 The next item of business today is a member's business debate on motion number 9329, in the name of Richard Lyle, on celebrating 125 years of the showman's guild. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put, and I would invite those members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request to speak buttons now, or as soon as possible. Mr Lyle, if you are ready, would you like to open the debate? Seven minutes please or thereby. First, I would like to thank all the members who have supported this debate today. I would also like to thank all the members of the showman's guild who are in the gallery today at the very back. In particular, Mr Alec James Calhoun, chairman of the showman's guild, the Scottish showman's guild, Mr David Wallace, president of the showman's guild of Great Britain, Philip Parris, junior vice president, councillor John Cullian, MBE, senior vice president. They have all worked tirelessly for years to advance the position of the showman's guild within today's society. I am pleased to say that this motion received cross-party support within one day, which shows the high degree and high regard that the showman's guild is held by the members of this Parliament in particular. The showman's guild of Great Britain is a trade association of travelling showmen who gain the livelihoods by attending fun fairs, and this year marks their 125th anniversary. They are by far the oldest and largest organisation representing their industry and community. Historically, the guild was largely created due to the evangelical efforts of George Smith of Colville, a preacher from Leicestershire. He was a self-appointed guardian of public morals and first sought to have his movable dwellings bill accepted by the House of Commons in 1889. By this point, George Smith had already been successful in persuading MPs to pass legislation restricting the lives of those who operated and lived in canal boats, and he sought to have similar measures imposed on caravan dwellers. The bill implied that those who lived in movable dwellings were of a moral nature, lived in unsanitary conditions, and the children of van dwellers did not receive any education. Totally untrue. Those accusations were not only an insult to the travelling showman's community, but also a serious threat to their way of life. Once the showman realised that George Smith proposed measures would have severe effects on their lives, the leading travelling showman of the day met to discuss how they might oppose the bill. The meeting resulted in collaboration, and they decided to join together as the United Kingdom Van Dwellers Association. It was then under this banner that they enlisted the support of members of Parliament and other civil society and civic liberty groups. Their campaign lasted four years and finally resulted in a victory when George Smith's bill was rejected by the UK Parliament. The showman decided that the Van Dwellers Association should continue and be kept in place to advocate and represent their interests in the future. Their initial successes in the association instill confidence and led to a series of voluntary regional committees to be established in order to maintain contact with members. By 1911, the name of the Van Dwellers Association had now changed to recognise showman's guild. That change came as a result of appointing Reverend Thomas Horn as the first full general secretary. Under Reverend Thomas Horn, the guild transformed to a well-organised and influential national body. By the end of Reverend Thomas Horn's life, the showman's guild had reassembled much of its current shape. Regional committees existed on a firm of footing and became the 10 sections through which the guild is administered today. Members were also required to observe a strict set of rules with strong ethical grounding that Reverend Thomas Horn had originally called for. Throughout the guild's 125-year existence, its role has remained unchanged. The showman's guild serves the purpose to promote, protect and protect the interests of its members—the travelling showman who provide and uphold the nation's funfares. It is with that purpose that the showman's guild has remained strong. However, the members of the showman's guild are not only characterised by their choice of work. Those men and women who are contributing citizens to the nation, many of whom were and are veterans during the First and Second World War, more than 3,000 showmen volunteered to fight on behalf of Great Britain, of those brave men and women. Almost 25 per cent of them were killed in a line of duty. Show people at home raise money to pay for a fleet of 19 ambulances, and the showman's guild started the Spitfire fund that raised £5,000 to pay for a Spitfire called the Fund of the Fair. Today, the guild has a memorial within the national memorial arboretorium. Remembering the following showman who died and served to the country, their dedication to the country extends their ability to provide safe, enjoyable experiences for their children and their families. They have a rich history of standing up to protect the civil liberties and freedom of their fellow countrymen. I believe that that deserves our respect. I also believe that the showman's guild deserves our respect for their dedication to ensuring that all fund fairs are run with a high standard of safety. The showman's guild places a very high value on the maintenance of all rides, as well as proper safety precautions and protocols. It has played a large role in the drafting of the code of safety practice at fairs. That manual is the most comprehensive safety manual for the industry that is ever produced. Since