long after the first black and white television. We also had from Ken Gibson reference to Montgomery, Scott of Star Trek, but he failed to provide the quotation that the actor James Doohan, who played Scotty, when asked by the director of the film what nationality he thought the engineer should be, simply replied, all the world's best engineers have been Scottish, and that is why Star Trek had a Scottish engineer. So why Scotland? Well, Scotland continues to punch above its weight. We all know that. We have referred to many of the companies in the west of Scotland, Spire, which have been blown away by the first-class employees that they can attract in Scotland, and that is why Glasgow is the European headquarters. Now, why space? Space represents an infinite possibility or near infinite possibility. In financial terms, we have heard of the value of the industry now and the expectations that it will triple in the lifetime of many people who are here today. Capturing just a little bit of that cake would be extremely valuable to us in economy, growth, in well-paid jobs and, indeed, in developing new technologies and owning the intellectual property here to provide enduring income streams. The public sector has its role in providing the consents and the infrastructure both at UK and Scottish levels. Of course, there is a bit more to it than simply that. Space has softer power that we need to recognise. Sputnik 1 went up on 4 October 1957 as a demonstration of Soviet power, and Sputnik 2, with the first stint mammal, Lyca, a dog on board, went up precisely to align with the 50th anniversary of the Russian revolution in what was then, on the old calendar, October 1917. It actually went up on 3 November 1957. It is a matter of soft power as well as hard power, but we need to look beyond ourselves and look at what we can be rather than what we are. I simply love what is on the side of the Taj Mahal, where Shadrhan's quotation is, happy are those who dream dreams and are prepared to make the sacrifice to make them come true. Well, we have dreams for space, but we have the means, not needing great sacrifice to make them come through. I think that Tavish Scott made a very important point. He said, we should be first, and space illustrates that. Who was the second woman in space? The answer is Kondakova, where I remember Valentina Tereshkova was first, but second we don't remember. Who was the second American to orbit the earth, where I remember John Glenn who was the first, but Gus Girsum we may not, and who was the second Soviet? He was Titoff Gagarin, of course, where I remember. We moved to the closing speeches, Mr Beattie. I am of an age to have been brought up hearing the immortal words in my ears, beam me up, Scotty. Space may be our final frontier, but the galaxy is no longer far, far away. Scotland is the opportunity to be a leader in the ongoing reach for space, and we can become a significant force in the context of space advancement and industry for years to come. Scotland has already begun the push to develop itself as a leader in the reach for space. In a 2016 London economics report entitled Development of the Scottish Space Industry, it states that it is imperative to first consolidate and maintain the strong existing base of the Scottish space industry and economy. In order for Scotland to become a market leading space cluster, a strategic focus on one capability, market or infrastructure needs to be identified, and all development effort needs to be focused on establishing Scotland as a global authority and centre for that activity. Scotland's key to the development of the UK space market, the report went on. The UK space innovation and growth action plan from 2010 defines a target for the UK space economy to capture 10 per cent of the global market by 2030. Scotland may be regarded as a location-based space cluster supported by a range of institutions, policy measures and other infrastructure characteristics backing the industry by means of a range of activities, including network and industry coordination, business incubation, technology funding, business and industry promotion and research and education activities. There are some countries in Scotland who are already reaching into space, and recently I had the opportunity to visit Skyrora's new production facility in my own constituency of Midlothian North and Musselborough in Mlonehead. Skyrora is an Edinburgh-based launch vehicle company that leverages proven space technology to provide a cost-effective and reliable launch service for satellites from Northern Scotland, in line with the UK Government's aims to capture a larger share of the global space market. Attracted by proximity to future launch sites and customers, as well as the ability to gain access to universities and benefit from the long-standing engineering heritage that our country boasts, Skyrora opened its first Scottish production facility in Mlonehead. Evidence that it is already adding value to our economy, and its statement is that we aim to develop the Scottish space ecosystem to reduce the cost of access to space, allowing all of society to reap the benefits that space data can provide, ranging across