 Rwy'n credu, maen nhw'n dweud, y ddisgrifes bwysig, ond yng Nghymru 14652 yn y neud Maen nhw Gordon MacDonald yn y Ffederaswn Llyfrgell, ond y Ffederaswn Llyfrgell yn y Ffederaswn Llyfrgell yn y Ffederaswn Llyfrgell. Mae'r ddisglwffyr yn digwydd i wneud oedd yn gweithio'r eich cyflawn. Rwy'n enghraiffti'n ddisgrifes bwysig i ddewidau i gael o'u cyfrifes fydd o'r ddisgrifes bwysig y ddybydd, dros cyfnod, mae unrhyw rhywbeth mlynedd yn reiki. Onw'n arlieu iawn. Diolch yn fawr, Presiding Officer, ac rydw i'n fawr i'r meidio o parlym yn du? Yn ddych chi'n gallu bywyd Therodau ysgolwchol Ffedderatio a'r Ynw'r Gallary, yn ddigadol, ac rwyf wedi cael ei ein cysylltiadau i stalkaethau ysgolwchol. Oedden nhw'n eu ffordd i'r Ffedderatio tekst aelom, pas ymlaen i'r the importance of convenience stores to our villages, towns and cities. This report highlights in its introduction that this is the richest ever picture of the economic and social value of local shops in Scotland. The report, produced by the SGF in conjunction with the Association of Convenience Stores, its sister organisation in England and Wales, found that for many rural communities, convenience stores often provided the only shopping option for the local community. In the urban areas, they serve as part of the mix of stores, serving the needs of those living and working in our communities. The report found that 75 per cent of the 5,602 convenience stores are run by small business owners and that the sector provided 44,332 jobs with their value to the economy in terms of gross added value at over £0.5 billion per annum. Scotland, with one convenience store for every 946 people, has more of these shops per head than any other part of the UK. We have read recently in the newspapers that some retailers are going through a difficult patch with at least one high-profile casualty announced in the last week. A PWC report for the first half of 2015 highlighted that five high-street stores were closing every week across some of Scotland's largest towns and cities. The figures highlight that stores owned by multiple retailers shut up shop with not enough new openings to stop a net reduction. PWC highlighted that store portfolios continue to be reviewed and streamlined in response to the relentless advance of online shopping. However, how is that affected convenience stores? While the report highlights that there are now more stores than 2014, with the net growth rate of over one new shop per week providing over 2,000 new jobs over the last year, overall sales are up 5 per cent year-on-year as a result of an increase in average spend, more couples with young children using the stores, and the frequency of visits by foot to the local community store increasing. The range of services are increasing, helping to drive that increase in footfall with many convenience stores offering mobile phone top-ups, bill payment services, free-to-use cash machines, community notice boards and cold food to go. While social media is helping them to take on the major supermarket change, with special offers and events advertised via Twitter and Facebook, the report found that another possible reason for positive figures was that 87 per cent of Scottish retailers engage in some form of community activity, with more than eight out of ten collecting money for a local or national charity, one in three providing funding or support to a community event and one in four providing sponsorship to local sports teams. It therefore comes as no surprise that of the 12 types of retail outlets present in our communities that convenience stores were voted second by consumers in a comres poll in 2015 as having the most positive impact on a local area. It is that involvement in the community and the range of services provided that helps to create customer loyalty. It is that customer loyalty that is encouraging a new generation of young entrepreneurs to invest in new store openings with a 33 per cent increase since 2014 of business people below the age of 30 opening and owning a convenience store. The report found that the sector is very entrepreneurial with 65 per cent being the first person in their family to own or run a convenience store in Scotland. That, however, does not mean that there are no issues that need to be addressed in order that this success continues. Small independent retailers are under immense pressure to maintain margins and profitability in order to have the funds to reinvest in their business. Many store owners have embraced new technology and installed LED lights, smart meters, chiller doors etc. in order to cut overheads and compete with the supermarkets. That drive to efficiency is being assisted by the Scottish Government's Environment Agency, Zero Waste Scotland, who have made available a fund of 100,000 to enable convenience store retailers to carry out energy-efficient refits. That has proved to be highly successful and many SGF members would be keen for that to continue. Then there are the issues outwith the retailer's control that impacts on the viability of their stores. Although the report found that 58 per cent of convenience store customers travel by foot, there are also 38 per cent who drive to their local store. Parking problems impact on local shops, whether it is a loss of passing trade or impulse buys, as evidenced in my constituency. In Sight Hill, there is an on-going issue where I understand that a lack of car parking provision by the university means that more and more parking in the adjacent local shopping and