its introduction, the guild has expanded the manual to include specific regulations for individual types of fund fair rides. All members' owning rides must submit their equipment each year for thorough examination, with annual inspections conducted by the independent engineers to avoid conflict of interest. The scope of inspections is widened without adherence to high standards. The rides are banned. With such a high, rich history and many contributions to our society, I am very pleased today to have this debate. I am very pleased to have members of the showman's guild in the public chamber. I am very pleased to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the showman's guild. The guild in this Parliament has now, I believe, a strong relationship, which I hope through ministers will continue to thrive and grow through time. I hope that throughout this debate today we will all come to learn a bit more about the showman's guild, the way of life and the challenges that they face, the everyday economic challenges that they face. Finally, I am very pleased for this opportunity to speak in this debate today. I look forward to other members' contributions and I thank you very much for this debate. I thank Richard Lyle for securing this debate today and for his work on behalf of the showman's guild, and I also welcome members of the showman's guild who join us in the gallery today. Reaching the anniversary of 125 years for the guild is a remarkable achievement for all involved, both past and present. As deputy convener for the cross-party group, we have heard much about the rich history of showmen in Scotland and the challenges that they face across our communities. Showmen and women have contributed to Scotland's society both culturally and economically for many years. As the First Minister said in 2009, when referring to the guild, their members and their families, show people are an important part of Scotland's culture, history and economy, and combine a strong tradition of family and community with a high level of entrepreneurship and business acumen. When she said that she made a valuable contribution to the economy on this day of where the Royal Highland show begins, does she agree that she pays a very valuable contribution to agricultural shows throughout Scotland and that she encourages young people to get involved in agricultural shows because they provide a greater traction for our youth? I thank Maureen Watt for her comments, and I absolutely 100 per cent concur with the comments that she has made. Clearly, the showman's guild is a distinct and unique group whose culture and tradition we should both protect and be proud of, yet we often hear within the cross-party group of the many barriers restricting the growth and vibrant opportunities available for show people. One of those barriers is the current public entertainment licensing regime, which stems from the Civic Government Scotland Act 1982. The 32 local authorities have what has been called a scatter-grun approach to the fees and interpretation of the act. Some councils charge for temporary licences, some for a full year, some charge per ride, some charge per size by size, and many of those conditions are unnecessary and disproportionate. My own local authority, Renfrewshire, charges £812, which is the highest across Scotland. A click-man in charge, for example, is only £61. I have written to Renfrewshire to ask them to explain why the costs are so high, and the expensive charge may be why we have lost two annual fares in Llynyd and Paisley St James. I know from my experience in local government that fares are wrongly viewed by some as problematic and noisy, but we have to work to ensure that the traditions of show men are maintained and that relationships between them and local authorities are improved. We cannot afford to lose the rich tradition of show men and the benefits that they bring to local communities. We should support and celebrate their culture, not marginalise and stigmatise it, and we need collaboration between the Guild and Scottish ministers to reduce the burdensome red tape. The motion praises the Scottish show men's Guild's continued success in regulating Scotland's fair grounds, and research has shown that, in order to gain authority from the health and safety executive, show grounds must comply with 20 pieces of legislation from the Health and Safety Act 1974 to the Equalities Act 2010. The Guild has been at the forefront of safety and best practice and has been instrumental in working with the health and safety executive in promoting the highest standards of public safety. I briefly highlighted the history of the show men in my opening remarks, and I would like to go back and finish with this. For centuries, show people have brought a range of entertainment services to communities across Scotland, such as those that I mentioned in Renfrewshire and to the Cracoddia Lynx market, which is Europe's longest street fair. As a child, I was fortunate to spend every summer in St Andrews. My father was an avid golfer, and the highlight of my summer break was the Llamas market. The Llamas market has its roots in medieval history and is one of Europe's oldest markets, and I still remember running from our house in North Street up to Market Street to the fair. For my colleagues in the chamber, my favourite ride was the Carousel. I wasn't a Dodgham's girl or a waltzer's girl, but my ride was the Carousel, and I still cannot pass a fair without standing watching the Carousel. Now that we are well into our Scottish summer, we know the benefits that Galadies bring to our communities. What we need is a regulatory system