 The next item of business today is a statement by Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary on Prestwick Airport. Mr Brown will take questions at the end of the statement, so if anybody wishes to ask a question, I encourage them to press their request-to-tea buttons now, and I call on Keith Brown. I have the opportunity to provide an update on Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Members will recall the circumstances that led to the Scottish Government buying the airport at the end of 2013. The previous owners were ready to close it down and walk away, which, in our view, would have delivered a devastating blow to the local economy. Our decision to buy Prestwick was taken in the knowledge that, with time, with perseverance and with innovative thinking, Prestwick could be a great success. It was also the question of, according to various estimates, up to 300 direct jobs and nearly 3,000 indirect jobs hanging on the future of the airport. We have been clear since 2013 that the business must operate at arms length from the Scottish Government and ministers. Appropriate governance arrangements are in place, which mean that the CEO and his team, overseen by the operating company board, are responsible for progressing and agreeing specific commercial deals. There is no role for ministers in specific commercial discussions. Ministers do not sanction specific deals or agreements between the business and any of its customers. As the sole shareholder, ministers are supportive of the overall strategic direction of the business. A five-year strategic plan for 2017-2022 was published by the airport in April 2017 and is available on their website. That plan sets out how the team will grow all aspects of the business and how they will seek out new revenue streams. I expect Prestwick's senior management team to actively seek out all potential business opportunities to maximise the use of the assets of the airport to reduce its reliance on loan funding and, ultimately, return it to the private sector. As set out in the strategic plan, those efforts include growing passenger numbers, developing freight handling, enhancing maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities, increasing traffic through the fixed base operation, raising income from property rental and also progressing the spaceport aspirations that the airport has. Winning that business, especially in relation to passenger numbers, is not easy in a highly competitive aviation market, but the airport team continues to build Prestwick's reputation and build the brand. It also continues to build relationships with customers and potential customers to secure the new business that is needed for success. We are all aware that Prestwick is not a typical airport. Success is not predicated on passenger traffic or any one business area alone, and specialist operations are an essential part of their wider offering. One such opportunity being progressed now, with energy and great enthusiasm, is a proposal to offer spaceport facilities. Prestwick is very well placed to become the UK's first spaceport for horizontal launch once the UK Government put in place the required regulatory framework. Not only would Prestwick stand to benefit, so too would Scotland. Of course, we have provided support to any area of Scotland looking to try and benefit from this, but Prestwick would present a world-class facility on its own doorstep to launch Scottish-built satellites into space. Prestwick is also renowned for its freight operation. The airport can accommodate heavy, awkward and outsized loads, although handling dedicated freighters is a highly competitive market. That is an area where the airport will continue to develop its business. The cargo team has a great, can-do attitude to putting the customer first and working in a flexible way that enhances the reputation of the business. Prestwick is also a prime contender to be the Scottish Logistics Hub for expansion at Heathrow Airport to support the prefabrication and consolidation of components, again a specialist operation that fits well with Prestwick's wider offering. Recently, the airport has seen significant improvement from handling aircraft through its fixed-based operation. That is a highly competitive environment with airports in Ireland and Northern Ireland competing with Scotland to handle military and private flights, which require fuel stops when transiting UK airspace. Although military movements in 2016-17 were down compared to 2013-14 when the Scottish Government took over ownership, and just over a third of the level of military movements in 2000, fixed-based operations continue to be an important part of Prestwick airport's offering and are part of the strategic plan going forward. I know that there is a great deal of interest in military handling and a desire for more information from some members. Both myself and the chief executive of Transport Scotland have suggested recently to both the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee and the Public Audit Committee that members should visit Prestwick to find out more about their operations and plans for the future, and I repeat that offer today. The senior team at the airport operating at arms length from government will be happy to discuss those matters in an open and transparent way. They have to, of course, respect the need to avoid providing information that would be damaging to the commercial interests of Prestwick or giving a competitive advantage to other airports. Just on that point, I have reviewed the information that we have not been able to release in response to a large number of freedom of information requests. I am confident that the information that has been redacted is commercially confidential, but I am happy to ask the operations company to facilitate if the party representatives here today