residential area is being used by students, resulting in a reduction of passing trade to local shops and difficulty for residents to park adjacent to their own homes. Then there are increased rents and non-domestic rates that are demanded of small retailers that do not reflect the difficult trading circumstances that many find themselves in. Retailers in my constituency inform me that the Scottish Government's small business bonus has been very welcome, giving 100 per cent relief to properties with a rateable value of up to £10,000, with a sliding scale of discount for properties with a rateable value of up to £18,000. Across Scotland, 92,000 small businesses, many of them local convenience stores have had their rates abolished or substantially reduced. As I stated in the first-ever parliamentary debate in August 2014 on the importance of convenience stores to our local economies, when I quoted the Carnegie trust, we recognise that, for many towns, the contribution of independent retailers is a crucial factor in the long-term sustainability, diversity and vibrancy of high streets. The Scottish local shop report confirms and justifies the views of the Carnegie trust that the long-term sustainability, diversity and vibrancy of high streets is down to local shops and the convenience store sector. I would urge MSPs to pop in to the committee room one on Thursday, where they can not only pick up a copy of the report but can discuss the findings with a number of retailers from across Scotland. I thank my colleague Gordon MacDonald for bringing this debate to the chamber and also welcome our visitors to the gallery. On 27 November last year, I had the pleasure to send off a charity conga around Hamden Park. Participating in this event were a number of local primary schools, including ASN schools. The purpose behind the conga was to raise funds to ensure that no child in these schools went without a happy Christmas. All the funding raised on that day, which totaled thousands of pounds, was being kept by the schools for their pupils. Those responsible for this fantastic event, besides Glasgow Recaring City and the schools, include Hamden for their generous use of the stadium. The Scottish Grocer's Federation, who made sure that every child was watered and fed, there may even have been some tea cakes and caramel wafers from a well-known company, whose name escapes me at the moment. The generosity from the Scottish Grocer's Federation is only one example of the community work that this sector does. The report provided an excellent breakdown of the sector's activities within the community. As Gordon MacDonald said, more than 80 per cent of independent retailers were involved in their community. Scotland has been second only to the south-west of England across the UK. That is to be congratulated. Community engagement is taking many forms. For example, collecting money for national local charities, local stores also provide funding or in-kind support to local events, provide sponsorship to local sports teams or other community activities and play an important role in community, council or local business association meetings and projects. I was amazed that some of the other statistics contained within the report the value of the convenience store sector worth a staggering £5 billion to the UK economy, equating to 6 per cent of the UK retail sector. 75 per cent are small business owners, many who will be benefiting. As Gordon already said from the small business bonus, 32 per cent of owners are women, not parity, but an encouraging number to grow from. 23 per cent of business owners have been in business for over 26 years and 36 per cent own their business and partnership with family members. Stability and longevity appear to be just two of the benefits of running a convenience store. We cannot forget that, when the word convenience is used, it is extremely appropriate. 78 per cent travel less than a mile to restore, 25 per cent use the store every day, and, as has already been mentioned, 58 per cent travel by foot to the store, so both convenient and environmentally friendly. In areas such as the Cathart constituency, the convenience store often stands alone as a sole source of shopping and parts of housing estates such as Casimal. In other areas such as Crawford and Shawnts, where they are playing a notable role in establishing a new business improvement district, they operate with other service providers, giving choice and diversity to residents. Indeed, such an important part are the local community. It was after consulting with local businesses in Mount Florida and Battlefield that I helped to establish a business forum in which numerous convenience stores located in the area have continued to play an important role. Many of us will remember Ronnie Barker's popular sitcom, Open All Hours, but that title, if thankfully not the attitude in what practices of that old skinflint art right, could not be more apt. Those stores are indeed open all hours. They are often open 24 hours, seven days a week, earning the accolade of being a crucial mainstay of the community. I congratulate the Scottish Grocer's Federation and their partners in compiling the report. They deserve to be recognised for the role they play as an important part of Scotland's economy and their resilience to a changing business environment, but they also deserve our recognition and our praise for the important role they play in communities across constituencies such as Cathart and for the many examples of support