that enables show men and their families to harness that and to flourish across Scotland and enable their unique history, tradition and culture to continue. David Torrance, to be followed by Alex Johnson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I would like to congratulate you on securing today's debate celebrating the 125th anniversary of the showman's guild of Scotland. I welcome the chairman, vice-chair and members of the showman's guild and distinguished guests to the public gallery today. On such a historic occasion, as an anniversary to celebrate an impressive 125 years, it seems proper to note the relationship that Cercodi in particular has had with the showman. Lynx Market, which takes place on Cercodi Espinade every year, has a history that stretches back to 1305 and has entertained residents of a long town in surrounding areas for centuries. Lynx Market, cumbost of being the longest street fair in Europe and the length of time that Cercodi has benefited from the showman's involvement in our community, shows that they are an integral part of the people in our town and should be celebrated accordingly. Although this year marks the 125th year of the showman's guild, showmen have been entertaining at Lynx Market for more than 700 years. The century-old tie to our community has become an important part of the town's heritage and it gives me great confidence that the work of the showman's guild will continue to bring Lynx Market to Cercodi per years to come. It also undoubtedly continues to raise a profile of Langtown every year on the national level. My love for the Lynx Market, I must confess, is more of an obsession. As someone who grew up only straight away from the site, I know from experience how its arrival every year was hotly anticipated by many of the locals. The smell and sound was like a magnet, not only to me but to young children and teenagers from all around. So six months a day for school dinners and frattens from his tuck shop was saved up and carefully hidden away a weeks in advance. Such was my determination to be able to enjoy all the wonderful frown rides and stalls beckoned to me, especially the one with the toffee apples. Signatures were made up the night before so at least I had something to eat at school. When I wasn't allowed to go to the market, my excuse was always, I was well able to play football mum. Mum would say, okay, but you better not be going down Lynx Market, you're too young. No, going to play football mum, not going near it was always my response. You better not or you're in big trouble. So if my mum's warning ringed in my ears off I went to a market oblivious of what a conscious would, conscious would be later on. We all speedway octopus, metro, what a great night with your friends and back up the road in time so you're safe or so I thought. Mum, you've been down the Lynx Market. No, being playing football mum, you've been down the Lynx Market. And being on to me the toffa apple I couldn't resist on the way home, I'd left its mark all over my face. So it was off to bed with mum's wrath at my heels. Presiding Officer, on a more serious note, showmen of Scotland have been facing some difficult times over the past years. And to their credit, members of Guild have been working extremely hard trying to resolve many of their problems encountered by their members. Along with the help of a cross-party work group, which has both been active in Parliament and with local authority areas covering the wide range of issues, it appears to be with the 32 local authorities in Scotland that showmen encounter most of their problems. From the loss of sites to obstructions put in their way, planning applications for fund fares, issues like these have impacted severely on showmen's ability to entertain and trade. All 32 local authorities seem to have their own rules and regulations on how to manage showmen and their fares, but most contentious, without doubt, is licensing and the conditions that local authorities are attached to it. In Fife it comes with charge of the reasonable £100 for a licence for the links market, the longest street fair in Europe, which surely is an example of good practice. In other local authorities across Scotland, however, licence costs range from a few hundred pounds to thousands and offer a simple piece of paper to allow them to entertain. That is another issue with a public entertainment licence, because there is no end of problems to showmen. That is something that does not exist south of the border, where showmen travelling from across the UK are on a level playing field. In an attempt to alleviate the problems facing by a showman with a gradual licence, I would urge the Scottish Government to look at the Civic Government Scotland Act 1982, and I simply consider amending it to view the exemption for travelling fund fares. Presiding Officer, due to its strong connections with Kirkcaldy, I have asked Fife to cancel if it will host a civic reception to honour a showman's guild, long-standing commitment to our town. I hope that we will be able to join Fife to cancel and local community in celebrating its momentous year with its members of an organisation that is historically maintained such a close ties to Kirkcaldy. Once again, I congratulate the showman's guild of Scotland on reaching its 125th anniversary. I am certain that it will continue to represent the best interests of showing across Scotland for years to come, and I particularly look forward to seeing it as a relationship with Kirkcaldy flourish. I would like to take this opportunity to wish the showman's guild all the very best for the future. Very thanks. I now call Alex Johnson to move on by John Mason. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Richard Lyle for bringing this motion to Parliament and proposing it today, and I would also like to take the opportunity on behalf of the Conservative group in the Scottish Parliament to congratulate the showman's guild on its 125 years of history. It is, in fact, the case that I have had a history lesson today. Richard Lyle's opening speech told me a great deal more about the showman's guild and the history and tradition that lie behind it than I ever knew before. If nothing else, then this debate has served to educate me and perhaps one or two others. The fact is that a visit to the fun fair was always one of the most exciting prospects as a child. I remember being taken along, and I have to say that my perception was that it was something slightly risky, slightly dangerous. I think that David Torrance's mother would have agreed with me on that. However, the interesting aspect of it was that although it gave that perception, it never was risky and it never was dangerous, and that is why it attracted young people in the way that it did. I think that we make the mistake too often these days of wrapping our young people in cotton wool, and too many of them spend their time playing video games when perhaps they should be out there at the fair. I know for a fact that taking my own children along was always an exciting experience, and now I also have the opportunity to take my grandchildren, and I will continue to do so. That great safety record is not only in the environment around fairs, but it is also the issue of equipment. As we heard from Richard Lyle, there were perhaps issues in the distant past with safety, but the showman's guild and the people who are involved in it have made wonderful strides forward, and it is now the case that we hear very rarely of accidents on fair grounds, and that is an indication that the standards of safety that are being employed are of the highest possible level. However, I also think that there is something else going on here that we need to commemorate, and it falls under the heading of culture. The family tradition that exists within the showman is something that I think we should pay tribute to today. There are in this modern world few industries where businesses pass down through the family, and those traditions are maintained on a cultural level, as well as on a business level. I think that we should pay tribute to all those within the showman's guild who have fostered that development of a business model rooted to the family. I think that that is worthy of praise. We have, of course, heard one or two really interesting facts during the course today. The idea of Mary Fee still willing to get on a wooden horse is one that I quite look forward to. However, Mary Fee raised a far more significant issue, and one that was raised by David Torrance also. That is the issue of regulation by local authority. That is not the first time today that I have raised with the minister the subject of what Mary Fee described as the scattergun approach of local authorities. I think that it is vital if we are to encourage the tradition of the travelling fairground that we have some kind of consistency around the country. I am aware that certain local authorities, including my own on occasion in the past, have acquired a reputation for being difficult when it comes to that licensing and regulation process. I think that we should look for a way to simplify that to maximise safety and the standardised regulation so that fairs can travel around the country and do so without wards of red tape wrapping up the entire process. Finally, as I come to a close, I was also interested in one other fact that was raised by David Torrance. It was at a fairground that he was able to buy that toffee apple that gave him away when he got home to his mother. In this day of health and safety and all that sort of thing, let's say that even a toffee apple would count as one of his five a day. Inewardable. Mr Mason, now to be followed by Siobhan McMahon. Thank you, Presiding Officer. First, I can also thank Richard Lyle for lodging this motion initiating this debate today. I think thanks to him also for the time and effort that he has put into this whole topic, not least in heading up the cross-party group. Relationships have been mentioned already, and relationships are very important, and I think that Richard Lyle has certainly invested a lot of time in building up those relationships. We also want to congratulate the Guild on reaching its 125th anniversary and wish them many more years of fruitful work. When I was a youngster, I used to go to the shows in Rutherglen in Overton Park, which, if I remember correctly, was a blaze football pitch the rest of the time. However, that area is now occupied by Care Home, which obviously is a good thing in itself, but that means that the shows no longer operate on that site. I suspect that many of us have memories of going on the rides, shooting at Goldfish—I mean, sorry, shooting to win Goldfish—and all the buzz and colour that was really exciting for youngsters—I know that it still is—for many. I am also happy that so many show people have chosen to live in my constituency in the east end of Glasgow. However, these days, there seems to be a certain amount of inconsistency throughout Scotland as to how shows and show people are treated. I am certainly in agreement that local authorities should have the right to make their own decisions for their own area. However, there is a particular problem with a group like the Showman's Guild, which is operating throughout Scotland