every sector imaginable. Skyrora has successfully launched Scotland's first ever commercial rocket last August 2018, and plans to launch a further three test vehicles within the next year, building up to its first orbital launch in the early 2020s. They have no doubt that Scotland is the ideal place to conduct such activity as they push forward with their plans to solidify their position as the UK's most advanced satellite launch vehicle company. That space-focused company is investing in Scotland, and choosing to invest in space will have diverse long-lasting positive effects on the Scottish economy. The London economics report stated that Scotland's space industry is significant, and it leads the line globally in the nascent field of nanosatellites. The close proximity to launch facilities will make the logistics of launch significantly easier. That will reduce the need to piggyback off larger satellites launched into geostationary orbit. According to Skyrora, Scotland builds 40 per cent of the world's smallest satellites and 25 per cent of the world's telecom satellites, but it lacks the capacity to launch them into space. Scotland has the opportunity to be a leader in the on-going industrialisation of space, and as we invest in local resources, our economy will be strengthened and will become a powerful force in the context of space advancement and industry for years to come. Let us make the choice of continuing to invest in the development of our space sector. The real message of this debate is for Kenny Gibson not to insult the Presiding Officer in future, so that he can continue to make sure that he can finish his entire speech group, which we are all gleefully waiting for there. Since we are doing history, the 21st of July this summer will be the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. I took my family some years back to Houston on holiday for reasons that I will not bore you with or to do with friends in the south-west of the United States. The host family took us to mission control in Houston, and I do not know whether others have been to it, but it is well worth a visit. It is, of course, space history, but why does it bring back some memories of watching those things when some of us were rather younger and smaller than we are now? Just three points I want to stress in reflecting on the contributions that have been made this afternoon, Presiding Officer. The first, and Stuart Stevenson mentioned it, is that Scotland needs to be first. I do not apologise for making this point. My concern is not so much what goes on in Scotland. My concern is the competition that exists across Europe, the amount of money that, for example, the Portuguese may pour into the Azores. They are also trying to catch Orbex. They are also working hard with some of the other companies that have been mentioned in this debate. We are not the only ones here who aspire to provide the services and, indeed, the locations that the launching companies need. On the satellite companies, I think that a number of members have made eminently sensible observations about the scale of that industry, the spin-outs from universities, the excitement that that creates, the benefits particularly for the teaching of STEM subjects in schools and the excitement that that creates in physics and chemistry departments where teachers can now see a way in which they make real why young people, young girls and boys would take physics and chemistry courses in our high schools. Space can do all those things. It so reaches some of those points. To make it even stronger, we have to make sure that we win the launch. Personally, I believe that there will be more than enough business for more than one launch site across Scotland. John Scott made a very persuasive case about Prestwick. Our people have certainly talked to many of the companies that he mentioned. The interesting thing about horizontal launch—I agree with his analysis, of course—is that, in order for horizontal launch to drop the rocket safely from the underneath and the belly of the aircraft, it has to get into northern airspace in order to do that, where there is nothing that in simple terms it can drop it upon. That is why the ground station in Shetland, the ground station that will exist in the Faroe Islands—I have no doubt that it will also be in time—fairly further around the north of the Arctic Circle. It will all be part of that international network. Every time—and Stuart Stevenson's—I do not mean this in a derogatory sense, but Stuart Stevenson is rightly looking at his mobile phone at the moment—I am told that every time between getting up in the morning and getting to work for most of us every day, we will have used 23 separate satellites. The minister rightly said that these are not Cape Canaveral satellites. They are the things that the size of the fold is sitting on Mr Stevenson's desk. An awful lot more of those are going to go up into space, and weak Scotland not only designs and builds them, but in the future can undoubtedly launch them and can then recover them as well. Briefly, yes. I'll give you a little extra time. Does the member recognise that becoming the space dustman also is a