 The next item of business is a debate on motion 8378, in the name of Roseanna Cunningham, on the hydro-nation maximising the abundant benefits of our water resources. I invite members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request to speak buttons now. I call on Roseanna Cunningham to speak to move the motion. Cabinet Secretary, 10 minutes please, are there about? As we all know, water is life, a vital part of Scotland's natural capital that underpins everything that we do. Our economy, environment, health and wellbeing are all inextricably linked to water. With around 70 per cent of the area and 90 per cent of the volume of all Britain's inland surface water, Scotland is extremely fortunate to have such a critical resource in abundance. As a resource that underpins key industries such as food and drink, water of course also presents opportunity. That is an opportunity to develop its value, to understand and optimise its use, to harness its power to increase the productivity and efficiency of our industries, and an opportunity to enjoy its aesthetic qualities and contribution to our health, wellbeing and leisure. We should demonstrate exemplary practice in managing all of our natural resources, leading by example and sharing with the world the knowledge and expertise that we have acquired in water. All of those factors come together under the aims and objectives of the HydroNation. Our vision of Scotland as a HydroNation recognises the critical importance of water as part of our national and international identity. Today, I will outline how we are developing the economic and non-economic value of our water resources to deliver on our ambition to be a world leader in its responsible management. The approach is ambitious, innovative and outward looking. It places the people of Scotland at its centre, recognises our duty to them and to the environment that sustains us all. In a world where over a billion people do not have access to clean water and many more live without basic sanitation, we see a clear role for Scotland to help to make a difference. I will set out some of the groundbreaking international work being undertaken in the name of HydroNation that is already improving lives and underpinning this Government's commitment to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. However, let me begin closer at home. In Scottish Water, we benefit from a world-class utility providing water and sewerage services delivered through a public ownership model for the benefit of the vast majority of people in Scotland. We can take great pride that, year on year, its levels of performance show what can be achieved by a well-managed and highly motivated public sector organisation. Since establishment, Scottish Water has reduced service costs by over 40 per cent, environmental incidents by 34 per cent and leakage by 50 per cent. Equally significantly, Scottish Water has reduced its carbon footprint by nearly a quarter since first reported in 2006. This year, the company reached an important milestone by facilitating enough renewable generation to meet 100 per cent of its electricity requirements. I want to emphasise that all of this is in the context of an average household charge some £38 lower than in England and Wales. As well as underpinning our economy as a whole, water is a key business sector in its own right, now recognised as such by our enterprise and development agencies, so that we can tailor and deliver the support that it needs to grow and flourish. Scottish Development International has recently published an updated capability statement that presents our key strengths, experience and expertise. In terms of the breadth of business support, innovation is integral to our approach. The establishment of the HydroNation Water innovation service means that the sector is now benefiting from targeted and dedicated specialist one-to-one support to help to tackle barriers faced by small and medium-sized businesses in bringing their products to market. This is supported by two full-scale testing facilities at operational Scottish Water sites—Gothlack for Water Treatment and Bones for Wastewater. During the summer, I visited the Gothlack plant and saw for myself how it is helping innovative businesses develop their products. It is also hosting technical trials to review the feasibility of employing decentralised water supplies for remote households, growing our understanding of the options for an alternative provision model for those on private supplies struggling to maintain their existing supply. We remain fully committed to the service and are at an advanced stage of preparing to procure its evolution. Working alongside the industry, our academic and research sector is delivering ground-breaking research, including through CRU and our innovative and challenging postgraduate HydroNation Scholars programme. CRU is Scotland's centre of expertise for waters. Funded by the Scottish Government and hosted by the James Hutton Institute, CRU provides a vital knowledge hub where calls for research are co-ordinated across academic institutions, government and water sector, helping to improve the understanding of water in the environment, industry, pollution, resource management and technology. The scholars programme is designed to deliver the water leaders of the future with a cohort of 19 talented PhD scholars studying a wide range of topics identified as key to moving understanding forward and enhancing Scotland's reputation as a centre for academic excellence. The programme delivered its first alumnus this summer. Our industry is supported by a unique and internationally respected model of governance and regulation, which reflects the sense of community and shared purpose that HydroNation has engendered. Our economic, environmental and drinking water quality regulators work closely and interconnectedly with Government and Scottish water to drive improved performance and promote the sector's interests. Its expertise and impact is increasingly recognised through demand for advisory services to help to address challenges in other jurisdictions. We have recently established the HydroNation international theme to reach out to the world to share our academic excellence and expertise in water governance and water management technology. Our approach aims to bring better coherence, alignment and consistency to our international activity, including the management of collaborative research projects and deliver more actively managed academic networks that can respond collectively to funding call opportunities and support other opportunities for the wider sector. I must make special mention of Malawi, a country with which we enjoy a special relationship. We are committed to supporting Malawi through HydroNation's contribution to the Climate Justice Fund with the aim of making