that they have given to our communities. At the outset, I congratulate Gordon MacDonald for securing this debate and for giving us all the opportunity to note the findings of the local shop report and to speak more generally about the retail and grocery sector in Scotland. I also want to take the opportunity to commend the Association of Convenience Stores, the Scottish Grocer's Federation and the Scottish Retail Consortium for all the work that they have to do to keep us in Parliament informed about what is happening in their industries and the real economy. As the member's motion indicates, there are well over 40,000 jobs in the convenience stores in Scotland and many of those stores are family run businesses with routes in the community. The overwhelming majority are run by small business owners, suggesting that the sector is highly entrepreneurial. If we include independent shops operating on petrol four courts, then 75 per cent of the shops studied in this report are run by small businesses. Only 17 per cent of people say that they visit their local shops less than once a week. 25 per cent of people actually say that they visit their local shop every day. According to the report, 87 per cent of independent retailers were involved in the community in some way. I have personally taken the time to visit convenience stores and it is clear that local shops can be a real social hub in the community. It struck me that many of those stores will have regular customers, particularly older people, who could have been shopping in the same place for decades. Convenience stores can be more than just a place to exchange money for groceries but to exchange conversations and also meet people. It also struck me that, for some people, the regular trip that they make to pick up groceries or to get a newspaper could be the only time that they leave the house that day. Staff working at the till or stacking shelves could be the only people that they speak to all that day. Last week, I presented the Equal Opportunities Committee's report on age and social isolation. It is a report that I recommend that all members take the time to read, because it underlines the importance of social interaction and being part of a community, as so many of our convenience stores are. I also want to refer to some issues that are relevant to today's debate, which have been raised at the cross-party group on towns and town centres. The Scottish Government has indicated that it is now involved in a process of reviewing and, hopefully, refreshing the town centre action plan. I want to see a new, robust and comprehensive action plan brought forward at the earliest opportunity. The themes of the Scottish town centre review, which was led by Malcolm Fraser, are useful for anyone with an interest in turning around our town centres, regenerating our towns and supporting businesses who invest in our local economies. Those themes have to be developed and taken forward in the coming months. The town centre first, the public sector has taken a lead in promoting investment in town centres to drive up footfall and promote accessibility. Town centre living, making our town centres places to live again, not just places to work or to shop. Enterprise and communities have the community estate agency audit town centre assets and find better ways to use local properties and existing capacity. Digital towns support Wi-Fi and make sure that we have high-speed broadband in all our town centres. It would also be useful to know more about how the Scottish Government intends to proceed with the renewal of the town centre action plan. Retailers, large and small, will be interested in the end result and so will the communities that they serve. Let me conclude by saying that the local shop report has very clearly set out the importance of convenience stores to local communities and local economies. It is a further valuable resource for us in this Parliament to draw in as we consider the future of our town centres and the future of the retail sector in Scotland. I thank God MacDonald for bringing this debate to the chamber because I welcome the debate and as many of you will be aware that I represent the great town of Paisley. We have had many of the challenges that have been mentioned in the retail sector over the past 10 to 15 years. It tends to be that we are the one that the media will automatically take the picture of the high street to try to make their point on how things have changed so dramatically. However, it is the convenience stores that are still within my town centre as retail giants have moved out of town. They are still serving and working with the local community, and that is important because there is still a demographic of my constituents who do most of their shopping within the town centre. The elderly and those from poorer backgrounds have more difficulties shopping out of town. It is borne in the report when it states that convenience stores' customers, 78 per cent of them, travel less than a mile to use their local store. 