 The next item of business is a debate on motion 9340, in the name of Liz Smith, on prioritising Scottish tourism. I would ask those members who would wish to speak in the debate to please press the request to speak buttons, and I call on Liz Smith to move the motion up to seven minutes. We are remarkably privileged to live amongst the landscapes of Scotland. The beauty of our dramatic scenery, the rich diversity of our cultures, our history and our ancient monuments and our sporting attractions are just some of the reasons why visitors want to come here. Yes, it's true that visitors can also encounter some difficulties with the weather, usually, and the perennial challenges of our midges, but tourism is in our DNA. The sector is not only essential to our global appeal, but it is the prerequisite for rebuilding our economy and stimulating economic growth, and how much we desperately need that growth given the Scottish Government's current balance sheet that the finance committee was scrutinising yesterday. We should never forget that the overwhelming number of tourism enterprises are small businesses, just like the real food café in Tindrum, whose owner was in touch with me this morning about the hospitality and limited project. Small businesses that are always the backbone of any economy, 96 per cent of the sector, according to the most recent statistics, but make no mistake, this sector feels so badly let down because of the Scottish Government's failure to prioritise its needs, most especially in the rural and island areas. Mark Rothall said a couple of months ago that the industry is experiencing the double whammy from inflation and policy pain that is adding costs to which we put many out of businesses altogether, and he went on, and I quote, this is entirely the wrong time for the Scottish Government to be piloting policies that will do limited good and risk maximum harm. Just at the weekend in the Herald, the owner of a self-catering cottage in the western Isles, previously an SNP member, apparently denounced what he described as the perfect storm of SNP policies that could potentially mirror the demographic consequences of the clearances. Yes, I will. Keith Brown. Can I thank Liz Smith for taking intervention? She listed a number of things in her motion which she says are down to the SNP. In that list is she any space for the energy costs, the interest rate rises, the inflation or the effects of Brexit, or do those not matter? Liz Smith. I think, Mr Brown, I am on record in this chamber of having spoken several times about the effect of Brexit and the difficulties of the Labour spy, but I am not going to take any lectures from a Scottish Government which refuses to address the fact that within the healthy increase in migration to the UK, Scotland is hardly seeing any benefit, which begs the question as why people won't come here in the first place. Let's examine the elements of that perfect storm, and I want to start with infrastructure. The CalMac ferry disruptions and subsequent cancellations have caused between 30 and 50 per cent reductions in accommodation bookings for most of our islands. Whether it's communities in Mull and Iona, Arran, Lewis, Harris, South Uist, the list goes on. Ferry disruption has played a major part in disrupting the tourist industry, which I am sure is exactly why Alistair Allen was quite rightly questioning the First Minister just last week about the serious implications of these cancellations. There were demonstrations at Lockerboy'sdale just this weekend. Business leaders furious that there will be no compensation for the Scottish Government for all the disruption. Then there are the significant issues of the A9 and the A96 and the broken promises regarding the dueling of these critical road networks. Already the subject of so many debates and questions in this chamber. I'm not sure where Richard Lochhead is today, but if he wants to hear at first hand what the long-term effects are of this, he doesn't just have to listen to my Conservative colleagues who have been assiduous in highlighting the dangers of this issue for many months, perhaps years, but also to his own constituents, Highland Council, Transport Scotland and, of course, his own colleagues, Fergus Ewing and Emma Roddick, who know exactly what the effects are, not just on safety but on tourism across the whole of the Highland region. Other countries don't have to put up with this blight on our infrastructure and connectivity, and it's high time that the SNP Green Government recognised just how damaging the effects have been. But it's not just the weak infrastructure and connectivity that are causing problems. A third of Scottish Tourism Alliance representatives cited the short-term lit licensing policy as the biggest challenge. They have criticised the SNP Greens for failing to recognise the knock-on effects of self-caterers giving up their properties and leaving them lying empty on local employment, on the sustainability of small rural communities and in Edinburgh, where there are eye-watering fees being charged ahead of the festival and fringe, undermining the availability of accommodation. And all this when businesses are having to cope with inflation, high energy costs and the fall-out from the Scottish Government's chaotic deposit return scheme. The short-term accommodation association said that the introduction of the scheme could have lasting and damaging effects on Scotland's tourism economy. On top of that, local authorities will have the power to introduce a visitor levy. UK hospitality Scotland said that the introduction of the visitor levy will leave so many hospitality businesses frustrated yet again by other costs that will come in a sector that is so in difficulty. I won't, if you don't mind just now. Making Scotland uncompetitive in relation to the rest of the UK. Something we already know that is happening with general taxation. Fiona Campbell of the Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers condemned the visitor levy at the time when the sector was already being hit by what she described as a juggernaut of regulation. And it is that combination of regulation and red tape of increased costs and the failure of the Scottish Government to match the 75 per cent business rates relief that was awarded in the rest of the UK. Despite having the Barnett consequentials to do so, that is why it is causing so much concern. And we know too that along with several other sectors, tourism has made its views very well known about the general anti-business agenda of the SNP in Greens. Although I do think that the current minister is trying to address something. The Chambers of Commerce warning that the combined effects was that Scotland would become a less attractive place in which to live and work. I think that the minister will be well advised to listen to the concerns of the economy committee which wrote to the Scottish Government during the pre-budget process saying that tourism has obviously suffered a cut in cash terms of £51.2 million down to £49.4 million. At the very time when many new tourism enterprises in Scotland have the lowest survival rate. Presiding Officer, I return to my original point that a strong tourism sector should be at the heart of Scotland's DNA, but with this Scottish Government that is very far from the case. I know Richard Lochhead likes to tell us that he is a minister for tourism but the sector feels otherwise perplexed that this role has been subsumed into the more general portfolio of small business and innovation. Can I finish by calling on the Scottish Government to look at this whole issue again? It needs a blueprint to address deep city concerns and I move the motion in my name. Thank you, Ms Smith. I now call on Neil Gaye, Cabinet Secretary to speak to a move amendment at 9.340.2 up to six minutes please, Cabinet Secretary. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I move the amendment in my name. Presiding Officer, as Cabinet Secretary for a wellbeing economy and a proud orcadian I simply do not recognise the picture that the Conservatives through Lyd Smith have attempted to paint just now. The Government's track record on tourism is one of unwavering support and rightly so, as tourism is a dual in the crown of Scotland's economy, driving growth, creating employment and showcasing the beauty of our nation, as Lyd Smith rightly outlined at the start of her speech, our history, our culture to the rest of the world. I assure you, our Government recognises its significance and remains committed to supporting and fostering its success. First, let me address a claim at the end of Lyd Smith's speech that the SNP Green Government lacks a dedicated tourism minister. While ministerial titles change, our responsibilities are absolutely set. Placing tourism at the heart of the responsibility of the minister for small business, Lyd Smith herself recognised that the majority of tourism businesses are themselves small businesses, demonstrates and strengthens its position rather than diminishes it. I'll give it briefly. The tourist sector itself is complaining and feeling perplexed that there isn't a dedicated minister. I've spoken regularly to Mark Rothel and others in the sector about and reassured them. I think the engagements that Richard Lochhead has engaged upon since he's been appointed would confirm that reassurance, but it's not just Richard Lochhead that is leading so energetically as he is on this front. Other ministers across Government are engaged in tourism matters. I included within Cabinet pooling our expertise and resource to drive the industry forward. All signs suggest that this approach is working. The most recent figures from the Office of National Statistics released just last week show that there were 3.2 million visits to Scotland from overseas visitors last year compared to 3.46 million visits over the same period in 2019. This recovery of demand outpaces the rest of the UK, where the comparable figure remained 25 per cent below 29 figures, 2019 figures. Let me repeat that. As I think it confirms the strength of our approach here in Scotland, recovery elsewhere in the UK in 2022, 25 per cent below 2019 against us at 7 per cent below here. Furthermore, those figures show that spending from overseas visitors in Scotland has recovered to pre-pandemic levels already, with the sector spending of £3.2 billion in 2022, up 24 per cent in nominal terms on pre-pandemic levels. This is important as our tourism strategy Outlook 2030 is focused on tourism as a force for good with visitors who linger longer, contribute more and our strategy has social, economic and environmental sustainability at its core. There are also promising signs that 2023 will be another great year. With numerous businesses already witnessing strong bookings, increased investment flowing to the sector, the introduction of our new direct air routes and a lineup of unmissible events such as the highly anticipated world cycling championships, all indications point to another successful year ahead for Scotland's vibrant tourism industry, but we're not complacent and keeping peddling hard for success with the tourism industry for the people and businesses involved and its contribution to the economic growth here in Scotland. Championing a vibrant tourism sector is at the heart of our national tourism strategy, which remains highly relevant and influential even after the experiences of the last three years. This strategy was developed through close collaboration with the sector, ensuring it reflects our shared ambition to position Scotland as a global leader in 21st century tourism. To drive this vision forward, we have established the tourism and hospitality industry leadership group, and the purpose of the group is to provide strategic direction, ensure the successful implementation of Scotland Outlook 2030. Under the co-chairmanship of the minister, Richard Lockhead, the Scottish Tourism Alliance chief executive Mark Rothel, the ILG acts as a unifying force, guiding the industry forward towards recovery, sustainable growth and excellence, ensuring that the tourism industry is at the forefront of our well-being economy. Of course, that said, many of the most pressing challenges facing the sector lie out with the powers available to us. Keith Brown made a very salient intervention. An industry survey published on the 29th of May shows that high energy costs that need to cut that, the impact of high inflation and the impact of Brexit on labour shortages are all key issues facing the sector. That's the industry saying it for themselves. So we continue to call on the UK Government to use its reserve powers in a manner that supports, rather than hampers Scottish tourism. I'm really sorry, I'm in my final minute to conclude. In conclusion, I strongly reject the opposition's claim that this Government is doing anything other than supporting our Scottish tourism industry. Of course there are challenges, and not least the ferry maintenance, which I absolutely recognise, but our Government has consistently prioritised the tourism sector, recognising the importance of tourism to our economy and the wellbeing of our communities, making strategic investments in marketing, infrastructure and workforce. We have listened to the concerns of residents, businesses and industry experts, and we have taken decisive steps to address them. We have seen positive results with increased visitor numbers, economic growth, benefits for communities and enhanced international reputation. We're actively engaged in fostering the growth and success of the sector and we'll continue to work with them and our partners to develop a comprehensive blueprint for the future, ensuring that Scotland remains an attractive, welcoming, prosperous destination from visitors around the world, and realising our shared ambition to confirm Scotland as a world leader in 21st century tourism. Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, and I now call in Daniel Johnson to speak to and to move amendment 9, 3, 4, 0.1 up to 5 minutes, please, Mr Johnson. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I move the amendment 9. I begin by thanking Liz Smith and the Conservatives for bringing this motion because I think it is critically important. Tourism is a hugely important industry for this whole of this country and I think its impacts go far beyond the simple revenues and kind of narrow economic analysis that one might initially look to. But I would just say to the minister, I don't think this needs to be a contentious debate because I do think that Liz Smith brings up a number of points that are important to the industry, do need to be resolved, and even if you don't necessarily accept the entire characterisation, I think that there are some standard points, some of which I agree with some of which I don't, but I do think that they need to be addressed. That's very much the tenor I'm going to speak to in this debate. Ultimately, and I wasn't going to comment on this, in terms of a dedicated minister, I think that names do matter. I think that having tourism including the name I think does, and it may seem superficial, but I think actually it does at least send a signal to the industries, so I would just say that very gently. But overall, the reason I think this is so important is because I believe that we have a really distinctive and unique advantage in Scotland in terms of our brand, brand Scotland. We have an asset in this country in terms of its geography, its people, our culture, and that in terms of tourism draws here, but it's actually much part of something much larger. We have a reputation and renown around the world that doesn't just draw tourists, but it means that we don't need to introduce ourselves. People know Scotland. They understand the things that have come here. People are always interested when you say you're from Scotland. We have produce and provenance that is the envy of other countries, but I think what we lack is the sort of the coherence of bringing that together, which I think other countries have done more successfully. I think we all collectively need to focus on. Where there is Ireland to California, that combination of place, produce, reputation, people and culture from France to Tuscany, I think places like that are what we need to emulate and seek to copy it because I think we can. We have the elements and not only will that benefit tourism, but I think the tourism itself will act as a calling card for all our other economic interests, but make no doubt in itself tourism is a vital element of our economy. You only have to look around the streets of Edinburgh now just to see the vibrancy and indeed the revenue that tourism brings is vitally important. 209,000 employees, 8 per cent of employment in Scotland. 479,000 visits and let's not also forget that that's not just about international tourism, it's domestic United Kingdom tourism. 