the sustainable development goal 6 a reality. That programme has already delivered access to clean and safe water to over 33,000 people, over 6,000 people with improved water resource management skills and over 4,000 people using new irrigation techniques and conservation agriculture practices. We are building on those successes by extending the scope to include water pump technology enhancement trials, which will increase their efficiency. We are working with major UK retailers to secure in-country water sustainability for key export products such as tea and coffee. We are also responding to the huge potential and need in India in relation to water resources by engaging with key Indian partners to introduce HydroNation and help to build links between the scientific research and business communities. We are exploring with our Indian partners the mechanisms to develop pilot technical projects with potential to tackle some of India's most pressing water issues. In considering how HydroNation can make a significant global impact, we also recognise the potential within the public sector to provide commercial and advisory services related to water. My officials are working with a number of bodies, including SIPA, WICS and Scottish Water International, to understand and develop the potential for cross-sectoral collaboration and the structures to support that. In those remarks, I set out how we are delivering across each of the themes set out in the HydroNation strategy agreed with the HydroNation forum that I chair, supporting our domestic industry, maintaining and improving service and quality standards for customers and driving down carbon impacts through innovative energy generation. For those on private supplies, we will continue to pursue suitable options for an alternative provision model. We will build on our academic strengths to ensure Scotland's place as a thought leader on water issues and continue delivering on our commitment to the sustainable development goals through targeted international activity. We will develop and support new commercial opportunities for our businesses and public bodies at home and overseas, developing our water economy and enhancing its contribution to a low-carbon economy that benefits all of Scotland. I hope that, with those remarks, I am able to bring home to members in the chamber who might not otherwise have been aware of the breadth of activity that goes on beneath that broad heading of HydroNation, that Scotland is being recognised internationally as a country with expertise parallel to none. I really want to commend HydroNation to the chamber. Can you please move the motion? Sorry. You did not move it. I will move the motion. I call now on Donald Cameron to speak to and move amendment S5M08378.1. Seven minutes are there about, Mr Cameron. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I move the amendment in my name. I am delighted to open for the Scottish Conservatives in this important debate about Scotland's water. Living about an hour away from Dalnes in beautiful Glen Etiv, which is Britain's wettest place, and in an area in the West Highlands, which is one of the wettest parts of Western Europe, I have seen my fair share of water, but, as a result, I particularly appreciate the value of our water and the many means by which we can use it to benefit local communities and our economy. I am proud of the fact that the region that I represent here does contribute such a significant and important natural resource. I am upbeat that there has been progress made in delivering the ultimate goal of making Scotland a hydro nation. In relation to the review report, we on this side of the chamber welcome the publication of this report, and I thank the Scottish Government for publishing it well in advance of this debate. Indeed, we welcome the fact that this report was produced past the point at which reports are required by statute, and we hope that the Scottish Government will continue to provide Parliament with regular updates on how the agenda for the hydro nation progresses through the lifetime of this Parliament. I am delighted that much progress is being made, and given that Scotland's water is worth £1.8 billion per annum to the Scottish economy, it is vital that we continue to invest, improve and lead the way in building the water economy. As a report notes, there are many areas of progress that we welcome, and I would also like to pay tribute to the scholars programme, which, as the report notes, has produced its first scholar, Dr Christopher Schultz, alongside 16 other PhD scholars who are immersed in the programme. I am also proud of the fact that, while we continue to build our own water industry and economy, we are sharing those practices internationally, particularly with developing countries such as Malawi, which I will talk about later on, in order to allow them to help to develop a thriving water economy. We also welcome the fact that, as a result of the focus on the water economy, new technologies are being brought to market, which will help, over time, to boost the economic benefit of Scotland's water. In particular, we know that one of the goals of the HydroNation is to deliver a low-carbon water nation and to ensure that we manage our water resource so that it reduces its carbon intensity. To that effect, it would have been interesting if the report had elaborated further about what is specifically being done in this area, particularly what progress has been made in delivering new technologies to treat wastewater and produce clean drinking water, which we know is very energy-intensive. It will be interesting to learn about the success of the new water treatment technologies currently being trialled at Gorthlech, which the cabinet secretary mentioned, the innovation test centre. In terms of global commitments, we strongly welcome the work that has been done by the programme to support other countries developing similar water programmes. I am encouraged by the strength of our continued relationship with Malawi and the manner in which this long-standing and historical connection has allowed us to share ideas, create new success stories for one another and cement the positive impact that multi-nation partnerships have on the state and its citizens. The report notes many positive steps in this relationship and how we are helping Malawi to develop its water economy, ensuring that its citizens can have the kind of access to water that we often take for granted here. Furthermore, we are encouraged by the support that has been offered to India and the best practice that is being shared with developed countries such as Ireland, Canada and Australia. However, our global commitments to improve water resource will not simply be met through the action of one Government, which is why I strongly welcome the interventions of