58 per cent of the customers travel to their local store by foot compared to 38 per cent who drive, and 25 per cent of customers use their shop every day. That is mirrored in my constituency where there are small pockets of very successful local shops throughout our town. In order for town centres like Paisley to succeed, we must encourage those stores. We must ensure that they get the opportunity to develop further, because they are the ones that are still contributing to our local economy. I remember a number of years back when there was initial talk about the reform of welfare, and one of the things that he said with regard to Paisley town centre was that, from a retail perspective, welfare reform was going to cost Paisley town centre about a million pounds a year because, again, it was the old and the poorer individuals who were shopping in the town centre. All those things have to be taken into account. They are still the ones that are making sure that we have a local shop to go to. One of the issues that I found quite interesting was that the top three stores that they all want to have in areas especially food shops, which is like your traditional butcher and the like, we still locally have a number of them, and they were extremely busy during the festive period, but they tend to slow up. However, it still is the only type of product where you can get that product. That is where I say that those shops, independent grocers and independent stores, are the ones that are going to make our town centres thrive, because they are the ones that are offering that thing that is slightly different. They are offering a service that you can no longer get. They harp back to a time when everybody, the shopkeeper, knew your name and knew who most of his customer base was. That is something that we do not want to lose. Last week, I spoke about a book shop that used to be in Paisley town centre. We used to have an independent bookstore, three or four generations of the same family, owned that store. However, with the internet, with the chance of being able to buy a book, delivered straight to your door and with the chance of getting ebooks, they just could not compete. You lose something in your town centre when you lose those types of shops. The irony for me is that the rest of the top three that they want is banks and post offices, businesses whose business model has been changing over the recent years. I have constantly been speaking to the minister with regard to the major banks pulling out of certain areas, but they are part of the retail ecology of every high street and every town centre. They have to take on a responsibility because obviously all the shop and retailers need them as well. Small retailers, I believe, are the solution to our town centre problems. Once again, I thank Gordon MacDonald for bringing this debate to the chamber. I wish all the retailers all the best, but I encourage everyone when they are looking at shopping to try to shop locally in their own stores. I did it recently over Christmas in my own town for my Christmas presents. I think that we need to lead from the front. We need to make sure that we are supporting those traders as well, because it is all so easy for it to end up going the same way as that bookshop that I mentioned. It is no longer there, and you wonder what happened to it. I, too, wish to congratulate the Scottish Grocer's Federation on the launch of the first-ever local shop report, produced in conjunction with the Association of Convenience Stores. Here we must emphasise the word convenience. As ever, the rich amount of detailed information that they provide is incredibly useful for us MPs to know how the sector is doing, what challenges they face and what we can do to help. As we are all probably quoting the same statistics, because it is a large range of information in a targeted, concise report that is very welcome development, I am sure colleagues across the chamber have agreed that this report does paint a very positive picture of the independent convenience store sector, and those entrepreneurs deserve our praise. They also deserve our help, which is why we should examine, I think, the areas in the report where challenges remain, so we know how to help. The report highlights the welcome news that, as we all know, we have had these statistics, the highest concentration of convenience stores with 5602 in Scotland, and the figure of one shop for every 946 people, I think, is also an impressive proof of the breadth and commitment of the sector serving our communities. As we do not have to look very far to yet find further proof of their commitment, 29% of the Scottish shop owners are working more than 70 hours a week, and 22% take no holidays during the year. This is an incredibly strong work ethic, and it is something that it should be congratulated on. Although I think it is important that options for more flexible working are also available if desired. While longevity is itself impressive as the fact that 26% of shop owners in Scotland have been in the trade for over 25 years, it is imperative that we look forward to where economic growth and the jobs with it will come in the future. The answer, of course, is entrepreneurism. In this regard, the news from the SGF's report is again impressive. 