13.6 million overnight stays from 60 million day visits. This is all vital elements of our tourist economy, but we do need to concentrate on supporting the industry. This is an industry hugely impacted by Covid. I think many business owners were worried genuinely about whether they could survive to only be hit by a cost of living crisis and the way I've been putting this is that frankly anyone running a kitchen is facing a huge, huge barrier to the continued viability of their business. Bills increasing 5, 6, 7 fold and even despite the more recent declines the fact that as a fixed cost to those businesses utilities have gone from a mere percentage point or few to 10, 20 per cent that is unsustainable for many businesses but we also do need to look at specific policy measures. I think we need to revisit non-domestic rates. The reality is for hospitality businesses that non-domestic rates acts as a disincentive for investment. We need to address that. I understand Liz Smith's concerns about the visit to Levy. I disagree. I never notice paying it but what we do need to make sure is those monies are reinvested in the quality and fabric of our tourist centres and likewise I think we do need to urgently revisit the short-term issue. I supported tackling the numbers in my constituency alone. Airbnb registrations numbered some 3 per cent of all addresses but what we were brought in was a burdensome unnecessary regulation of something that wasn't a problem. Licensing wasn't tackling the number it was tackling standards in short-term nets no-one was talking about that before it was unnecessary legislation where the tail ended up wagging the dog and I believe my colleague Jackie Baillie will address that further Liz Smith raised around transport are vital because people can come here but if they can't get to the other parts of the countries if they can't get to the islands because the ferries aren't running if they can't get up the road because the roads aren't adequate if the trains aren't frequent enough to take them if the air routes aren't there to take them here and while there's been some improvement Glasgow is still significantly down in intercontinental routes then frankly our tourism will struggle so I very much support this motion I am this debate today but we need to help the tourism industry and help it to embrace the future and that's what my amendment seeks to talk about Thank you very much Deputy Presiding Officer Thank you Mr Johnson and I now call on Willie Rennie up to four minutes please Mr Rennie That was quite an impressive all round tour of the various issues of the tourism industry if I must say Daniel Johnson's contribution I think was the tenor in which we should try and approach this to be a success, there's no doubt but there are some really big challenges and there's lessons for the Scottish Government as well as lessons for the UK Government so I'm going to cover some of those but first of all I just want to pay tribute to those who are in the tourism sector it has evolved dramatically over recent decades from the castles, the golf distilleries, the festivals now to food towns and book towns the long distance travel routes the conference tourism that has really taken off the film locations in places like Falkland and my constituency with the Outlander Tour Mountain Biking which I visited the Mountain Bike World Cup I visited in Fort William last week thank goodness I'm not doing that kind of sport but it was really impressive and I'm looking forward to the world championships that are coming that I think will show off all the different parts of Scotland the cruise ships dramatically changed the nature of the tourism offer that we've got businesses cropping up in order to meet that demand the new venues like the V&A but also the national tapestry that I visited down in Gallashill just last week all of these things I'm sorry I've only got a short time all of these things are fantastic and it's a great tribute to those the entrepreneurs in the sector they're great assets but sometimes the government isn't really helping I'm afraid on the ferries I want to give credit to the government with the road-equivalent tariff because when I visited the western Isles I could see for myself the real benefit that it brought to the islands all of that they've been walloped I mean their business has been decimated you saw the anger at Loch Boyle's Nail at the weekend where effectively their business for June has just evaporated and it's a terrible treatment for quite a fragile community I'm sorry I've only got a short minute it's a very fragile community and the government have really got to understand and we'll cover this a bit tomorrow they need to come up with a compensation or we're just going to wipe away all the gains that the islands have had with the RET Historic Scotland why it's taking so long to do the surveys of the buildings to get these great assets opened up again is beyond me I cannot understand I know the arguments I know and he put safety first but this has taken so long to get sorted the A9, the A96 it's an insult to the islands they've been promised this repeatedly for decades and we've still not got there so we need to sort that toilets are really important they're really undervalued our big survey at the new year in 2017 there were 521 public toilets I was devastated to hear that's dropped to 355 last year you can just imagine what these elderly tourists are feeling like they're bursting to get the toilet and it's closed because the government have not funded local government sufficiently to keep these buildings open but things like the north coast 500 route development, fantastic development but the state of the roads the lack of public toilets but also the lack of campsites the locals feel really irritated by it of course they welcome the economic boost but the fact that the government haven't really matched that with the resources so all of this tremendous potential but the government haven't really matched it with the appropriate support I've got concerned about short-term lets like Daniel Johnson's had I have a nuanced position but there is a lesson from the conservative government they can't really complain about difficult economic conditions then allow Liz Truss to be in charge of the budget and also to have a really damaging Brexit thank you Mr Rennie and I'm reminding all members they need to press the request to speak button in order to be called to speak and on that note I call Rachel Hamilton to be followed thank you and I draw members to my register interest as a director of a small hospitality business in the boarders every year we hear the SNP promise improved relationships with Scotland's business community a great reset of government economic policy but it goes nowhere Sturgeon, Yusuf the SNP pursue the same anti-business agenda if the SNP value Scottish tourism and all the jobs that the business it supports have a very funny way of showing it they're making Scottish tourism businesses pay more tax than those south of the border they're introducing more red tape, more regulation they're even making it harder for tourists to visit parts of Scotland by leaving major roads uninvested the borders, the north east we've heard about it, no investment island communities without ferries on the purchase of a campervan the SNP have done very little for Scottish tourism they didn't even use the campervan perhaps a greens fancier trip a one way trip in the campervan as the economist said the country's political class has been on a long holiday but not in a campervan clearly on the campervan not just now thank you we could address some of those concerns to the Scottish Government Minister for tourism now there is no such post it's been demoted to a small footnote at the end of somebody else's responsibilities therefore it's somebody else's problem no thanks it is disappointing approach because tourism is an integral part of Scotland's economy and before Covid hit the tourism sector accounted for one in every 11 jobs and it's jobs like these are really important to rural communities such as my constituency in the border and it was a pleasure to visit an agri tourism business Benkhen farm on Monday where they are diversifying they are developing their farm cottages they are employing people they are giving walking trails to people who are visiting the area and also I visited the river tweed commission and one of the employees said that Kelsu is to salmon angling what St Andrew's is to golf and whether it's a river a farm a natural asset these fantastic events attractions and natural assets are so important to rural areas but the tourism sector is succeeding on its own they're succeeding in spite of this SNP Government while enterprises elsewhere in the UK benefit from the 75% rate relief the SNP choose not to match those for Scottish businesses whilst other Governments try to attract visitors the SNP want to bring in a tourism tax to hike the price of accommodation during a cost of living crisis while Scotland's tourism industry gets back on its feet after Covid the SNP bought in harmful short term legislation the member's got 50 seconds left so perhaps we'll be very brief and a very brief response so it is another SNP policy that according to the Scottish tourism alliance will do limited good and risk maximum harm the SNP will drive tourists and jobs they support away from Scotland with the hardline anti-business agenda the Government needs to stop talking about a