want to visit and speak to them as much as possible. The publication of the company's annual report in December shows that the airport is moving in the right direction. In the last financial year, passenger numbers were up 8 per cent, aircraft movements were up 8 per cent, turnover increased by £2.1 million to £13.6 million. At the same time, operating losses have decreased from £8.7 million to £7.8 million. In conclusion, there is a great deal of support for Prestwick airport and I desire to see it succeed. It benefits from a dedicated and passionate workforce. It also benefits from being flexible, responsive and available 24-7. It also benefits from a very supportive local council and supportive local MPs and MSPs. We have always acknowledged that there can be no quick fix, but we are certain that Prestwick can have a positive future and can make an even greater contribution to the Ayrshire economy. There is still much progress to be made, but the business is definitely showing signs of improvement and the team, with their renewed sense of purpose and ambition, will continue to pursue every opportunity to grow. Thank you very much, cabinet secretary, and I am sure that you appreciate that there is quite a lot of interest from members in asking questions. I also thank the cabinet secretary for the advance sight of his statement that was very helpful and for also updating Parliament today on the progress that Prestwick is making. As a member of the rural economy and connectivity committee, I am very happy to take up the offer to visit Prestwick and meet its new senior management team to get an update, and I hope to do so as soon as I can. There is no doubt that there is the importance of Prestwick Airport to Ayrshire's economy, but there is no denying that the airport is still making substantial and significant losses to date. It has accumulated more than £40 million of taxpayers' investment. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what specific KPIs are the management team at Prestwick Airport working towards turning around the fortunes of the airport? Can he give any further indication as to when we might expect the airport to be returned to the private sector? I have been in this Parliament for two years and we have asked this question a number of times. The answers tend to be the same, and that is that it will be sold back to the private sector when it is ready to do so and when it is ready to pay. However, how many more years of continuous public investment will we see before the Government will come to a decision on when is the right time to hand it back to the private sector? I think that it is only right that the Parliament on behalf of taxpayers has asked those questions of the Government. Yes, of course. I have no problem with those kind of questions being asked, and both the member who has asked the question and others have asked those questions. We have said each time that, and we said this at the point when we took ownership of the airport, that we cannot say. We did also say that it would be a long-term prospectus for us to try to get the airport back into the private sector. It obviously has to become an attractive proposition for the private sector in the first place. The member quite rightly says that it is up to £40 million, up to the end of March 2018, the contribution so far. However, I am not sure how long the member has been familiar with the airport, but if he was aware of its condition when it was bought by the Scottish Government, everyone knows that it was a great deal of work to be done. Investment had not been carried out in the airport for a number of years at the required level, and that is by and large where that money is going towards. In relation to what the airport management work to do, that is perhaps a very good basis for the discussion that he can have with the operations company when he meets there. However, what we have said to them, and obviously we have seen in the annual report that I mentioned in my statement, is that they have to concentrate on a wide-ranging portfolio of different potential business opportunities. Passengers traffic is extremely competitive and very expensive sometimes in order to attract new business. That is why they are concentrating on the fixed-wing operations, on the freight, which has been quite successful, and on the transiting aircraft. That is why they are concentrating on those different things. Therefore, we cannot give a date for when we expect it to transfer back to the private sector. We do talk to anybody that shows an interest in doing that, and we are seeing things moving in the right direction with the increase in turnover and the reduction in losses, but it will take some time for us to achieve that. Jackie Baillie Unlike other Scottish airports, the trend at Prestwick is for passenger numbers to be going down, cargo numbers are also going down, and the only thing going up are military flights and the amount that taxpayers are having to pay, because the airport continues to lose money. The SNP Government has increased loan funding for Prestwick airport to £48 million. As more than double the £21 million that was originally said by ministers would be needed to return the airport to profit, but it is still losing money. Scottish Enterprise has also provided at least £650,000 directly to Ryanair, the only passenger service left at the airport, and with heavily subsidised landing charges as well, the cabinet secretary is sure that that does not amount to state aid. Given the recent decision at Charlois airport in Belgium by the European Court of Justice, has the cabinet secretary taken legal advice on state aid or spoken to the European Commission about Prestwick? Four years on from buying the airport for a pound, can the cabinet secretary—and I repeat the point that he has already made—tell us when the taxpayers' £48 