the UK Government and its excellent record in this sphere. The UK Government has committed to ensuring that another 60 million people are able to access clean water and sanitation by 2020, an ambitious target that will only be met through our continued commitment to international development. In between 2011 and 2015, DFID has helped that 64.5 million people gain access to clean water, improve sanitation or better hygiene conditions through the building of new wells, pumps, standpipes, toilets and sewage systems, work that complements that carried out by the Scottish Government and private sector organisations, charities and others here in Scotland. Of course, the drive to improve global water access and treatment does not just extend to the efforts of the Scottish or UK Governments, but our people have played a strong part in supporting water development abroad. Across Scotland, there are many individuals, small businesses and charities who have set out to go further and support people that the state has not yet been able to help. Scottish firms such as the Edinburgh-based beer firm Brugoda are one good example. They were set up with a mission to donate 100 per cent of their profits to clean water charities and set a target of ensuring that one million people can get access to drinking water. So far, they have helped 33,000 people and supported 60 different projects in Malawi since 2016. I am sure that everyone across the chamber wishes them the best of luck as they can strive to meet their overarching target. It may be that one of Mr Cameron's colleagues can answer that in his speech. The first part of the amendment talks about recovery of phosphorus. I would be interested to know if that is for economic reasons or environmental reasons. Of course, by the time the phosphorus from human waste is in waste water, it is extremely dilute. I think that it is not an economic recovery. If someone in the Conservatives' benches addresses that, I would be very interested. There is a technical question for you, Mr Cameron. Do you have the answer? Thank you. It is certainly an environmental point, if I can put it like that, but Maurice Golden will go on to deal with that. It is a hospital pass, if ever there was one. There is a need to go further, Deputy Presiding Officer. The report sets out clear areas where there have been achievements. We on the benches feel that there are other important areas that have not been covered by the report. For example, there continues to be a concern over pharmaceutical pollution, which is largely caused by improper disposal of medicines. The non-profit organisation, Healthcare Without Harm, states that many waste water treatment facilities are unable to completely filter out many of those pharmaceutical drugs, and as a result, those pollutants can impact land and other surface waters as a result. Similarly, there are issues with the number of PCB chemicals that are not able to be removed from wastewater. One local issue in my region that I am acutely aware of, and I was mentioned by the cabinet secretary, and I have dealt with several cases on behalf of constituents, is the difficulty that many people have who live in remote areas about getting on to the mains water supply, and instead have to rely on a private supply where the water quality and flow can often be an issue. I would press the cabinet secretary to work hard for those people in that position. Although our obvious logistical challenges, if we are to have a truly inclusive water economy, we should not forget the needs of everyone resident in Scotland when it comes to accessing a safe and reliable water supply. In conclusion, I would like to end by reiterating that, while there are some areas that need improvement, the Scottish Conservatives are confident that there is good progress being made in a number of areas, and we commend the Government and its agencies for facilitating that progress. Please move amendment S5M-0878.3. I thought I had moved it, but I do. How do you? Oh, I apologise, Mr Cameron, you are ahead of me. I now call Claudia Beamish to speak to move amendment S5M-0878.3. Ms Beamish, five minutes are thereabouts please. Thank you. I will start by moving amendment S5M-0878.3. Ms Beamish, five minutes are thereabouts. Thank you. I welcome the new hydro-nation update report. Our dramatic coastlines, glistening locks, powerful rivers and peaceful canals are important to Scotland at a fundamental level. Water resources support numerous industries, bring in tourism, boost our health and well-being and provide around a quarter of our renewable energy output. Of course, we drink it. The continued preservation of the purity of our water resources and the careful monitoring of our supply is deeply important. The beauty of water landscapes is a strong pull for many tourists visiting Scotland and the variety of attractions provided to us by both nature and the innovative industries caters to many interests. When people around the world think of Scotland, our whisky comes to the minds of many. This iconic industry absolutely relies on a pure and reliable water source. While you might need an extremely refined palette to guess the source of the water used, clean water is used in numerous vital stages of the whisky making process. Water is so significant for our sense of wellbeing. I would like to highlight our canal system, a public asset that has had progressive strides in diversifying its value, thanks to the efforts of Scottish canals. In Glasgow, a collaborative initiative, the Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Partnership, is under way to alleviate flood risk, also a very important aspect of the management of our water and regenerate the underused land along canalways. In Maryhill in Glasgow, canal-side land is being developed for social housing. This is a high-quality place-making initiative and the canal holds special opportunities for further development in recreation and tourism, active travel and environmental improvement. Hydropower is one of our oldest forms of renewable energy, and my colleagues on these benches will say more about that as well. It is easy to visualise the harnessable energy from the power of a rushing river or a burn. The capacity potential of hydropower is significant, enough I understand to power over a million homes, but achieving this is complex and will require joined-up policy across all levels of government. For communities with water sources nearby, small-scale hydroschemes are an exciting opportunity. In my region of South Scotland, members of the Straven town mill have plans for a hydroscheme to generate electricity for the Straven town mill arts and heritage centre. Straven town mill is an example of a small charity dealing with big organisations and agencies such as Scottish Water, SEPA and the local authority, and Scottish