reset with Scottish businesses and get on with it they can begin by abandoning short term legislation scrapping the tourism tax providing Scottish businesses with the same support as elsewhere in the rest of the UK ditching the independence minister bringing in a tourism minister and bringing forward an urgent blueprint to support Scotland's tourism sector thank you thank you Ms Hamilton I now call Keith Brown to be followed by Karen Mocken I was delighted to see that tourism was to be discussed in the chamber and then I saw the motion a misleading attempt to score political points to the expense of one of Scotland's most important industry sectors starts off with a false assertion continues to cherry pick problems and pretend that there can be simplistic solutions to complex issues worse still of course what we've heard trying to ignore energy bills trying to ignore interest rates trying to ignore the impact of inflation trying to ignore sorry I thought it was an intervention Jamie Halcro Johnston I thank the member for taking the intervention how important does he think that the ferries are for our island communities and other rural communities and does he take responsibility for his Government's utter failure to deliver those and the impact they're having on our sectors Keith Brown I would say I'm not on the Government but two words, Chris Grayling £14 million to the ferry company that had no ferries or the fact that in the Isles of Silly the Tory party no, no, I've got four minutes in the Isles of Silly two years ago the Tories promised to improve the ferry service had not put a tender out so far but trying to ignore the real impact of energy costs, interest rates, inflation Brexit on the tourism industry that's your real anti-business hardline agenda that we've been spoken about before in my constituency the Stirling and Club Manager city deal will see the Scottish Government invest £15 million to enhance the cultural heritage aiming to attract even more people from across Scotland as well as the UK and the world to a spectacular region now of course the tourism strategy from the Scottish Government was laid out in March 2020, March 2020 the month that the pandemic hit really hard I heard Steve Barkley the English NHS Minister on this morning saying that the huge waiting queues in the NHS in England were due to the pandemic which affected every administration around the world we hear no mention of that from the concern of a serious motion about the tourism industry in Scotland the figures show that the sector is recovering and recovering well returning to the positive growth figures that we were seeing pre-pandemic the Scottish quarterly GDP index for sustainable tourism which plummeted during the pandemic is now back to pre-pandemic levels and is now moving on an upward trajectory and indeed employment in the sector increased by 10.6% over the latest year and it's worth mentioning employment because we used to get a monthly bulletin on the word of the phrase celebrating every time the UK outperforms Scotland in terms of employment he's not said a word for the last few years last few months when Scotland's outperform the UK in terms of employment economic activity and unemployment so there is no room for complacency in relation to this but there's no place as well for a doom laden pronouncement it's a usual Conservatives talking Scotland down and in relation to the A9 the A9 was mentioned of course the first priority and as with the Labour Party certainly when I joined this Parliament was to vote for £500 million to be spent on the trams in Edinburgh that was their priority not the A9 or the A96 which this government has taken forward which previous Labour and Tory governments left in the abysmal state that we inherited I've said I'm not taking any more interventions the fact is at some parts of that route presents some severe engineering challenges everyone knows that especially those that use that what's not been mentioned in the Aberdeen western peripheral route the Borders rail the longest rail extension in the UK for a hundred years or also the Queensferry crossing or as was mentioned by Willie Rennie RET which had a massive impact in parts of the country so what the Tories should be facing up to is the fact that the two biggest on-going barriers to growth for the tourism economy in Scotland are entirely of their making the fallout from the feelings of the disastrous economic policies we heard about Liz Truss the effect of Scotland being dragged out of the EU against our wishes ending freedom of movement making it harder for visitors to come here and cause our major employment headaches for many sectors particularly it has to be stressed in the hospitality sector so the Tories are the ones that are undermining tourism industry in Scotland and at least the motion that they proposed should have acknowledged that Thank you Mr Brown I now call Carol Mawkin to be followed by Edward Mountain at 8.4 minutes I wish to begin by recognising the serious shocks and challenges our tourism industry has and is having to overcome from the pandemic to the subsequent financial pressures it has been an extremely tough time and we need to give the tourism sector the reassurance that it requires I wish to look at the reality for many working in the tourism sector it's one of low pay inconvenient hours and poor conditions despite the efforts of some such as Loving Wage Scotland and many within the industry the uncertainty that the pandemic brought will live long in the memory of those impacted the abrupt end to employment the living in fear about where the next pay packet may arrive and the concerns about whether food could be put on the table was too much for some and understandably we know that many did not return because often that sector feels a bit like that all of the time if we want a thriving tourism sector we need to support a well paid workforce and we need to value the skill and effort that so many put in to ensuring the sector continues to survive I know in the cabinet secretary's self congratulatory amendment today that he takes no responsibility for this Government's inaction in this area he is right to attack the Tories for the reckless decision making the dismal management of the economy and their failure to address problems linked to labour shortages however the reality is that it is this Government that has failed to connect a rural areas to our international regional transport hubs and his Government that has cut the budgets of local authorities meaning it is increasingly challenging to invest in local sites that are of interest to Scots and tourists alike Scotland's tourism sector has two Governments letting it down a reckless Tory one Westminster and I think often an incompetent SNP one here at Holyrood Scotland needs change I look to the historic area of Ayrshire in my south of Scotland region and I look at the beaches the castles and the museums and I love that Willie Rennie brought in some of the other aspects of tourism around food, culture, cycling these places are loved and are visited by many but they are inaccessible to so many others the poor connectivity, transport links and the investment that is needed at local community levels we are incredibly lucky to have so many historic sites villages, towns and cities a country with sites of interest in every corner which we do have a brand we don't need to market that brand it's there but we are falling short of the mark when it comes to supporting communities that support tourism offering strong career prospects to the sector and boosting that essential connectivity indeed it would be remiss of me not to mention the importance of properly supporting our rural college sector to show that we do truly prioritise our rural tourism sector where much of the training for that sector takes place last month I had the honour of visiting the Borders College Newton St Boswell campus where I heard from the staff and the students that are like expressing the severe and desperate challenges that we face in the colleges particularly in those rural areas who combined with the challenges linked to labour shortage the governments in action when our tourism sector in the rural areas is crying out for skills really is apparent these college sectors can help our rural areas boost our tourism sector and concluding it is right that we debate this topic this evening and as I mentioned that I understand the cabinet secretary it is will to focus on the shocking policies and decisions of the Tory Government at Westminster there is no doubt that their actions are having a direct impact on our tourism sector however what this Government consistently fails to recognise is it's own role in challenges facing many sectors in Scotland it's failed to face in local authorities Scotland needs