commercial opportunity? We could spend an afternoon on that as well. That's an entirely fair point as well. My plea to the minister to conclude, Presiding Officer, is just that there should be what I hope will be a level playing field that all flowers can flourish, that Scotland does indeed build this great industry. I think that there would be absolute cross-party support for that, but we're all allowed to get on without people getting in our way. We make sure that the industry, wherever it exists in Scotland, both in academic terms but also in sheer commercial terms, because the commercial markets, the real bit that we want here, can benefit for the future of Scotland, and that includes, no matter where it is, whether it's Sutherland, Unst, in Penicook or where else, it needs to happen as quickly as we possibly can. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The debate provided an opportunity for some light-hearted banter. It would appear that we're all trekkies now, but it is a serious debate. We have to look at the advancements in technology that have made talking about spaceports possible. It's absolutely incredible that this has happened, and we need to make sure that we're ready for them. I think that Tavish was talking about using mobile phones. I was telling my mother last night what we're going to be debating today, and she said why. I said, do you use your phone? She does, so she's going to benefit from that, too. I was slightly disappointed that the Scottish Government said that its ambition was for one spaceport in Scotland. As we've heard through the debate, there are two kinds of spaceports that we could have—a vertical and horizontal launch pads. I would like to see the Scottish Government being a bit more ambitious to make sure that we have at least two. I wasn't clear enough, but the Scottish Government is keen to encourage anyone coming forward with a spaceport proposal. That will be considered by the agencies that are supported on its merits, and that goes for vertical spaceports and horizontal spaceports, and we are keen to have as many spaceports as we can sustain in Scotland. That was a welcome intervention. We need to make sure in the Parliament that we unite to ensure that this prize comes to Scotland, and we need to be careful about wasting too much energy fighting with each other for where the spaceport will be based. As a Highlands and Islands MSP, I know that all the potential spaceports in my region would bring a great economic boost, and it's very much needed in those areas. I'm sure that that's true for the whole of Scotland, when John Scott, Kenny Gibson and among other members, made strong pleas for Prestwick and Ayrshire. That's why the Lib Dem amendment is important, because what it does is to provide assistance to all the areas that are looking to develop spaceports. That will ensure that those developments come to Scotland, but it also allows all the areas that are interested to benefit in some way from that and to develop centres of excellence for themselves. It's not only the jobs at the launch site, but the jobs in manufacturing and central services. Having a spaceport in Scotland would help to encourage all areas of Scotland to welcome the industry to set up shop there, so I think that it could provide a number of centres of excellence. David Stewart told us that in Scotland we design and build and operate spacecraft, but at the moment we have nowhere to launch them. That is a very important step that we need to take to make sure that we fit the bill for all aspects of the industry. The very nature of the work means that developers are looking at rural areas. I'm sure that that was the case when space travel first began. The fear that something could go wrong and therefore launching out to sea means that there's less chance of damage if something does go wrong rather than risk a satellite falling out to ground in a built-up area. I'm sure that very quickly those concerns will be overcome, but in the meantime I'm happy to have an industry that's looking at rural areas. That was strangely true of Dunrae as well. It was built away from centres of population and rumour was that the plan was to roll the reactor into the sea when we were finished with it, so it's maybe fitting that the Sutherland spaceport is developing, is developed on the same north coast as Dunrae was. There was a point made by Gail Ross that with the downturn of Dunrae having the spaceport in Sutherland would be a much needed boost to that area, as it would be for others, I'm sure. We also need to look at the skills and knowledge that we have and to encourage young people to take up STEM subjects and to look at the technology and robotics that we need to develop this industry. David Stewart said that the space innovation is actually attracting young people into STEM subjects. I hope that that's very much the case. Daniel Johnston talked about the University of Edinburgh and the very interesting things that they're doing with space robotics. Again, I think that that emphasises that this is just not for one area of Scotland, regardless of whether you are beside the spaceport or not. There is work there that we can develop and just because of our proximity within the country, I think that we can all make the most of it. The minister in his opening speech talked about some of the things that we could develop as part of that, things like solar energy in space and access to minerals in space. I would just voice a note of caution to close. We need to be very careful how we exploit space. We need to make sure that we don't wreck havoc there, some of that havoc we have wrecked on earth. We have to be much more gentle with our interventions in space. Thank you very much and I call on God let us close the Conservatives. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. That goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one that we are unwilling to postpone and one that we intend to win and the others too. Those are, of course, the words of President John F. Kennedy as he attempted to persuade the American people about the Apollo programme. It captured the public's imagination not only on that side of the Atlantic but also around the world. Putting a man on the moon did once embody what we thought of as a space project. However, as we have heard today, it has become about much more than that. With the data coming from satellites that we send into space and news here in the chamber, including Stuart Stevenson, on our mobile phones. Scotland is uniquely positioned to make the most of this, because, as JFK's quote states, it organises the best of our energies and skills. In preparing for today's debate, it has been quite eye-opening to understand the extent of Scotland's readiness to embark on this mission. Indeed, I think that the minister himself, in his opening speech, Colin Beattie and others throughout the debate, have commented on this. That is not only in terms of the geographical advantage that we hold for horizontal and vertical launch to reach highly sought-after orbits. I think that that is technical language, certainly not language that I am familiar with myself. Leaders in the sector, including Nick Allain of Spire Global Designs, have been quoted this afternoon saying that Scotland's access to manufacturing and engineering expertise, as well as its world-class universities, has been the attraction for businesses that are setting up in Scotland, meaning that Scotland now manufactures more satellites than anywhere outwith the United States, and Glasgow is building more than any other European city. That Scotland punches above its weight is evidenced by the fact that, as we have heard, our proportion of jobs in the UK space industry is double that of our proportion of the UK population as a whole. We have heard this afternoon about the importance of the west and the north of Scotland in our space sector. However, I would also take this opportunity to comment on the growing role that has been played in this very city of Edinburgh. The space economy relates not just to the traditional view, as I have indicated, of the space sector in terms of manufacturer launch and operation of space assets such as satellites, but also the use of signals and data supplied back to Earth from these assets, including for Earth observation imagery. Edinburgh's place as part of the space economy, in spite of the fact that I do not think that it was mentioned by my colleague Edward Mountain in his opening speech, is an important one. For example, the international centre for Earth data was set up last year jointly by a team from the University of Edinburgh and satellite technology provider Orbital Microsystems. It will use data to improve forecasting of weather across the world, use in a number of sectors, including agriculture, aviation and shipping. Edinburgh is ideally placed to make the most of this opportunity, taking advantage of its excellence in data science and geoscience that can maximise the derived value from Earth observation satellite data using the latest data techniques. That reputation will only grow as Edinburgh's city deal, utilising funding from both the United Kingdom and Scottish Governments aims to train through Edinburgh and Harriet Watt universities 100,000 data scientists and foster 400 data-enabled startup companies in the next 15 years. As organisations and public bodies understand the usefulness of this data in areas that range from the monitoring of crop yields to pollution, we have made it clear on those benches that the potential for Scotland is to lead the UK's commercial space sector. Given the ambition that the UK Government has in this area, it is an exciting prospect for Scotland. The Scottish Conservative amendment to today's motion welcomes the Space Industry Act 2018 and the investment of £50 million by the UK Government to support small-scale satellite launches and suborbital flights from UK spaceports. Both of which arise from the ambition contained within the UK Government's industrial strategy, which is intended to increase the UK's share of the global space market to 10 per cent by 2030. As we have heard, the Space Industry Act lays the foundations to allow commercial operators to launch vehicles and payloads into orbit from UK soil. That was swiftly followed by an announcement that Sutherland was selected by