and being treated very differently in different places. The first major problem is whether they are allowed to operate at all. We had a proposed fair in Easterhouse, which lies just outside my constituency, where verbal assurance had been given that all would be okay and people in the equipment were already moving and incurring costs in moving to the site. However, there was an objection lodged by the police listing all the past crime in that area, despite the fact that most of that crime had absolutely nothing to do with any fair whatsoever. However, it was used as a reason for turning down at the application. The next problem, which has already been mentioned, is the widely divergent level of fees that may be charged by a local authority. For example, I understand that Glasgow charges £597 in comparison to Clackmannanshire's 61. We can look at the individual decisions—for example, a council decision to refuse a licence—and discuss why each particular decision was made. However, I think that there is also need for us to look at the bigger national picture and consider whether there is some discrimination going on here against a whole group of people going on. We are considering a group of people who are very much part of the tradition and culture of this country, as has already been eloquently said by others. Perhaps their well of life is not well understood by the majority population. I think that there can also be confusion between who are show people, who are gypsy travellers and other groups. Are we looking for a local or a national solution here? I accept that it is not just a national issue, but I certainly think that it is a national issue, as well as having local dimensions. If we are serious about helping and protecting all minorities in modern Scotland, then surely show people are one of those minority groups, and they are a group who very much need or deserve our active intervention and support. I congratulate Richard Lyle for securing this afternoon's debate. I thank him for making sure that the tremendous achievements of the Scottish Showman's Guild is recognised in Parliament in this fitting way. To my shame, I knew very little, if anything, of the showman's Guild before entering Parliament, but I am pleased to say that, in the last three years, I have learned a great deal about this fantastic organisation and the work that they do in our communities throughout Scotland. That is not to say that I was completely ignorant of their work before that period, but I would not have recognised that work as being anything formal or indeed would not have been aware of how substantial that work that the showman does throughout Scotland has on our economy. I grew up in Lanarkshire and enjoyed many of the fairs that have been established over the years by members of the Guild. There is only one fair in particular that has memories for me. It was heard near my grandparents' home in Newark-Till, and when the shows arrived, my brother, sister and I knew that the start of summer had arrived too. We are one of many families that had great experience in those types of memories, and it is all down to the hard work and determination of the showman to continue to entertain our local communities for such a sustained period of time. Other members have already mentioned the fairs in their own communities, or indeed the memories that they have when visiting fairs in other parts of Scotland. My colleague Claire Baker, who cannot be with us this afternoon due to other commitments, asked me to pass on her apologies to the chamber and the showman's guild in particular. However, she also wanted me to convey her thanks to those who made her feel so welcome at the Cercodi links market. Claire has spoken to me many times before about the fair, as it is the one that she brings her daughter to each year. I hope that she will extend that one year to me too. Members have spoken of some of the challenges that the showman faces at this time and the importance of the guild in helping their members to face them. It is simply not good enough that financial barriers are put in place by local authorities and the police. As the chairman of the guild said recently in a newspaper article, there is more red tape and it is more expensive to run shows in Scotland than any other country in Europe. It has become more and more difficult to get a licence each year. It is time that that was made with a challenge from the Government and I would encourage the minister to respond to that. The other issue that I would invite the Government to respond to is the matter of registering showman's families at schools. Under the present arrangements, there is no place for the families to indicate that their children are from a showman's background and therefore their culture is not only not recorded but not recognised. The closest category that the children can fall under is gypsy's travel, which is clearly not the ethnic grouping or cultural grouping. If that was to happen to any other group of people, we would be reading the newspaper headlines day after day. However, that matter does not seem to be getting so much as an acknowledgement, never mind resolution. I hope that, after today, that will change. As previously mentioned, I have gained a lot more knowledge about the showman's guild in the past few years. I now know about the Scottish section of the UK guild, the history of the establishment, who hosts the longest street fair in Europe, how many education liaison officers the Scottish section has, and the fact that the showman has its own international football tournament. My knowledge is entirely down to the hard work and determination