change it needs change now Thank you very much indeed I now call Edward Mountain to be followed by Ivan McKee again I take four minutes Mr McKee Thank you very much I'd like to declare at the beginning my register of interest where I jointly own a fishery on the river spay which relies on tourism and contributes to the £20 million that's generated from fishing on space side alone Scotland's got a great story to tell when it comes to tourism we've got a sector that contributes £4.5 billion to our economy counts for one in 11 jobs £3.5 billion on eating and drinking that's the good news and let me just point out that it would only be a fool that would kill the goose that lays the golden egg and that's what we seem to be seeing this afternoon and that is extremely dangerous because what we're hearing from industry is things are going badly wrong we've heard from the chief executive for the Scottish Tourism Alliance who says that Government policies will do limited good and risk maximum harm now why would you do that why would anyone do that now some of the failings that we've heard about this afternoon are quite interesting we've talked about transport and we've got some great destinations up in the highlands and islands and we've got more luck people to come and visit them but they can't why can't they because there aren't any ferries or the ferries are delayed or they're broken down or there's a booking chaos and I'm really interested that Keith Brown sat at the back and made wouldn't comment on the ferries but the people that contributed to the fact that 801 and 802 weren't delivered on time and what islands would say what islands would say to you Mr Brown is shame on you because they're losing out Mr Brown I'll give a way to Keith Brown Does he accept there's been more investment in ferries by this Government than any previous Government and also the fact that the Government which he supports gave £14 million to a ferry company that had no ferries but what I will accept is the last ferry, new ferry that was delivered to the Scottish ferry fleet was in 2015 for goodness sake we're eight years on we need some new ferries get on with it you promised them us in 2016 now I know about businesses across the highlands and islands who are already cutting their commitments in 2024 about 10% of them are wondering whether they should still be in business in fact a lot of people are getting cancellations they cannot be guaranteed that people will be able to arrive on time what a sorry state of affairs that is now we've also heard today briefly about the A9 and I'm not going to reiterate it but I travel it twice a week I come down here and I go back on it and those tourists that use it to get around the highlands or up to the highlands will be as shocked as I am when you drive down it not only are there potholes in it but the driving and the standard of the road we were promised in 2007 we get an A9 it still hasn't been delivered now the other issue I want to touch very briefly on if I may is short term lads now we've had discussion about short term lads and we've seen that this government is going to legislate on it well I think it's a really bad idea in the highlands and islands because we rely on those short term lads to get tourists up there tourists who will come up and spend money in the local economy and it is the local government who have been tasked with sorting out the licensing scheme and they've only sorted out about a fifth of the applications that they've seen and since March this year some of the ones within Highland Council have been put on hold because it's too difficult to deliver well if the minister wants to stand up and tell me I'm wrong stand up and tell me I'm wrong if not I suggest that oh I'm in the last minute I'm sorry so not only it's a problem but short term lads minister I'm happy to discuss this afterwards with you is the fact that there is tourism tax being raised tourism tax will not work let me tell you the reason why it works in Europe is because there's a lesser rate of VAT so in summary what I'd like to say is to the government please don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg because that's exactly what you're doing at the moment thank you I know call Ivan McKee to be followed by Maggie Chapman thank you I'm delighted to speak on this debate on the hugely important tourism sector and it's important to recognise that the sector effectively is part of Scotland's export economy it really places Scotland's significance in the world and projects our culture values and what we have to offer the world and also the huge contributor to inward investment and to exports across other sectors not least of course our hugely vibrant food and the potentiality of the sector to Scotland's economy is significant and it's great to see the rebound of the sector post Covid in a better shape than the sector across the rest of the UK and Willie Rennie's world tour of Scotland was very great to hear those traditional and new offerings in the sector as it continues to modernise I think at the heart of that success has been at a government industry collaboration and partnership that stretches before my time as minister to Fergus Ewing before that as well I pay tribute to Fergus for working with the sector to bring forward the Scotland Outlook 2030 strategy which is something the whole sector has coalesced behind they talk about it relentlessly and everybody's focused on delivering all aspects of that for people, places, businesses and memorable experiences and the set up of the industry leadership group and it's great to hear the government carrying on with that work has allowed the sector to coalesce and take forward that strategy and some really serious thinking and work on how to deliver it into the future I'm delighted that fair work is a huge part of that and that Unite Hospitality Union are part of the industry leadership group and also sustainability net zero is an important part of the work of the ILG as well, in fact you can see within that sector the work that's been taken forward to deliver our wellbeing economy ambitions for the sector but it's also really important that it gives a lie to the comments in the Tory motion that the sector doesn't work with government and there isn't a very strong collaboration there but of course it is hugely important to deliver on that strategy going forward some more immediate challenges do need to be addressed some of these have been spoken about already cost inflation and energy costs a consequence directly of UK Government policy Labour shortage is largely a consequence of Brexit and the drying up of that Labour pool and skills are of course a central issue in the strategy for the sector regulation has been mentioned that it's hugely important part of the work with the sector on the transient visitor levy there's a real opportunity here to work closely with the sector at the outset to design something that works for the sector I know that the minister Tom Arthur very much understands that and is involved in that he can really show how to do regulation well if we get that right the value raised from that tax has to be used to support the tourism sector with investment and I know that there are still wrinkles in the short term like proposals I know that the Government is working hard to iron out those anomalies just one question for the Government I'm not quite sure now where the new deal business group subgroup on regulation interacts with the business regulation task force and interacts with Russell Griggs's regulation review groups of some clarity next together would be welcome investment in the sector and infrastructure support is hugely important as we all know Keith Brown has given some examples of investments that have happened already on our rail and road network around the country it's too easy to forget things that have been done in the past but of course we can't get away from the fact that more does need to be done road connectivity has been mentioned that it's hugely important that work on E996 is taken forward as soon as possible international route connectivity is important and I pay tribute to the work of Visit Scotland, SDI and the sector at a great meeting last night with the airlines in this regard more international routes are coming on stream but more are of course required an investment in marketing spend to support the sector internationally but of course it has to mention that reliability of connectivity is hugely important particularly to our islands and I know that the Government will work hard to make sure that that is addressed because the last thing we need is an unreliability leading to a tour operators delisting islands which has been turning away business and I look forward to it I now call Maggie Chapman to be followed by