the UK Space Agency to be the first spaceport in the United Kingdom and, indeed, in Europe, backed up by £2.5 million of UK Government funding, bringing about 400 jobs to the region by 2023 as a result of those launch activities and attracting further investment and talent to the area. The spaceport will, of course, be utilised to launch into orbit the small satellites that are rapidly being manufactured in Scotland. Both the manufacturing and launching of that hardware that we have heard could be worth £3.8 billion to the UK economy. With the downstream use of data taking place in cities such as Edinburgh, Scotland is real end-to-end or, I think, the meaning of that phrase, that may just be youth speak, beginning-to-end capability, which includes the design, the manufacture, the launch, the operation and utilisation of the data that is all taking place here in Scotland. In summing up the future prospects for Scotland's space industry, I will round up by quoting another American president, Richard Nixon, who said, "...the sky is no longer the limit." Having said that, budgets are limited, and we will not be supporting Tavish Scott's amendment for the Liberal Democrats as it provides no explanation of costing or what is intended from the enterprise zones that I think he is quite interested in himself. I close with that remark, Deputy Presiding Officer. I was not quite sure when JFK's quote began and ended, but I do not think that he said that I am not being supporting Tavish Scott's amendment. I am sure that that is not the point. Ivan McKee, please, to close for the Government Minister, please, to decision time. It has been a pleasure to take part in the debate this afternoon. A debate that featured three Scots, not just Dot, John and Tavish, but also, of course, Montgomery. I think that it is clear from the debate today that everybody who took part was very serious about our ambitions for Scotland's space sector, and it has been running through a few of the comments that were raised. Daniel Johnson and Gordon Lindhurst talked about the great strengths that Edinburgh brings to the party, not putting in a bid for a launch site like many others were, but talking about the data science strengths. I think that when we run this forward over the coming decades, the people who are working on data science are probably those who are going to get the biggest financial benefit from the space sector in the coming decades. John Scott and Kenny Gibson talked about Ayrshire and Presswick, and the Scottish Government is keen to support that. I was intrigued by Kenny Gibson's time machine, although I did not get to hear the take-on-back to the Bayhawse in 1919, whenever it was, of course. John Scott, thank you for taking the intervention minister, and you speak of big data. Would you like to speak a little bit about the additionality of the Ayrshire growth deal and the data centre that was announced in the Ayrshire growth deal, and how that will also benefit and make Presswick another reason for it being the location of choice? The Ayrshire deal, which John Scott mentioned, supports the creation of the Aerospace and Space Innovation Centre, which will be a central hub to support and encourage growth, support aerospace and space businesses in the area, and I think that that will contribute significantly to Ayrshire in this sector. Dean Lockhart mentioned the UK industrial strategy, and I would like to make it clear that every opportunity that I encourage businesses, universities and others across all sectors to make bids into the industrial strategy fund to make sure that Scotland gets at least our fair share of the money that is available to develop the various sectors in Scotland. I think that it is worth talking about a point that Clare Adamson raised, and I would like to thank her for explicitly not putting in a bid for a spaceport, which was very welcome. The fact that she has talked about space debris and the opportunities there opens up another area, which was also touched on by Rhoda Grant. It is important that we respect the environmental aspects of that, be that in space debris, be that in the design operation and the types of fuel that is used in launch vehicles. Those are also generally opportunities for commercial development, as Clare Adamson highlighted. I think that one of the very important issues that came up in the debate was round about inspiration. David Stewart and Rhoda Grant both talked about how we will leverage space or a massive space to inspire young people to get involved in STEM careers. This morning, I was at a data-fest event with the primary engineer, the City of Glasgow College, and the Data Lab Innovation Centre. A number of primary schools were talking about what they were using and putting forward some sort of composition. Ms McKeith, please, just stop for a moment to sit down. It is getting loud again. I say this every time. It is not fair to members who have been in the debate, nor is it to the minister for you to chat. Minister, please, let us hear what the minister has to say and the members who were in the debate who are interested. If you are not interested, just sit there and be quiet. A number of primary