of the guild's chairman, Alex James Calhoun, and his staff, in particular James Roger. I would like to thank them for taking the time to speak with me and keeping me updated in developments, not just in central Scotland but throughout Scotland. I appreciate that greatly. I look forward to others gaining knowledge of the fantastic guild when the feature film by Martin Smith is completed and shown in Scotland and beyond. Presiding Officer, let me join with others in congratulating Richard Lyle on gaining time for the debate. Of course, focusing, as it does, on the 125th anniversary of the guild is a truly impressive achievement indeed. I am sure that I speak for many who have enjoyed the work that the guild does, the entertainment that we see in the streets and sometimes country locations across Scotland. My parents used to let me go. I must have been a particularly responsible child that they did that. It is an argument that I see gaining little support in the chamber today. However, we need to put that in the context of the modern world. We can go to the cinema, watch hours on tele, play in our phones and iPads. However, the value and the entertainment that is derived from genuine, live, spontaneous entertainment and the unique carnal atmosphere that we get when the showman comes to town is very much different and still attracts in the modern world. I think that it is right that we are here today to express our gratitude for that spontaneity and genuine grounded entertainment that is provided. Seneca, the Roman philosopher once said that, as the soil, however rich it be, cannot be productive without cultivation, so the mind without good culture can never produce good fruit. The showman's guild are an essential and integral part of our culture. They travel around Scotland, showing us things that we might otherwise not be familiar with. They are grounded in Scotland's past and yet adapting to meet the needs of Scotland's future. The entertainment is family-friendly, it is unique and I hope that it never goes unnoticed. Maureen Watt talked about local shows. I woke up on Tuesday morning, I had my wee house when I was down here in Linlithgow, to the sounds of the showies in the car park at Tesco in Linlithgow. It is the annual marches day celebrations of beating the boundaries of Linlithgow. The showman coming to town is an essential part of that. In my area of the country, the area that I represent, we are looking forward to the first weekend in August, to the Tara show, the second biggest agricultural show in Scotland after the Highland show that is here this week. You cannot get into the Highland show without having to walk through the show ground, the noise, the hubbub, the people with toffee apples, sugar on sticks and just the sheer excitement of it or two days that attracts tens of thousands of people to there and the show is an integral and important part of that. The show itself, of course, complements what the showman brings. It has horses, dancing, wide spectrum of competitions and the industrial market key that they are adjacent to has over 1700 craft-based displays and the show has a whole 250 trade stands. The showman adds luster and excitement to that very important event to which people come from all over the world. There are thousands of people who depend on the entertainment of the showman's guild. The events aid tourism by dragging people in. They are an important part of our economy. I hope that we never forget the contribution that is made but also recognise the challenges that we sometimes create. Let me just suggest, for example, one from my personal experience. In 1971, we had decimalisation. The penny and the role the penny stole that I was particularly addicted to became a totty wee coin and the new two-pence coin was, of course, five times as valuable. That was a significant challenge and nobody when they were doing decimalisation thought about that. I owe gratitude for my remarks to my American intern. She has been absolutely amazed to discover about the showman's guild and all that they do as the research to help me in my contribution today. We are truly reaching out to international engagement. Now moved for a closing speech from Minister Derek Mackay. Seven minutes are there by please minister. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The Government's response, my response, will come in three parts as a consequence of the debate. The first point around regulation and the matters raised in the course of the debate. The second is celebration. Third, the more personal elements since other members have indulged us with their personal experience have thoroughly enjoyed the contributions of Richard Lyle, Mary Fee, the intervention from Maureen Watt, David Torrance, Alex Johnson, John Mason, Siobhan, MacMahon and Stuart Stevenson. I do not think that I have left anybody out in the contributions to this afternoon's debate. Even Mr Johnson is not paying attention at the moment to my very wise remarks. On the subject of regulation, we have discussed earlier regulation in terms of waste. I think that very valid points have been put in the chamber today about the complexity of the 32 different local authorities applying 32 different variations of both licensing and the fee structures. However, I am sure that members would welcome that there is work in hand to look at greater consistency around fees to try to harmonise it across the country. That works going on with the working group, of course. I think that the minister would agree with me that one of the key themes across the debate today has been about inconsistency. I wonder if we have shared my disappointment and