million will be repaid and would he even consider selling at least 50% of the airport to start the process of returning it to the private sector? Can I first of all correct Jackie Baillie's statement? It is not the case at military aircraft that the number of movements is going up. I mentioned in 2000 when I think that Jackie Baillie was actually a minister. It was nearly 9,000 military aircraft movements, it is just over 3,500 just now, so it is substantially down from what it was previously and down from the last couple of years as well. It is also true to say, and we were very clear about this, that it has to be a long-term engagement. I thought, I think, at the time that we had support from the Labour Party for trying to save the jobs that were there. Support is not evident from the 32 parliamentary questions that Jackie Baillie has asked before this year, eight more this year, the endless FOIs, the letters to the airport to myself. I am happy to answer all those questions and to be as open as I can be, but it is not obvious to me that we have that level of support that we thought we had from the Labour Party in terms of saving those jobs. On the point about state aid, of course we take advice, I cannot confirm or otherwise legal advice, but of course at the point that we bought the airport we did check into the legal position of course of the Scottish airport and making sure of course that we are always compliant with state aid regulations. On the point about a 50 per cent share, that is the first time I have heard that suggestion, but the same response would have to be made as I have made to Jamie Greene. For that to be viable, we would have to have somebody interested in doing that, and I think that that is why the investment that we have made in the airport, as I said, the improving situation just now, where you have seen a reduction in the losses and an increase in turnover, are given time to work through to make an attractive proposition for the private sector. The party has had its opening statement, so it is an opening question. So if the 10 remaining questioners could be short and sharp on the ministers, will they really? Kenneth Gibson, to be followed by John Scott. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I welcome the cabinet secretary's statement. Prestwick has always been in the shadow of Glasgow, and being named Glasgow Prestwick airport hasn't helped. Thousands of people supported a petition and 18 MSPs signed a motion that I submitted last month calling for Prestwick to be renamed Robert Burns international airport. Does the cabinet secretary agree that, as with John Lennon, George Best and Louie Armstrong airports, naming one after a renowned individual can boost its identity, and thus help attract investment, passengers and jobs who do therefore support the renaming of Prestwick? Thank you, Presiding Officer. I think that you heard a suggestion from the side there of Kenneth Gibson airport, and he knows what the sky would truly be the limit if that was to be the case, I'm sure. And the issue of the name of the airport, of course, is one for the airport themselves. He would take decisions such as that. It has been something that, as Kenneth Gibson well knows, has been canvassed over the years. I think that what is really important is that we've continued to invest in this airport. The option was an easy one, to walk away, as seems to be implicit in some questions that are being asked, to walk away, to leave 300 people without jobs and a huge impact on the economy. I know that Kenneth Gibson, both from his question now and earlier on at general question time, is very concerned about the health of the local economy, and that perhaps underlines his suggestion about the renaming of the airport. But that is a decision, as I say, which will be taken by the airport themselves, and he might want to write or even take up the offer that I've made to other members as well to go to visit the management team, the operations board of the airport, and take up that particular discussion with them. John Scott, to be followed by Willie Coffey. I thank the cabinet secretary for his statement of the positive tone of it, and I would like to say that I was and remain supportive of the Government action thus far and also for their support of spaceport, unlike Jackie Baillie and the Labour Party. However, I also note the difficulty that the management teams have had in attracting more passenger air traffic to Prestwick. I wonder if perhaps a change of emphasis on the development of the airport is now required in terms of creating jobs for Ayrshire. For example, I know of a company that is keen to expand their MRO facilities and also create training capabilities for engineers, and to do that more hangar space will be required to deliver those new opportunities and more jobs in the sector to Prestwick. Can the cabinet secretary give me any indication of how supportive he and Scottish Enterprise and the management team at Prestwick can be about the building of new hangar space at Prestwick airport, where an unmet demand for hangar space currently exists? John Scott, for his constructive suggestion, said to him that he will know, as well as I do, that we have seen real moves from the airport in that particular direction. In particular, Chevron, the company that opened a very impressive repair maintenance and overhaul facility on the airfield in 2017. A company coming from the north of England, which, even before it had taken ownership of the hangar, could guarantee to fill it right away, so real demand is there. That has been extremely successful and, as the member said, providing vital revenue for the airport. Given that success, and given the annual plan that I mentioned previously, that the airport operations company is very aware of those opportunities, we would expect them to do that. We do not intervene in particular commercial decisions. Of course, if Scottish Enterprise has a role to play, we can make sure that that happens. We do not intervene in those particular discussions, but, of course, if there is more to be done in terms of hangar space, other fixed-base operations that can take place, more to be done in terms of freight, then we would want to see that happen and we would want to encourage that. Willie Coffey to be filled by Ross Greer. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. No wonder that there is no Labour or MSPs left in Ayrshire with that support that is coming from the Labour Party today. Does the cabinet secretary agree that Presswick Airport has huge potential for future development and it is important that the management of the airport is able to pursue viable opportunities that allow the airport to fulfil that potential including spaceport, for which Presswick is surely the stand-out location? I think that Willie Coffey is exactly right that there is huge potential at the airport. The point that has been made previously about the competition within Scotland, so Glasgow and Edinburgh, both doing exceptionally well, as has Aberdeen doing exceptionally well in terms of passenger traffic, which is a very competitive environment, but the different airports that we have in Scotland can often offer different things, as I have tried to lay out so far. I think that there are huge and unique facilities at Presswick, not least given its track record in terms of reliability with weather, which most of us will have known about for many years. I think that there is huge potential. It should be the case that the management should be as inventive and as innovative as possible looking for new business. We should be supportive in that. Remembering first of all, as I have said, about the importance of the people that actually work there. The people whose livelihoods and the families who depend on the people that work there and are associated with the airport are vitally important that we keep this airport, and it is also vitally important that we grow it. That is where our efforts and those of the management team have been directed. In response to concerns about US military operations at Presswick, the Scottish Government has suggested that no one should be surprised, given that it has gone on since the times of Elvis Presley's visit. The difference is that the airport was not owned by the Scottish public through the Government until recently. Despite what the cabinet secretary said about Presswick airport's arms length relationship with the Government, he told a committee that he had been talking to the airport about specific commercial opportunities. The First Minister told the Parliament earlier this month that if the Government were not happy with what the airport was doing, they would ask serious questions. Given that we know that front-line US military operations are operating out of the airport and given the First Minister's comments, can I ask the cabinet secretary to confirm that the SNP Scottish Government is happy to support US military operations in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere using Scottish public property? Can I say first of all that it is not just the case that this activity goes back to the time of Elvis Presley coming on a military flight from Germany enroute back to the US? That is the same planning framework that has applied for decades at Presswick. It is not the case—as I have already said to Jackie Baillie—an increase in the military movements. We have seen around 9,000 movements in the year 2000 and 9,000 movements of military aircraft. That is around 3,600 currently. It is also the case that any questionable military activities in airspace is one that is completely reserved to the UK Government, whether it is aerospace, whether it is defence or whether it is security. It is the case that this is a legitimate part of the business of the airport that it has sought. I would make the offer once again, as I did an opening statement to the member, if he is concerned about this. I accept that he has a concern about this. If he wants to go and visit—and I made the offer to the committee, as the chief executive of transport Scotland did to the public audit committee as well—and asked him specifically about those and also asked him, within the limits of commercial confidentiality, what they are able to say about the military activity that is going on. I would make that offer and I will make that plea to the management team as well. However, this is a vital part of what the airport does. It has done it for decades and it will continue to do it in future. Mike Rumbles before by Emma Harper Last year, when the management team appeared before the rural economy and connectivity committee, we heard that Prestwick was not viable without Ryanair, that passenger numbers had fallen, movement had fallen and freight handling had plummeted. The management team told us that they can pay their £40 million loan back to the taxpayer by the year 2032. With Prestwick still losing £8 million every year, does the cabinet secretary really believe that this is an achievable debt to return taxpayers' money? Not only do I believe that that is an achievable debt, I think that it is perfectly possible that it can be achieved earlier than that date. Although I reiterate what I have said and what the First Minister and others have said since the very point at which we took over the airport that it will be a long-term investment made by the Scottish Government, the reasons for that, as I have mentioned, as the previous owners, Infratil, were not making the investment. Anybody who has been to visit the airport will know that for a fact. There has not been the investment in the physical infrastructure of the airport and that investment is necessary to gaining