schools were there to present a competition about how they were using data. It was very impressive the way that young people were using spreadsheets and analysing data, but, clearly, I made the point to them. One of the big future uses of data will be space. I think that I have encouraged the industry to proactively raise its profile in schools and encourage young people to get involved in studying STEM and STEM careers. I am using the hook of the space industry as an attraction. I would like to talk briefly about the enterprise zones that have been raised by Tavish Scott and in the Lib Dem amendment. As I said in my opening statement, I think that enterprise zones are certainly something that we are looking at, but I do not want to commit at this stage because the Scottish Enterprise review is under way. That will be considered in the round to see what the evidence says in terms of where those areas are best deployed and in which sectors. I am sure that it has been struck by the energy and enthusiasm of everyone involved in the sector across public and private sectors and in the chamber this afternoon, with everyone showing willingness to take innovative approaches to new challenges. It is important to remember that we have already got more than 7,500 people employed in Scotland's space sector. We are already the largest producer of small satellites in Europe, as a number of members have mentioned. It is also true to say that we probably know more about what is happening in space at the moment than we do about what is happening on planet Brexit, but that is another story. Those are real achievements that are creating jobs in real wealth for Scotland. We will build on our existing strengths to deliver full end-to-end space sector capability in build, launch and operation. We will encourage investment in the sector to realise its full potential for Scotland. We are already attracting world-leading companies to all parts of Scotland, and we want it to be clear that Scotland is not just involved in the space sector but is a global leader in that sector. Our ambition, as the First Minister has clearly said, is for Scotland to be seen as an inventor and a producer, not just a consumer of goods and, in this case, space services. That is perhaps true nowhere more than in the fast-growing space sector. We aim to capture, as a number of members have said, £4 billion of space-related business in Scotland by 2030. By the size of that prize, it is in our reach. It is not surprising that at its fierce competition, as we witnessed this afternoon, with members clearly passionate and adored. I thank the minister for giving way. I wonder if he might reflect on the need to focus on consolidation. We have seen flurries of activity like this in the past, where there has been spin-outs from academic work, only to see that to evaporate such as the computer industry in the 1980s. Is that a point that should be addressed in the strategy on the issues that he was raising just there? I think that that is an important point. As any sector evolves and develops, we have a flurry of activity at the start. I think that it is not the place of government to say who the winners and losers are going to be. That will happen through a process of merger and development. I think that it is hugely encouraged that there are so many start-ups, and I think that we will watch that process closely to see that it evolves. However, at the moment where the early stages and the more businesses that start up with great ideas are better, that is to be encouraged. We are already seeing economic benefits flowing from developments in the space sector. The Orbex rocket factory in Forrest has been mentioned and I visited that factory myself. Colin Beattie has mentioned Skyrora in its new rocket facility in Lonehead, Scotland now with two rocket manufacturers based here. The major investments at Presswick that we have mentioned with ambitions for the first horizontal launch facility and the aerospace and space innovation centre, Shetland Space Centre's plans for satellite tracking facilities and, of course, for vertical launch facilities. The Western Isles aspirations for vertical launch, Macrohanish, which we have spoken about as well. The small satellite manufacturing cluster that has gone from strength to strength in Glasgow, the space data applications businesses in Edinburgh but also across the country, and there are no doubt many others. Our enterprise agencies are ready willing to support viable business proposals. The Scottish Government, working with the industry leadership council, is looking at what else we can do to further support the sector, including, as I mentioned, the review of enterprise zones. Our ambition is to have at least one spaceport within Scotland, with the growing market for launching small satellites expected to grow to 2,000 by 2030. There could indeed be scope for many more. We need to ensure that Team Scotland prevails, with public and private sectors working together to deliver our ambitions for the sector. What a great ambition it is to have a fully integrated space sector. Building satellites, building rockets, launching satellites, gathering and using