65% of the first person in their family to own or run a convenience store in Scotland, and 57 new shops have opened in the past year, which hints at exactly the sort of startup drive that we need in this country. Furthermore, there is an encouragingly large representation of young people in the sector, with 16% of the managers aged 30 or under. This ability to drive economic growth is, of course, tied up with the embracing of technology. Scottish shops have already been active in this area, with 23% having a Facebook account and 20% having a Twitter account, and around a third offering contactless payments. As a businessman and frequent customer of local shops, I know that using technology to track customers and make their transactions easier is the key to competing with other, perhaps, larger shops, as is the personal service that these convenience stores give. As George Adam said, the gone of the days when people, sadly, used to know your name when you went into the shop, although it does happen in certain areas, appears to be a bright future ahead for convenience stores in Scotland, but we cannot be complacent about delivering this potential. I am sure that grocers do not need politicians to tell them which technologies to adopt to help their business, but it is important that we remain aware of any issues facing small business owners that may prevent them from making the most technological opportunities in this sector. Finally, I would like to offer another admirable feature of independent stores, which is the extensive contribution to the local communities. Again, as we have just heard, just over the last year, 87% of them in Scotland were involved in some form of local activities, such as charity or sports work. Time and time again, they have shown themselves worthy of our extensive praise and support, but the most important aspect is how this binds their relationship together with local customers. This, I think, after all is the key to cementing local stores' place in our communities and the continued health of the sector. As the SGF report shows, the sector is growing in Scotland because it is providing customers with the local service that they want. That, after all, is what it is all about. I thank God MacDonald for bringing this debate to Parliament today and congratulate the Scottish Grocers Federation for publishing the first Scottish local shop report. Without any doubt, small retailers and convenience shops contribute greatly to our economy. In Scotland, nearly 6,000 shops provide over 44,000 jobs. In addition, by using local services and suppliers, small retailers also reinvest back in their local economies. However, as God MacDonald has mentioned in his motion, independent convenience shops also play a vital role for communities across Scotland, with 87% of independent retailers engaging in community activity. Those activities are wide-ranging. As an example, since introduction of a five-pen single-use carrier bag charge, small shops have raised their significance sums for a charitable purpose. To make the benefits more lasting in the Scottish Grocers Federation, that also works with the Scottish Government and keeps Scotland beautiful to support smaller retailers in working together to make their nations more tangible. I believe that acknowledging the benefits of small retailers and convenience stores is very important. It highlights that small retailers and convenience stores are thriving as wex of our communities across Scotland and contribute towards sustainable economic growth. However, the statistics should not be neglected that Scotland's town and city centres are affected by a large number of shop vacancies. Towns and cities have difficulties to attract customers while competing with larger shopping centres on the periphery. In most statistics show that shop vacancies are falling and that restructuring changes are having an effect. I believe that further improving the attractiveness of our town centres is crucial for supporting local economies. However, creating a more vibrant and active town and city centre is not an easy task. It relies on the co-operation of a range of stakeholders, including local council and business owners, to avoid conflict. That demands a careful consideration of various interests. In that regard, I want to mention Cercody for All. Cercody for All is an excellent example of how to be involved and work with local small retailers and businesses, and how beneficial such a partnership can be for both customers and the local economy. Cercody for All was elected in 2010 by Business Improvement District in Cercody to deliver a business plan that, in its own words, aims to promote Cercody Town Centre as a place where people want to work, shop and spend their leisure time in a welcoming environment that is consumer-focused and investment-friendly. To reach its goal, Cercody for All will promote Cercody Town Centre through various events, including the Fife International Carnival, the Big Haggis Burns Night, the Lantern Pride and the Beach Island Games, as well as advertising in local newspapers and radio stations. Cercody for All also encourages small businesses and retailers to participate in the small business Saturday UK, which, in 2015, took place on 15 December. The Cercody campaign, which encourages people to shop local, was celebrated with street entertainers and many offers of promotion in participating businesses. Participants also received free social media coverage for a period of five weeks leading up to the event. Overall, 2015 has been a very successful year for Cercody for All. Besides being re-elected for another five-year term, Cercody for All also launched a six-month trial for reduced partner costs in Cercody's Town Centre. Once notably, Cercody was named the home of Britain's fastest-growing small business, and I believe that Cercody for All played a crucial role in its success. The latest experience study ranked Cercody number one in the UK, higher than cities such as Birmingham and Aberdeen. Cercody affects a greater trend of growth in the sector, as turnover in small retailers and convenience shops has grown significantly over the past 12 months. Today has been a great opportunity to discuss its positive