Power as well. With complex processes and contracts to negotiate, I see that it is very prohibitive for such organisations, except for the most determined applicants. Consideration should be given to allocating a project manager who can act as an overarching liaison on behalf of a community group such as this. The nature of hydroenergy means that output will fluctuate with the weather and it can make projecting an income very difficult. Funding requests will require applicants to provide detailed forecasts. Furthermore, this year's revaluation of business rates has left some small-scale hydro schemes facing rates increase of up to 650 per cent, I understand, completely unsustainable and unaccommodating. We should be doing all we can to help these community-led initiatives to stand on their own two feet and to recognise the importance of the hydro power sector on all scales to Scotland's future energy. If we truly want to support public initiatives and bolster community ownership, simplicity and flexibility are key. In the context of the Sustainable Development Goal 6, which the cabinet secretary has already referred to, the chamber recognises the daily and pervasive challenge of water safety and scarcity that many countries around the world face. The hydro nation's targeted support through the Climate Justice Fund is so important for the empowerment of communities in those nations such as Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania and Rwanda. The cabinet secretary also highlighted the work in India. I know from having been on the cross-party group for Malawi until recently that the policy coherence across the portfolios is really important in what the Scottish Government is doing here. Water is, of course, our most basic need and the benefits of a reliable and clean water source permeate to so many aspects of life. While there is much in the Tory amendment to support, especially in relation to talking about the waste water challenges and dealing with those more robustly and the recognition of the need for further flood management, we are not in a position to support their amendment today, due to the possible implication of more privatisation of the business stream pot of Scottish water, which would not, in our view, be in the public interest. We will, though, be supporting the… The member is just closing. I said that you are just closing. I am giving you a little bit extra time. I will give you another 30 seconds. We will be supporting the Scottish Government motion today. I will remove the motion in my name again, just in case. Oh, well, well. That is all right by me. Now we move to the open debate. Speeches of four minutes are thereabouts. There is a little bit of time in hand for interventions and you will get your time made up. Bruce Crawford, please, followed by Peter Chapman. The Scottish Government's ambition to build the nation of Scotland into truly high donation is an expiring approach to utilising our country's world-renowned natural resource. I would like to use my time today in this short debate to share how my sterling constituency that I represent can contribute to one of the Scottish Government's key objectives, in particular promoting our water resource as a source of clean, green economic benefit. I want to do that while successing our relationship with our water resource in a wide context. Members will be aware that the spectacular Loch Catron is located in my constituency. Not only is Loch Catron the birthplace of Rob Roy McGregor, but it has also been the primary source of water for much of the city of Glasgow and the surrounding area since the mid-1800s. The connecting infrastructure to Mulgai Water Treatment Works was initially opened by Queen Victoria in 1859 with a second aqueduct in 1901. Today, Loch Catron is owned by Scottish Water, which manages a system that can deliver almost half a billion litres of water a day to 700,000 residents—that's a hell of a little water for 700 residents right enough—in the surrounding area. Indeed, Loch Catron is famously the water source for one of Scotland's most widely consumed pints, Tenets Lager. Loch Catron's contribution to the local area does not stop at its impressive supply of quality consumable water. Of course, it is also a global attraction for tourists from around the globe. The SS Walter Scott steamboat has provided sailings on a lock for 170 years now, and it's still a huge hit with visitors. It's an incredible asset, Loch Catron, to local community, encouraging visitor support to local businesses and a perfect example of a natural water resource being used to further the economic potential of the surrounding area. Loch Catron is nestled in the heart of the Loch Lomond Introsyx National Park, an area that I share with Jackie Baillie, and occasionally I've had ice cream alongside the water of Loch Lomond. Loch Lomond Introsyx area is now home to 44 approved hydra schemes, of which 35 are currently in operation. The total output of the national park is now 21.7 megawatts, which is enough to power a staggering 15,400 homes, or almost half of my constituency. That includes the calendar hydro project scheme that sells energy produced to enable them to create a financial revenue stream for the entire community of calendar. I was a bit surprised that Claudia Beamish picked up on the business rates issue, because I understand that, from the hydra operators in my part of the world, they are quite delighted with the discount scheme that was brought in by Derek Mackay, the finance secretary, to deal with that whole issue. You can, Mr Crawford, but you are staggering into your last minute. That is what I understood from the community group that that had been increased, so I will follow that up. I shared a taste of what is happening in my constituency today about the relationship with water and what can be taken in other parts of the country and what we can do around the globe. Obviously, the Loch Catron project was born out of a radical public reform issue for the health of the city of Glasgow. Can you just imagine what we could, if we could do that two centuries ago, do more and do more extra around the globe today? Very quickly, in closing, I think that we need to be a bit more imaginative about how we use our water resource. I would like to promote the idea that the A84 that connects my constituency to Ovan is a perfect route for numerous small hydro schemes that power charging points for electric vehicles. Such an approach would go some way to repairing our country for phasing out of petrol and diesel vehicles. All of that would take some out-of-the-box thinking. I will leave members with that thought and how best we can utilise the fantastic resource that is Scotland's water. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Again, I need to register my interest in relation to farming. Thank you to those who gave opening speeches that highlighted both the great water resources that we have here in Scotland and that today's debate will be a consensual one. Scotland has the wettest climate in the United Kingdom, which many farmers are all too aware of after this season's stop-start harvest. This has been one of the most difficult harvests for many years and I have to go back to 1985 to remember when as wet as this. It has meant combined stocking fields, high-dry grain drying costs and real frustration for our farmers. However, too much rain can be a nuisance. Too little rain, as is the case in many parts of the world, is a disaster. In a world constantly demanding more food and water, Scotland is in an enviable position, which means that Scotland is green, beautiful and agriculturally productive. Because of our abundant and pure supplies, Scotland is one of Europe's leaders in bottled water production, a real growth story building successful businesses that are taking a big share of the ever-increasing demand for bottled water. Water is instrumental in the production of many of our key food and drink industries. The Scotch whisky industry, for example, is one of Scotland's greatest assets, using large quantities of water throughout the production process and without adequate supplies of pure clean water, the whole distilling industry could not survive. Scotch whisky is the UK's top contributor to the UK balance of trade. It is Scotland's largest export and it contributes nearly £5 billion a year to the economy. This industry is built on our natural water resources and our fine malting barley. I am proud to see Scotland and the United Kingdom doing so much internationally to share our knowledge and help nations all over the world to access clean drinking water and better sanitation. Something that we can take for granted living in such a water-rich country. HydroNation, contributing to the climate justice fund, which supports work in Malawi, is a good example of Scotland helping internationally. In the UK Government's department for international development, it is committed to matching the success of the 2011 to 2015 programme by helping at least another 60 million people to get access to clean water and sanitation by 2020. I am pleased to see that the first students participating in the HydroNation scholar programme are approaching the completion of their PhD studies. I wish them success in their future and hope that they can use their expertise to help with Scotland's hydroNation future. Scotland also has a long and proud history of hydropower development. That technology is one of the oldest forms of renewable energy in Scotland, with routes going back more than half a century. Indeed, in the north of Scotland way back then, I remember that we did not speak about getting electricity installed, we called it the hydro. Scotland also has huge capacity for pumped storage, a technology that can bring multiple benefits to the generation system, ensuring that power is always available when it is most needed, providing power at peak demand and then using cheap electric at night when demand is low to pump water back up to the high dam, ready to be released again the next day. Hydropower already provides around a quarter of Scotland's renewable energy output, the equivalent of 12 per cent of our electricity needs. With significant untapped resources, the homegrown industry has potential to deliver even more. In this debate, I have mentioned just some of the great benefits of Scotland's abundant water supply, how we can maximise our potential and how we have and will continue to share our knowledge and expertise around the world. I welcome the Government's ambition for Scotland to become a world-leading hydropower nation. Sitting in the right of the fireplace in our living room at home is a large paraffin lamp. That is relevant to this, because that is the lamp that my wife used to do her homework to until the hydropower delivered electricity power to 14 Lochendon, just outside Inverness, when she was at school. The history of Scotland is interwoven with the history of water. We are fortunate that, when we go out of the building at night, the rain is coming down. We curse gently and reach for our broly or our waterproof cap, while in the Sahara, they would be dashing around to collect and preserve that precious resource. For many in the world, access to water, in particular to portable water, is increasingly difficult. It is undoubtedly the case that it is so precious that it has been the cause of battles, wars and it may again be so in future. It is, of course, a naturally occurring chemical. H2O is probably, even for those who have no particular knowledge of chemistry, the most highly recognised chemical formula in the world universally. We, who are fortunate, owe a duty to those who are less fortunate. The distribution is maladroit, where there are huge communities of people around the world that are often little water. We have the potential to show the way in the technologies of water. We can show leadership. We have heard from Bruce Crawford about our Victorian predecessors creating the infrastructures on which we continue to depend. There were great debates at the time, in particular in Glasgow, when waste water infrastructure was being put in, as to whether it was economically or socially desirable to do, not a debate that I could contemplate the being of any interest in today. Water delivers public good in Scotland and around the world, but it must also be delivered for public good, not simply incidentally deliver it. Scottish Water is an exemplar in how we, as a Government of all hues, can use our resources in a way that benefits our communities. By using natural resources to generate power, there is an excess of resource in Scottish Water that enables it to support others around the world. In our infrastructure, there are redundant assets, such as disused sewage treatment works, which could become modern recycling plants. There is a hint of a desire to recycle. I am waiting to hear from Maurice Golden about phosphorus, which originally came from human waste water, originally discovered in 1699. I am not sure whether that is what he is encouraging us to return to. Climate change is one of the things that is causing an even bigger skew in the availability of water to people around the world. The Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice has made this one of its central planks of their campaign, and I am always very happy to support it. In Scotland, too, one of our most important exports is whisky. As the minister will undoubtedly criticise my pronunciation, the Ushk means water. It is the essential ingredient of our national drink. I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate this afternoon, particularly because I have hydro schemes in my constituency that contribute a great deal to the local economy. Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to harness electricity from its waters, and as many in the chamber will know, the Labour Party has a proud history of using hydropower to deliver social improvement. Indeed, it was the late Tom Johnson, born, of course, in Kirkntillach, former Labour Secretary of State for Scotland, who was the driving force behind the Hydroelectric Development Scotland Act and acted with the ambition to deliver power and social improvement to the people of the Highlands. The creation of the North of Scotland Hydroelectric Board was established following the act and is regarded, I believe, as one of Tom Johnson's greatest achievements. The board's first hydroelectric scheme was in my constituency at Sloydam, at the top of Loch Lomond, and that was commissioned in 1950. Presiding Officer, we are nothing if not parochial. I would, of course, argue that Loch Lomond rivals Loch Caterin, and I point out that Bruce Crawford and I did indeed share an ice cream on the campaign trail. I am also duty bound to point out that he did not pay for it. Scotland's hydrolegacy is still visible. The hydrobuilding programme in the 50s and 60s resulted in infrastructure that still produces electricity today. Sloydam is still going strong. Then there are the new hydropower schemes in my area at Loss and Plans for a community-run scheme in Arica, too. At present, we know that hydropower is used to supply something like 12 per cent of Scottish energy, but there is huge, untapped potential to develop more hydro schemes. In my area, I have found that smaller schemes are highly efficient, generally have fewer environmental concerns attached to them and also create a number of new and highly skilled jobs. However, in order to make the potential of the hydropower sector a reality, I believe that the Scottish Government must ensure that it is doing everything in its power to create an environment in which businesses feel comfortable about making those long-term investment decisions that will create and sustain those jobs. That takes me to a brief discussion on business rates. I welcome the finance secretary's recent announcement that he will fast-track valuation of hydro schemes and increase the upper threshold to a rateable value of £5 million from 1 April 2018. However, that said, there is an absence of clarity as to whether schemes over one megawatt will be entitled to any rates relief at all, and those businesses are struggling with a huge increase in business rates right now. Indeed, what I considered a small-scale hydropower plant in my constituency, with a size of 1.042 megawatts, went from paying nothing in business rates up to April 2016 to now paying more than £90,000 for this financial year alone. It received no relief whatsoever despite being only 0.04 megawatts over the limit. There is little that it can do to reduce except restructure their business. When you start to restructure your business, there is the possibility of losing staff. That is a hydroscheme that is not only producing renewable energy that is good for our environment, but it is a business that creates good-quality jobs and contributes hugely to our local economy in my constituency. I respectfully ask the Scottish Government to consider business rates relief for hydro projects. Otherwise, many may struggle to survive, and new projects might not proceed beyond the drawing board. I have said before that climate change is one of the defining issues of our age, and in the highlands and islands there are loads of great work going on to enable us to find low carbon solutions to our energy needs. Harnessing the renewable energy potential that we have could transform my region from a low-wage economy with a long history of migration to a high-wage economy that attracts people in. I will illustrate this point with a couple of hydro and marine energy examples, because water is an abundant resource where I come from. More than half of Scotland's hydroelectric schemes are currently operating in the highlands and islands, and hydro power continues to contribute about 12 per cent of Scotland's electricity. There are opportunities in my region and elsewhere in the country to expand our hydro power industry, and we need to take them. In Ellipoll, where I grew up, the community has been working really hard together to create their own successful hydro project over the last few years. At the opening of the Parliament last year, representatives from Broome Power were my local heroes. I am sure that the cabinet secretary and all my colleagues would join me in congratulating the volunteers, but all their hard work and perseverance has now delivered their project on time and within budget. The steep-sided glens in the Lall Forest and the very reliable 110 centimetres of annual rainfall that we get make the burns just south of Ellipoll pretty energetic. The project has the backing of the Scottish Government and the opportunity arose from an invitation from the Forestry Commission for Scotland for communities to develop hydro projects in local state-owned woodland through the national forest land scheme. The Loughbrewm community renewables limited raise funds to take forward the project with a community share offer, with the strat line invest today and change tomorrow. The project raised 900,000 from individual businesses last summer and next month flow the turbine, given that inspirational name by local school children will be generating electricity. I look forward to going along to the switch on in a few weeks. The brilliant thing about Broome Power is not just that local folk who are invested might make some money, but any surplus income from the scheme will be used for projects in the future. That community benefit fund will go on for the next 20 years. Marine energy is another way that the renewables industry in the Highlands and Islands can be a constructive part of the hydro nation. The Highlands and Islands is home to one of the most active tidal areas in the world, the Pentland Firth and the waters around Orkney. The area of sea around our north coast contains 50 per cent of the UK's tidal resource and 25 per cent of Europe's tidal resource, with an incredible potential for marine energy generation. It is no wonder that Orkney is home to the European Marine Energy Centre, the world's only grid-connected wave and tidal test site. Of course, we have MAGEN in the Pentland Firth, a world leader in tidal energy deployment, which set a new record in tidal stream power production earlier this year. It is a really exciting industry that has incredible potential. The abundant resource that we have up there and the cross-fertilisation of private industry and academic research make Orkney a fine example of a living laboratory. The people working there are ambassadors for Scottish marine energy worldwide. We are so lucky in the Highlands and Islands and across Scotland to have such potential in our natural resources, and water is without doubt central to that potential. The Government's hydro nation agenda will make an important contribution to fulfilling that potential, and that is great news for the Highlands and Islands and it is great news for Scotland. I call Mark Ruskell to be followed by Liam McArthur. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I welcome this debate this afternoon on the hydro nation? It is particularly heartening to hear about the work that has been taken place on international development. I went to Malawi a number of years ago and met people who are directly impacted by this. The difference between life and death, whether people have access to irrigation and sanitation, is hugely important. I would like to turn some of my comments to Scotland. One of the most dramatic benefits that has come as a result of our membership of the European Union has been the directives that have improved the quality of our water every single turn of that water cycle. From the tap to the treatment works, from the rivers to the seas, our EU directives have set standards that have protected the health of our bodies, our beaches and our water courses. It is vital that EU directives remain as the solid base for our environmental standards going forward. Whatever our future relationship may be with the European Union. Without the backstop of the European Court of Justice to enforce standards, I remain concerned about future Scottish Governments rolling back on good progress. I ask the cabinet secretary perhaps in closing to tell us what will replace the ECJ, given that this Government has now rejected environmental courts. Keeping Scottish water in public hands is critical to delivering public needs at a time when pressures for post-Brexit market liberalisation will only grow. Alan Sutherland, the chief executive of the water industry commission for Scotland, said recently that, in his personal view, the introduction of household competition for water would be a derisory idea. Scottish water has done little analysis of the impact of the EU-Canada seater trade deal, but if the public status of Scottish water is not challenged under seater, it certainly could be under future trade deals cobbled together as part of Empire 2.0. There are risks, and the Scottish Government should be mindful of them as it seeks to develop its position on trade further. We started the week with a debate about technologies from the past that have no future, so it is good to shift a debate to a technology that had a critical role in our past and will have for centuries to come. Like Jackie Baillie, I am a big fan of Tom Johnston, a former West of Stirlingshire West MP. Of course, Labour Party's early work was always its best, and the post-war vision of the hydro board brought hope and power to the glens. I doubt whether all the projects would have got through today's environmental regulations, but they delivered Scotland's first renewables revolution. I was privileged to meet Pat Agnew, an engineer, Pam Fletier and Green Party energy spokesperson in Scotland for many years, who worked on Crook and Project and many others during that Tom Johnston era. Thirty years ago, he envisaged a second renewables revolution based on wind working with hydro. He is sadly no longer with us, but his vision is definitely still alive in the aspirations of this Government today. In this century, we see communities using hydro's strong social licence to build new generation. I would also like to join with Bruce Crawford in paying tribute to the calendar community development trust, whose project on the stank glen fits seamlessly with the landscape while delivering great financial benefits to the town. There is a huge amount of potential for community hydro, but we have to look at how we add certainty and de-risk development of projects. The UK Government's cut in renewable support has been damaging, especially for hydro, given its high upfront capital costs. The constant tinkering with the subsidy regimes destroys certainty for projects that are seeking commercial finance. Dramatic increases in business rates, although they have been averted for the time being, grid capacity constraints and charging regimes that do not recognise the benefits hydro brings to the energy system, can combine to collapse projects. Of course, if we do not get projects, we do not get community profit sharing in there as well. I appreciate many of these issues and not within the direct control of the Scottish Government, but building a unified position in this Parliament to support the next chapter in a hydro nation story is certainly worth fighting for. I call Liam McArthur to be followed by Ben Macpherson. In four minutes, it is difficult to justice to the magnitude of the topic, although I was tempted to donate my four minutes to Bruce Crawford if only to find out how the afternoon with Jackie Baillie on the banks of Loch Lomond was to develop. Jackie Baillie has put an end to such speculation. As the MSP for Orkney, I need no persuading about the extent to which our identity is indeed shaped by water. At this time of year, that shaping can be rather more robust and unremitting than we would like. Nevertheless, the energy aspects of the Government's motion, which I strongly support, are ones to which I would add, as Marie Todd did, the notion of wave and tidal energy. It is right that many have focused on the significant potential that there is within hydro, which already plays a significant part in our renewables production. There is real potential to grow that. Jackie Baillie's point about the small-scale projects is one that is worth holding on to. I think that through pump storage there is also an opportunity to address security supply issues as well. However, that needs routes to market and I would very much associate myself with some of the comments that Mark Russell just made in relation to the challenges facing that sector. However, I would like to concentrate my remarks on the international activity. As the co-convener of the cross-party group on Malawi, I was delighted to see Claudia Beamish's amendment highlighting the climate justice fund and the work specifically in relation to Malawi. I would like to talk about a couple of projects in that regard, one that was alluded to by the cabinet secretary in her opening remarks. I pay tribute to Strathclyde University, which I know is heavily involved in a wide range of areas in Malawi, but one project in particular to widen access to safe drinking water has been enabled through the climate justice fund, Water Futures programming. Professor Callan challenged his students to come up with a device