that data from those satellites. Scotland may be a small nation, but we are open, agile and flexible. We are already punching above our weight globally, and the rapidly growing global space industry now is the time for us to step up, seize the opportunity to make Scotland Europe's leading space nation. That concludes our debate on building on Scotland's strengths in technology and engineering to become Europe's leading space nation. The next item of business is consideration of parliamentary bureau motion 16365 on approval of an SSI. Can I ask Graham Day in behalf of the bureau to move the motion? Move, Presiding Officer. Thank you very much. That question will be put at decision time to which we are about to come, but I believe that Mr Brown may wish to ask a point of order. Keith Brown. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I wish to raise a point of order on what I believe was a false statement made by James Kelly today at First Minister's Questions. He stated that the budget agreed recently by this Parliament has resulted, among other alleged results, in the ending of support for the citizens advice bureau in Clutmanushire. Presiding Officer, I am aware and have confirmed that Clutmanushire Council has provided exactly the same funding as part of this year's budget, as he did last year. I am also aware that the leader of Clutmanushire Council has written to James Kelly confirming those facts, and I am also aware that the manager of the citizens advice bureau of Clutmanushire has written to the council thanking them for their support. There can be two possible explanations for this statement from James Kelly. The first is that, in researching the position in relation to his statement, he has followed the same contempt for the actual facts that he and his party leader and his party have demonstrated at every budget with no facts, no proposals, no effort and no credibility. The second is that James Kelly made this statement in full knowledge of the actual facts, merely in order to scare voters in my constituency, many of whom will vote in a fortnight and a council by-election. That can be the only explanation for previous statements made by James Kelly and, indeed, by Richard Leonard, asserting that the council proposed to close two schools, which remain open. I would be grateful for your ruling, Presiding Officer, and I respectfully request that James Kelly is given the opportunity to correct the record in the same public forum that he made his false statement this chamber, and I believe that he should confirm which of the two explanations caused him to make this statement, offer an unreserved apology for having got his facts so spectacularly wrong, and an apology to those of my constituents that he had needlessly made apprehensive by his deplorable statement that the vital and excellent services provided by Club Manager Council's Citizens Advice Bureau might be jeopardised. It would appear for mere party political advantage. Thank you very much, Mr Brown. I can also thank you for giving me advanced notice that you intended to raise a point of order. I am sure that Mr Kelly will be aware of the remarks that you have made, and Mr Kelly will be aware, as all members here will be aware, that if anybody believes that a statement is inaccurate, a mechanism exists to correct the record. We will move on now to decision time. There are five questions today. The first question is that amendment 16312.2, in the name of Edward Mountain, which seeks to amend motion 16312, in the name of Ivan McKee, on building on Scotland's strengths in technology and engineering to become Europe's leading space nation, be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are. We're not agreed. We'll move to our division. Members may cast their votes now. The result of the vote on amendment 16312.2, in the name of Edward Mountain, is yes, 79, no, 21. There were no abstentions. The amendment is therefore agreed. The next question is that amendment 16312.3, in the name of David Stewart, which seeks to amend motion 16312, in the name of Ivan McKee, be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. The next question is that amendment 16312.1, in the name of Tavish Scott, who seeks to amend the motion in the name of Ivan McKee, be agreed. Are we all agreed? We're not agreed. We'll move to division. Members may cast their votes now. The result of the vote on amendment 16312.1, in the name of Tavish Scott, is yes, 19, no, 81. There were no abstentions. The amendment is therefore not agreed. The next question is that motion 16312, in the name of Ivan McKee, as amended, on building on Scotland's strengths in technology and engineering to become Europe's leading space nation, be agreed. Are we all agreed? We're not agreed. We'll move to vote. Members may cast their votes now. The result of the vote on motion 16312, in the name of Ivan McKee, as amended, is yes, 79, no, 21. There were no abstentions. The motion as amended is therefore agreed. And the final question is that motion 16365, in the name of Graham Day, on approval of an SSI, be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. That concludes decision time. I close this meeting.