developments. However, looking ahead, we also need to think about how we can sustain this trend and ensure that small retailers and convenience shops continue to thrive. Thank you so much. I now call on Lewis MacDonald, after which we will move to closing speech from the minister. Thank you very much, and I too congratulate Gordon MacDonald for bringing this debate and all those involved in the launch of the local shop report 2015. The independent retail sector is relatively strong in Scotland, the highest concentration of such stores in the UK, and, of course, as members have said, new businesses are opening all the time. Most local shops are standalone businesses, or family businesses, with many owners and family members working longer and taking little time off because of their commitment to the enterprise. Hard work alone, sadly, does not guarantee the success or even the survival of a business. Even long-established independent convenience stores have found the financial climate of recent years a challenge, and, of course, there are pressures and temptations that come from the growing competition of supermarket chains entering the convenience stores market. Take Kelly's of Cults in Aberdeen, a local shop complete with Bakery and Butcher's department, run by the same family from 1902 to 2015, but now leased to Sainsbury's. No doubt a rational business decision for the owners, but inevitably a loss of choice and variety for the customers. Sainsbury's, of course, is a good employer. It provides jobs, training and opportunities for its staff. It negotiates terms and conditions with the Shop Workers Union, as though it is something that other employers in the sector should also do, and it is a popular and successful retailer. However, what supermarket chains cannot provide is the diversity of products for which a local shop like Kelly's of Cults was rightly known. The business model of a company like Sainsbury's is to keep prices down by procuring produce from a single source and by definition that reduces diversity and therefore choice. It also has unintended consequences, for example when young seafood lost the smoked salmon contract with Sainsbury's. At a stroke, the fish process at Young's factory in Fraserborough lost its outlets right across the UK, and this month, as a consequence, over 150 workers in Fraserborough have lost their jobs. Local shops, by contrast, are more able and more willing to place orders with local suppliers, and that is one of the ways in which they can make a real contribution to their local economies. It is one of the things that is lost when local shops are taken over or driven out of the marketplace altogether. Another challenge facing new and existing businesses in the independent convenience store sector is from the illicit trade in alcohol and tobacco. Sellers of such contraband advertise their services and products through social media, making it difficult for the police and the HMRC to track them down. A recent sting operation in Aberdeen revealed just how easy it was to access those with hundreds of illegal cigarettes bought from two different sellers on the street in only a couple of hours. Nonetheless, there have been successes in tackling this trade, including the seizure of 5,000 illegal cigarettes and 3.5 kilograms of tobacco from addresses in Peterhead and Fraserborough in September of last year. Continued operations by the police, by trading standards and by HMRC will go a long way to tackling illicit sales and thereby to protecting legitimate business in local convenience stores from this unwanted and illegal competition. I was interested to note that the Scottish grossest federation called on the Scottish Government to give responsibility for tackling this illicit trade a more prominent role within the range of ministerial portfolios, and that might indeed provide a step in the right direction to show the seriousness with which this issue should be taken. I welcome this debate and this report, highlighting as they do the important role of local shops in both urban and rural communities, and I hope that enough people will continue to choose to support their local shop for that important role to continue for generations to come. Many thanks. I will now move to closing the speech for the minister. Fergus Ewing, minister, you have seven minutes, so thereby please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Could I begin by congratulating Gordon MacDonald for bringing forward this important debate? He pointed out the huge importance of convenience stores to Scotland, and he set out his stall by summarising some of the salient facts that over 40,000 jobs are sustained by the sector, with half a billion pounds or more of turnover, and the enormous contribution that they make to the communities that they serve, not least in his constituency, particularly Pentland, to which he referred. I have had the pleasure of working with Gordon MacDonald and some of his constituents, and the Scottish Grocer's Federation Gordon has been a champion of this cause. He has pursued it. He has persevered in pursuing it. I note incidentally that the Scottish Grocer's Federation is 98 this year and will be celebrating its centenary in 2018, something to look forward to. The cross-party support for the sector is extremely encouraging. It has been a very positive debate, and I praise all the contributions from members to the debate today and the opportunity to discuss some of the enormous contribution that is made. Those truly are local