Christine Grahame a strict four minutes I'm afraid thank you Presiding Officer this Tory motion is a highly principled one unfortunately they are Tory principles it represents an attempt to enforce redistribution that is redistribution from the poor to the rich to ensure sustainability that is the sustaining of wealth and privilege and to embed wellbeing that is the being and doing well of corporations and elites as usual they have everything the wrong way round the purpose of an economy as the rest of us have realised is to enable wellbeing health, fair work, family life a clean environment and the exchange of beneficial goods and services it's only a few die-hards in possible fantasies of infinite growth on a finite planet and for the Tories it seems tourism is nothing but another extractive industry a kind of machine through which landscapes communities and ecosystems are chewed up to produce a dribble or better a torrent of profit for those who already own too much but the purpose of tourism from a human perspective is to enable people to rest to explore this amazing planet and the extraordinary histories of its inhabitants to learn about other cultures and their own to exchange friendships creative ideas and understandings to live better more gently upon our shared earth of course that needs businesses to provide accommodation catering and activities to enable experiences and encounters for people living locally and those travelling from afar and those businesses deserve support where they themselves are a part of the local community acting to protect and enhance their natural and built environments encouraging the circulation of tourist income within the local economy committed to fair work practices and offering affordable leisure opportunities to those who live and work nearby I think that the member is making a point about balance in relation sustainability in relation to tourism so that all employers in the tourism sector pay the real living wage and treat their employees well and of course if there is Labour's skills to allow the asylum seekers to work they could also do I absolutely agree with the sentiment that Bob Dorris has expressed for both asylum seekers and the living wage for all employees good tourism is an enhancement to a local area whether rural or urban bringing in renewed appreciation place, history and tradition vibrant hospitality retail and social initiatives secure jobs and livelihoods and much needed income that is why best practice in many of the world's most sought after destinations is to permit a visitor levy Barcelona has had one since 2012 attracting quality tourism sustaining the city's budget and funding improvements to its infrastructure why do the Tories think that Scottish towns and cities do not deserve the same do they have so little faith in our country that they don't think it's worth paying to visit those of us who are proud of Scotland whether we grew up here or chose to make it our home know why visitors come here yes it's for the beauties of our landscape where we have rescued it from the threats of fracking or theme parks it's for the richness of our biodiversity which would be all the richer for bolder rewilding it's for the purity of our rivers and streams which would be cleaner and safer without the curse of broken glass and it's for the opportunities to roam our countryside which would be wider where it not for the grass playgrounds of the rich but it is also for our dynamic towns and cities for what a young Kiwi visitor this week called the vibe of the place for the sense of a Scotland making its own way learning from the best of progressive nations around the world opening its doors and its hearts in welcome especially to those who are not welcomed elsewhere there is a road that is key to Scotland's future tourism but it is neither the A9 nor the A96 it is Kenya Street and the community spirit solidarity and culture of welcome that that represents thank you Christine Grahame is the final speaker in the open debate again a strict four minutes thank you to the members of MSP to realise the significance of tourism and related benefits to local retail and the transport sector but it helps in my constituency you can trip over the many tourist destinations there are so many from the large Melrose Abbey Abbotsford and the great tapestry of Scotland in Gallusheils the mining museum of Scotland in Newton Grange with its exhibition in Parliament today to the small the Tramontium Museum it's all about the Romans and the diminutive paper making museum in Penikook where you actually can make paper financial support in form of Scottish Government grants stretches across the sectors the great tapestry had almost 7 million committed to the project from the Scottish Government's regeneration capital grant fund Borders Railway blueprint programme and the Borders Council Tramontium most recently received 400,000 via south of Scotland enterprise which is self-funded by the Scottish Government I visited it just on Monday to enjoy the newly funded high spec extension already used for educational purposes Newton Grange mining museum also recently received further funding through the 1 million allocated museums as the Abbotsford so there is continuing support for landmark attractions you also have to factor in the support to public transport the Borders Railway the extended concessionary fare scheme and support for ScotRail and of course the funding put in to support the transport and hospitality sectors and other businesses during Covid during Covid for example funding 129 million was provided to the sector in response to the immediate recommendations of the Scottish tourism recovery task force indeed I commend local businesses during that period some of which did receive Covid funding and some which did not in people's a tontine hotel an iconic building at the end of people's high street we are not in substantial funding through south of Scotland enterprise again that's government funding Stobocastle health spa near people's received Covid support but the proprietor also took the opportunity with no guests to refurbish and redecorate as did the modest central bar a free house in people's which didn't qualify for Covid support but again the owner updated the decor with inside and out now it looks just braw one of the real difficulties hospitality now and indeed contributing at one time to shortage of bus drivers in the borders and raised time and time again with me as lack of staff since Brexit adding inflation on all fronts food fuel any building works for example and it still remains tough no matter what support the Scottish government gives indeed the UK is set to one of the highest rates of inflation in the G20 according to today's release from the OECD but part of the solution is in our hands if you can even in these or steer times try a holiday or a wee break at home or simply visit and explore your own town or country you'll surprise yourself and you'll certainly help the local economy and support the businesses locally which deserve it thank you we now move to closing speeches I call on Jackie Baillie again minister 4 minutes I welcome the opportunity to close the debate for the Scottish Labour Party not least because the area that I represent is amongst the most beautiful in Scotland attracting tourists and visitors who come from near and far and tourism matters enormously to the local and national economy the cabinet secretary mentioned the more than three million visitors and spending of more than three billion pounds you only need to spend a few minutes in my constituency to see the army of visitors from America, China, Europe, the rest of the UK all spending money on accommodation, on food and drink on entertainment and indeed on souvenirs to take home and that value is growing again after the difficult years of the pandemic with increased numbers of visitors returning to Loch Lomond and indeed that's happening again across Scotland it is such a joy to hear all the different accents and languages as you venture down the royal mile in Edinburgh but is government doing enough to capitalise on the opportunity that tourism presents for Scotland this afternoon has demonstrated areas of concern but also there is much that we can agree on there is however a real problem for the government with implementation and this is a problem that is not confined to this area of debate today we have a plethora of legislation and policy which is all very worthy but implementation is poor and the unintended consequences are legion let me illustrate that by talking about short-term lets remember this is a legislation that the Scottish Government have already delayed by six months to allow for dialogue with the sector so that problems and concerns could be ironed out and we welcome that there's