the inconsistent approach of South Lanarkshire Council, which, after many years of having the shows in Larkhall look now to block it, expressed disappointment for the young people in Larkhall. One of the things that they do is that they have a day when all the schools come together, irrespective of what religious background they have, and they have a day like that. Just for the minister's information, I am a waltzers girl the faster the better. I am not sure that I want to make any comment on that contribution in identifying any particular council of additional personal information, but I would say that through the better regulation act, the regulatory reform work, we hope to get greater consistency on matters that sometimes are best determined locally, but whether there can be national consistency, we want to deliver that. I commit to working a partnership approach for local government to try to deliver that. I understand that it was very successful meeting with Cabinet Secretary Ken MacAskill earlier today, and we will take forward that consensual approach. I hope that the same cross-party attitude that we have enjoyed today in the chamber will be replicated in local government when I have those discussions. I hope that I do not have the experience where Parliament says one thing in the same parties and local government take a different view, because there is a point around what Mr Mason is saying about nimbyism in terms of my planning remit. Sometimes we like folk to enjoy themselves, but just not anywhere near me is not the kind of attitude that we would want to encourage. I am also very mindful with licensing requirements. There is no requirement for local authorities to licence funfairs at all. It is absolutely at their discretion as to how they do it, so we will work on that regulatory agenda. In terms of the personal reflections that we have heard from, Mary Feather is particularly interested in, because Mary will know my area. While I was raised in Ardrodd, in Cirtlenuke, in Renfrew and behind that housing street, there is a playing field. The playing field had the pleasure of the showman come to put on the shows in one particular week. I took very great interest in this, so I went unaccompanied without an adult. Alec Johnston makes the point about sometimes wrapping her children up in cotton. The problem was that I was five at the time that I went and the family had wondered where I had gone. Such was the attraction to the shows and what was being put on. The family was looking for me there. I was enjoying myself with the shows that were looking after me very well. That could have been a misdirection and profession for me. I found a happy home in politics, but you never know. I could have ended up in the showman's guild. To the celebration, I commend and congratulate Richard Lyle in securing the debate and recognition of the Scottish showman's guild at the 125th anniversary, a real celebration of many things good about our society and how it has enriched its Scottish society as well as contributing, evolving and changing and delivering fantastic events across the nation from village gallas to festivals enriching our culture and our history. I have a place for the future as well as the economic and entrepreneurial and business acumen that the First Minister has referenced. I am also mindful that the First Minister, Alex Salmond, had the honour of being an honorary member of the guild, which was news to me as well. Of course, that is very welcome. I am also aware that the Scottish section of the showman's guild of Great Britain is the largest section showing the strength that it has in Scotland, with nearly 400 members building on that strong tradition of entertainment and contribution to local communities. I encourage the guild to continue its work of protecting the cultural heritage of show people, which helps to bring communities together. I am close to my constituencies, the Governoral Parish Church. I do not know how many people know that that is the recognised church for all show families in Scotland, and can be evidenced as manifested as well through some of the artwork in the church windows, where you will be able to see the show logo of a hobby horse that is celebrated in that particular church. We will look at regulation and support, recognising the place that the guild plays, fairs and shows do for Scotland as well. I think that the history is very well established. I enjoyed listening about the Cercodi links as well. First established by Edward I in 1305 in terms of granting the Borough of Cercodi the right to hold an annual fair at the Easter Octave, and it has grown to become the links market that we have heard about. Great celebration, great contribution to our communities, to our tradition, to our culture, our society and all the reasons to be positive in delivering. It contributes to the Government's overarching objective of sustainable economic growth, and there are further opportunities ahead in 2014 and beyond with the year of homecoming events right across Scotland, to which showmen and women will contribute to. It makes it very special as we market Scotland and raise the potential that exists, as well as the celebration of the year of food and drink in 2015. We encourage the guild to work with us to capitalise on that again. I am delighted to be able to contribute to the debate, support the motion across party way that has been supported. I wish the Scottish showmen's guild every success as it heads towards the next 125 years, and future generations can experience all the fun of the fair. I now suspend this meeting of Parliament until 2.15. Note the change of time.