businesses, perhaps more so than just about any other type of businesses, as their own local shop report 2015 exemplifies. Coming second only to the post office is the most community-based, the most local, making, as members have outlined, the greatest commitment to communities of perhaps all in the retail sector. That was the message that I took from the various contributions as we went on a virtual geographic tour of Scotland from Aberdeen, Cacoddy, Glasgow and Cascart. I am left with an indelible image of Mr James Dornan leading at the front of a charity, Conga, raising money for a children's charity, a sort of piper of Hamden, as he would describe himself. We know that Mr Adam Champions always say his native town of Paisley, and he always mentions Paisley. So I was surprised that it was a whole three seconds into his speech, Presiding Officer, before he actually mentioned the word Paisley, uncharacteristic forbearance there, Mr Adam, in your contribution this evening. But seriously, there are a number of issues that were raised, and I'd perhaps just like to highlight some of them. First of all, business rates have been mentioned by many, and business rates are a necessary contribution to Scotland's finances. They make an enormous contribution to sustaining public services through the rates that they pay. When did we last hear a business getting recognition for contributing enormously to help to maintain our health and education, police and environmental services? They do that enormously. Of course, the smaller businesses value very highly the small business bonuses that we heard. In fact, it's nearer 100,000 businesses that now receive the small business bonus. My ambition, or one of them, Presiding Officer, is that the small business bonus becomes a sort of embedded part of policy, not something that is liable to be removed, but something that will continue as part of the system as long as we have the current rating system. In our party, we have made a commitment that we will retain the small business bonus if we are elected to the end of the next term, which, by my arrhythmic take, now takes us to 2021. That's important, because that sort of certainty in long-term planning is something that I think would really be appreciated by those smaller convenience stores, which, as was set out very clearly by Mr MacDonald, value the small business bonus that they obtain. I hope that those parties that do not presently support the small business bonus will join with us in recognising that that makes an enormous contribution. However, there are other contributions. For example, the employment of young people. In fact, I heard that it was from the convenience store in Mr MacDonald's constituency that I learned of the contribution to the employment of young people, the provision of what used to be called a Saturday job in the old days, that perhaps, if I may say so, you and I can remember particularly well of employment of young people to do a paper round, to do that kind of work. The salary is not high, but it inculcates the work ethic into young people. It provides them the opportunity to understand that to do work, you have to arrive at a certain time, finish at a certain time and do the job through. This work is provided to local children in a safe environment by these businesses. That's perhaps something that's easy to overlook. Problems such as parking, planning and regulation are ones that are really at the nub of the nitty-gritty experience of running a small business. The frustrations of those can be very irritating, as I well remember when I ran my own small business. I won't share with you the frustrating experience that I had in relation to planning, but perhaps in a different environment. We have to remember that when we are taking steps to encourage the responsible use of tobacco and alcohol and when we pass regulations we must bear in mind and we must consider carefully prior to making those regulations and implementing them what they mean in practice for the people who have to apply them. It's very easy to make a high-minded rhetorical speech about the value of doing those things, and rightly so. However, it's far more difficult when applying those regulations to make sure that they are set in a practical way that doesn't impose a non-duu burden that is consistent and proportionate as our better regulation policy sets out. The enormous contribution that is made to charity has been mentioned by almost every speaker in the debate, and that is something that we cherish. That perhaps means and explains why the convenience stores have been regarded in the independent report as the second most popular type of retail business in the country. In conclusion, as the minister who sought to build up a close relationship with the whole retail sector and to recognise the value that they play in employing in Scotland around a quarter of a million people, I have a particular affinity for those businesses that are very often family-run, small businesses that are rooted in Scotland, rooted in their community and the convenience stores that are open from eight to late, which means that they start work at six or seven a.m. and work as long hours, as anybody in this country, and therefore it's a great experience today to have the opportunity to thank all of those people and their staff for the enormous contribution that they make to their communities and to Scotland. Many thanks and thank you all for taking part in this important debate, and I now close this meeting of Parliament.