been lots of chat there's been industry working groups but one single change and there are 81 days to implementation in that time all self-catering accommodation B&Bs and others need to apply to their local authority for a licence local authorities are struggling and there is no consistency but actually that's not their fault it appears that the government have failed to provide any guidance whatsoever promised for the 12th of May but not delivered let me tell you about the problem in Argyll and Bute there are some 8,000 to 10,000 self-catering units across the area including B&Bs, including Yurts including glamping pods Whom shares the lot 2,354 are paying non-domestic rates so far 427 have applied but only 53 licences have been granted out of more than 8,000 and we've got 81 days to go no chance of having these licences in time across Scotland I understand 20% have applied and 2% have received licences self-catering units and local authorities face an impossible task all because the SNP government don't think about implementation in a plethora of suggested changes such as local authorities being able to issue provisional licences to enable new investment in new provision has any of that been taken forward any of it just one thing not one, Presiding Officer this disappointing position confirmed to the Association of Scotland's self-caterers in a letter from the Minister Paul MacLennan yesterday so there you have it the SNP government are deaf to the needs of business incompetent at the practical implementation and they charge on regardless unfortunately this is a hallmark of the SNP's approach to government and profound consequences for the tourism sector in Scotland Presiding Officer I agree with much of what Daniel Johnson, Willie Rennie and Carol Mocken had to say we need to make much more of the opportunity and potential of tourism we need to invest in brand Scotland but where are the new flights the ferries to get visitors to our beautiful islands and roads like the A82, A83, A9 and A96 and as Willie Rennie said where are the toilets there are amazing natural assets but this SNP government need to do more to positively harness and support the opportunity for the sector to grow Tom Arthur to close for the Government Minister for a tight five minutes please Thank you very much and I thank members for their contribution and indeed thank Liz Smith for bringing this important debate to the chamber regardless of the particular views we may have in a political context that Scotland has so much to be proud of for our tourism sector and I want to put on record my thanks to all those working across our tourism sector for the jobs they create for the economic contribution they make and for the opportunities they create for so many people and we have seen from the significant recovery post-pandemic just how resilient the sector is and I think we do have that shared ambition to see a flourishing tourism sector for all of Scotland and particularly recognising the contribution tourism that is helping to populate our city and town centres supporting wider retail hospitality and leisure offering our province providing jobs and economic activity in some of our most remote and fragile communities we all have a shared interest in seeing a flourishing tourism sector in Scotland and we are committed in Government to doing all that we can to ensure that we support our tourism sector and I want to turn to the points that have been raised the substantive point around regulation see something that the Scottish Government has recognised the First Minister has been clear on that and I would want to assure Mr McKee that we are continuing to take forward the work of the joint task force on regulation and that is forming part of the new deal that is integrated into that process and it is a key priority and implementation is absolutely key yes certainly very briefly Willie Rennie That's all fine but what does he think about public toilets Minister He sets me up nicely I think incredibly important and I recognise some chuckles but he makes a very serious point and it is something I recognise this is a local government responsibility and one of the things that we are committed to doing is providing a discretionary power for local government to implement should they wish to generate additional revenue to invest in their local visitor economies and that is exactly what the visitor levy bill will deliver if passed by Parliament and I want to welcome the support that has received from the Labour Party I want to welcome the close collaboration we have had with industry with COSLA we recognise the positive comments made from the Scottish Tourism Alliance recognising the approach that we are taking through asking Visit Scotland to establish that expert group to ensure that we have the best guidance and the best implementation and also to highlight the comments that STMA which is that we should be looking at the visitor levy as something that can be in a quote a force for good visitor levies are commonplace across Europe and they do provide an opportunity to generate additional revenue and that will ultimately be for local authorities to determine but it will be a result of consultation and collaboration with businesses with their communities and I would ask all members to engage constructively including those who may have an in-principle opposition to visitor levy my door is open to constructive engagement because it is absolutely vital that we get this right certainly on the issue of taxation that challenges us and other parties when we call for reductions in taxation I notice that the amendment from his colleague talks about cuts in VAT so can I ask him how much would he cut VAT by how would that be funded and what would the total cost be minister I can give you some of that one of the benefits that the UK Government has that the Scottish Government does not is that it can go to the debt management office it can sell bills a macroeconomic framework of the fiscal system I recognise that fiscal sustainability might be an alien concept to the Conservatives following the mini-budget but I think there is an opportunity there the member does the member does minister could you resume your seat a second look I know time is tight interventions haven't been possible in every instance but the minister has taken a couple of interventions so could we stop heckling from a certain position minister I think there is an importance in recognising that specifically it's a call from industry but there is that flexibility that the UK Government has which devolved administrations don't have around borrowing it is that opportunity to use that tax cut to stimulate investment it is not an option we have with the confines of the fiscal framework and I think any reasonable member assessing that would realise that I'm afraid I need to make progress I've only got a few minutes left Maggie Chapman touched on a lot of points in regards to her contribution but I think one of the things she touched on is the importance of tourism to communities and that's one of the things that we have to be absolutely focused on is ensuring that our small businesses which make up so much of our tourism sector continue to benefit from that that jobs and the revenue generated from so much of our tourism economy is used to support the resilience of our local and regional economies I'm going to have to draw my remarks to a conclusion but I would want to touch on the points that Keith Brown made and that is ultimately the recognition that all the businesses that can dictate and shape the macroeconomic environment in which we operate they do rest with the UK Government and many of the challenges we face particularly around labour shortages can only be fundamentally addressed by the UK Government but I want to work in partnership I want to engage to ensure that we can continue to see a thriving tourism sector for all of Scotland I'm going to call a Murdo Fraser to wind up the debate again in a tight six minutes Mr Fraser This has been a wide-ranging and actually quite constructive debate we've had Willie Rennie bursting for the toilet Rachel Hamilton trying to sell us a camper van and Maggie Chapman as usual wired to the moon and on a different planet for the rest of us but what we've heard throughout this debate is that the tourism industry is one of the keystones of the Scottish economy that generates billions of pounds of revenue and employs hundreds of thousands of people Scotland has a great tourist product attractive visitors from all across the world and yet as we've heard the mood in the sector at present is dark a whole range of challenges facing the industry overwhelmingly made up of small and medium-sized businesses as Liz Smith reminded us and just as the sector is seeking to recover from