new business. I think that it was the case that Mike Rumbles is right to the extent that there has been the reduction in passenger traffic, in particular he mentions Ryanair. That was happening previously and, of course, that was exacerbated afterwards by the hiatus in terms of the ownership, but that is perhaps the most competitive and difficult area that the airport is involved in, but other parts of the business are turning out. It is not quite £8 million, it is £7.8 million, not far off £8 million, but we are seeing an increase in turnover and the reduction in losses. I would have hoped that the Liberal Democrats would not follow the path of the Labour Party. We continue to support this. Of course, I understand that I am asking questions, but I continue to at least make it obvious to the people in Preswick and Ayrshire that they are supportive of the support that has been provided by the Scottish Government and the future success of the airport. Emma Harper is to be followed by Colin Smyth. Does the cabinet secretary agree that Preswick Airport could be an important staging point for tourists to enter the region and explore the south-west of Scotland, including the coastal and inland route that I am working with local stakeholders to promote, and therefore it would benefit the south-west world-class food and drink industry? I think that the kind of innovation that Emma Harper has shown in her question about getting the benefits of travel to the south-west is exactly what we want to see at the airport. Of course, what she says is true. I do remember being on a flight myself from Preswick in the 1980s, coming back from Canada when it stopped at Preswick and you were not allowed to get off, you had to go round to London before you were allowed to get off. I think that there is no question given the attractions that we have in terms of the south-west of Scotland, in terms of the west of Scotland more generally, and also in terms of the huge increase that we have seen in tourism in Scotland just this week, the increased record numbers to our attractions across Scotland, that must form part of the future of a successful Preswick airport, the introduction, the sustainability of more tourist traffic coming to the area and enjoying the benefits of visiting Scotland. Colin Smyth. It is important for the local economy to turn around Preswick airport and investment, for example, in the A76 might certainly help boost tourist numbers, but what it can't be turned around on is the basis of military flights. In opposition, the SNP criticised the use of the airport for those flights. It condemned military action by the US and criticised Donald Trump, so it's not there for a bit hypocritical for the cabinet secretary to now turn a blind eye and stay silent when he's fully aware of the extent to which Preswick is being earmacked to take more US Air Force military flights in the future. When there are reports that his own Transport Scotland officials are lobbying for Preswick to do more business with the Trump organisation and the US Air Force, could the cabinet secretary tell us specifically whether Preswick airport has been used for either rendition flights or live missions to Syria by the US Air Force? First of all, again, Colin Smyth is wrong if he's suggesting that there's been this increase in military flights. I go back to the point that in the year 2000, 9,000 military aircraft movements were made. In the year just passed, we had 3,600 movements in terms of military aircraft. It is as legitimate now as it has been over the decades that not just Preswick airport, but virtually every airport in the UK accommodates military flights and also provides fuel for doing them. It is not easy to see in the comments made either by Colin Smyth or Jackie Baillie one aorta of support for Preswick airport, for the employees that work there and its continued success in the future. Perhaps just once in a while, if they express that support, whilst, of course, asking legitimate questions, people in Preswick might take some comfort from that support. I'm conscious that there are five more members who still wish to ask questions, but we've just not had enough time this afternoon. I'm grateful, Presiding Officer. I'm afraid that the minister's position is still directly contradictory and that our opportunity to question him has not given us a chance to resolve that. He tells us today that there is no role for ministers in specific commercial discussions. He told Parliament last year in the past two or three weeks that I have been talking to management about specific commercial opportunities. What chance do our standing orders give us, Presiding Officer, to allow the minister, actually to require the minister to resolve that direct contradiction? A visit to the airport won't answer this. He must answer it. I appreciate Mr Harvey's frustration and that of other members in the sense that I've got a lot of interest in asking questions. However, Mr Harvey, as a member of the bureau, will know the restrictions on our time. He'll also be aware, for example, that we've already trimmed minutes of every single speaker in the next debate, and we're currently eating into the debate time that's already been allocated to that debate and immigration, which I think is of importance to everybody here. I'm very aware of the level of interest that's up to Mr Harvey, as a member of the bureau, or any other member, to raise it with a business manager to pence the other time. There are other opportunities and ways to ask questions of the minister, written questions, letters, raise it in committee and so on. However, Mr Harvey is free to bring it back to the bureau to discuss a future date. However, we have no more time this afternoon, and we'll move on now, if I can, to the Scottish Government debate Scotland's population needs and migration policy.