Covid it's been hit with a list of problems many of which come back to the door of the Scottish Government and against that backdrop is astonishing that Humza Yousaf, when he became First Minister decided there would no longer be a minister in his Government given the title of Minister for Tourism yes, there's space for a dedicated Minister for Independence but tourism doesn't get a mention and what a signal that sends to the sector about its importance to this Government let me address some of the challenges that have been raised during the debate that raised workforce issues and the problems that the sector has in attracting staff and it's true many businesses struggle to get staff they have to operate in shortened hours or even turn away trade because they cannot find the people to fill the vacancies now people on the SNP benches seem to blame this entirely on Brexit but the facts are much more complex than that because every other western economy is today facing workforce issues when I visited Germany last summer of colleagues from across the parties in this Parliament the number one concern from German businesses apart from the cost of energy was the lack of availability of labour it's the same in France, the same in Italy and the same in elsewhere it cannot be Brexit causing these issues in other European countries it must be something else and we see, according to the latest figures net immigration yes I'll give way cabinet secretary one of the areas that of course alongside the work that we're bringing forward on a talent attraction and migration service would be if the UK government would accept our proposal for a rural visa pilot will murder Fraser back that call today Mr Fraser you see the problem with the approach being taken by the minister is that net immigration into the UK today is double what it was prior to Brexit is at record levels the question for the cabinet secretary is why are these migrants coming into the UK not coming to Scotland what is it about Scotland under this SNP government that is not attracting them I don't have time Mr McKee so we do need to look at other ways of attracting people into the tourist sector my colleague Maurice Golden hosted an excellent event in Parliament last week highlighting the work of the charity only a pavement away which is about attracting those into the hospitality sector who are prison leavers, who are homeless or who otherwise come from difficult backgrounds it was an inspiring event and I've seen it for myself successes of apprenticeship schemes run by businesses such as Cree Hydro offering younger people secure and rewarding careers in the sector there's much more to be done in this area but it's right to highlight a key concern about the need to encourage more young people into a rewarding and long term career we've heard about the issue of business rates paid by the sector south of the border they've been given a 75% relief for the current year but despite having the Barnett consequentials the Scottish Government has made different choices and yet the rates burden is one of the major issues raised by the sector and it's entirely within the gift of the Scottish Government to do something about this and on the question of tax I was frankly astonished that the Minister for Public Finance seemed to be arguing that the UK Government should increase borrowing to fund tax cuts that's exactly what they criticised Liz Truss when they were in government and now they're advocating it as a policy that the government should follow and then we have a number of members talked about the licensing scheme for short term lengths and I was encouraged but there seemed to be a broad reflection across the chamber from all different parties that this was causing real issues and Jackie Baillie gave us the figures for our guideline view which are really worrying and I really would urge the Government to look at this again look at whether something might be done with a new intervention in this area otherwise we're going to see businesses unable to operate because local authorities cannot process the applications fast enough to allow them to continue and we see the same impact from connectivity issues just last week I was talking to a hotelier in here telling me about the difficulties hotels in the islands have in attracting bookings with the ongoing uncertainty over the ferry services as Willie Rennie and others said we saw a huge public protest in Loch Boysdale in south US last week highlighting the fact that for the month of June they will see a massive disruption to the ferry service there that is doing real damage to the tourist industry in the highlands and islands right now and it is something that comes back under the watch of this Scottish Government and we are still waiting for a programme for completing the dualling of the A96 again a long awaited and long delayed promises from this SNP Government and just two weeks ago we saw yet another fatality on the A9 on the Tomatomoi section the section that was supposed to have work started on by now and yet somebody lost his life that needs to change so all these issues I've talked about are within the gift of this Scottish Government to resolve people across the sector are crying out for Scottish Government support but instead it's major initiative is what is a new tourist tax taking yet more money out of a sector already hard pressed as Edward Mountain said if the Scottish Government doesn't change its approach it's in danger of killing the goose they'll laid the golden egg we all want to see a thriving tourism sector we will only have that if the Government recognises that this industry made up of mostly smaller operators is encouraged and supported so instead of focusing on independence it's supporting tourism that should be this Government's priority focusing on the motion in the name of my colleague Liz Smith Thank you Point of order, Audrey Nicholl Thank you, Presiding Officer I asked for the Presiding Officer's guidance on the comments made by Murdo Fraser a few moments ago I'm probably one of the oldest MSPs in the chamber and in my 40 year working career including 31 years as a police officer I can honestly say I've never heard such a display of inappropriate behaviour and entitlement and so I asked the Presiding Officer for your guidance on any appropriate action Thank you I have just assumed the chair and I'm not wholly clear with regards to the member's comments it is obviously the case that members' contributions are not generally a matter for the chair they are a matter for the member themselves and of course where any inaccuracy has been made a correction mechanism exists I will move on to the next item of business Point of order, Christina McKell On a point of order can you advise the chamber on the opportunities a member may have to apologise for using harmful, ableist tropes used to ridicule people with mental health issues and has summing up Murdo Fraser used the trope where wired to the moon to describe the matter and it should have been dealt with when he said it Thank Ms McKelvie for her point of order I will look into this matter and I will be back in touch with the member in due course The debate on prioritising Scottish tourism is concluded and we move on to the next item of business which is consideration of business motion 9361 in the name of George Adam on behalf of Parliamentary Bureau on stage one timetable any member has asked to speak on the motion and the question is that motion 9361 be agreed are we all agreed the motion is therefore agreed the next item of business consideration of business motion 9362 in the name of George Adam on behalf of Parliamentary Bureau on a stage one timetable any member has asked to speak on the motion and the question is that motion 9362 be agreed are we all agreed the motion is therefore agreed the next item of business is consideration of Parliamentary Bureau motion 9363 on approval of an SSI and I ask George Adam on behalf of Parliamentary Bureau on behalf of Parliamentary Bureau on behalf of Parliamentary Bureau on behalf of Parliamentary Bureau and I ask George Adam on behalf of Parliamentary Bureau to move the motion and move the question on this motion will be put at decision time and there are seven questions to be put as a result of today's business can I remind members that if the amendment in the name of Neil Gray is agreed to the amendment in the name of Sarah Boyack will fall and the first question is that amendment 9339.3 in the name of Neil Gray which seeks to amend motion 9339 in the name of Liam Kerr on a thriving future for Scotland's oil and gas sector and its workers be agreed are we all agreed the Parliament is not agreed therefore we will move to a vote and there will be a short suspension to allow members to access the digital voting system