that could be retrofitted to the almost ubiquitous hand pumps that you see in Malawi. Benjamin Macintosh-McAleys and his colleagues certainly rose to that challenge, and through the AFRI-DEV High Lift, we now see the ability to deliver water well beyond the pump and to the premises, to clinics and other buildings that were simply not possible before, where water was having to be delivered by hand, usually by women and by children, and often over very large distances. I have failed to do it justice, but more information is in the recent Scotsman article that was published last month, courtesy of David Hope-Jones, who provides the secretariat to the CPG. The other project is taken forward through the Tier Fund Scotland, again supported through the climate justice fund, which deals with issues to do with food security, but also the availability of clean and safe water. Through the better management of water resources on the ground, one of the projects is delivered in Salima district, where the local community is taking back more control. I was sent an email earlier on this week by Charlie Bevan, who works for Tier Fund Scotland, which brought home the significant impact that the project is having for that community in terms of delivering safe and clean water. We are undoubtedly a hydro nation. Exploiting that is a logical step for us to take. It plays to our strengths, not just to the benefit of Scots, but to the very real and tangible benefit of citizens across the world and some of the most impoverished nations. I am also very glad to support the Scottish Government's commitment to making Scotland a hydro nation, because water is fundamental to the importance of Scotland's economy, our health, social wellbeing and the environment. Our reputation as a hydro nation is growing. Our water resource is significant, and in a world in which demand for more food and water is ever-increasing, there is good reason to nurture our water for the long-term sustainable use. From the water of Leith today to the maritime heritage of Leith and Grant and Harbours, the use, management and quality of water resources in my constituency has always been extremely important. I would like to use my time today, first of all, to pay tribute to all of those who work in our water industry and who have contributed to Scotland's water heritage in the past. For example, there is William Kenny Bond Burton, an engineer born and educated in Edinburgh, who designed the water and sewage systems in Japan and Taiwan in the 19th century, helping to defeat outbreaks of cholera in Japan and through providing safer and cleaner water. He is rightly revered there, who did his apprenticeship at Browning Brothers and Co-hydraulic and mechanical engineers based in my constituency previously. Today, it is the public servants of Scottish Water and others in our water industry whose efforts and contributions we should all highlight in value. In my constituency, that is particularly true when it comes to the sea-field waste water treatment works. A very important facility in this city with a growing population, the sea-field water treatment works and its performance are extremely important to the long-term sustainability of our water network. That is why I want to use my time to thank the cabinet secretary for the constructive work that we have done so far and our engagement with the communities that I represent through commissioning a strategic review into sea-field. That, I am sure, will make a significant difference. Tomorrow, those initial findings will be shared with the stakeholders group, and I look forward to working collaboratively with the cabinet secretary thereafter to see what progress needs to be made. One of the great strengths of the sea-field work so far is that, as part of its waste water treatment, it also generates a significant amount of electricity on the site, making the plant more sustainable. That leads on to another area that I would like to emphasise as part of Scotland as a hydro nation, which is that the utilisation of our hydro capacity in terms of innovative energy generation as part of our journey to being a low-carbon economy. Many have already mentioned Scotland's significant hydro electric capacity, and that is why I, like others, was disappointed that the UK Government decided to cut feeding tariffs of up to 45 per cent in terms of the development of hydropower. That has unfortunately curtailed hydropower development after a period of renaissance in recent years. An area that has also been highlighted in the debate so far is that of marine energy, and I would particularly like to highlight tidal energy. Despite the fact that there is no specific contract for difference from the UK Government in terms of the subsidy arrangement for tidal, the Irish Scotland's tidal industry is making significant progress, including NOVA innovation, based in my constituency, which has successfully delivered phase 1 of the world's first offshore tidal array in Shetland, with 80 per cent Scottish supply chain content. In conclusion, from Leith to elsewhere in Scotland, making Scotland a hydro nation and nurturing our water resource sustainably in the long term is crucial, and the hydro economy provides huge opportunities for growth. That, as a hydro nation, is right for us to reach out to the world, to share our knowledge and expertise, just as William Kinnabon Burton did in the 19th century. John Scott, followed by Graham Dey. Presiding Officer, I begin by declaring an interest as a 100 per cent shareholder in water distribution and energy services limited, which, while registered, is not trading. I welcome this Government debate today as Scotland becoming a hydro nation, first launched in 2012. If any of you have read Fred Pearce's book, when the rivers run dry, you will appreciate what a precious resource water, particularly our Scottish water, is in a world that is rapidly warming due to climate change and where potable water is a declining world resource, as Stuart Stevenson said. Lord James Douglas Hamilton, late of this place in an earlier debate, warned of future wars, being caused by drought and a lack of usable water. While we take this resource for granted, living in Scotland, significant water shortages have already occurred in Europe, notably Spain and Cyprus, with North Africa and Middle Eastern countries becoming daily more arid, as well. I welcome the Scottish Government's intention to sustainably develop Scotland's hydro economy to maximise the economic benefit of our water resources. I also support the aspiration to raise our international profile as leaders in the field of water management and governance. In addition, I note the intention to develop a water research centre, and I would suggest that that could ideally be located in Ayrshire, preferably in my constituency, given the abundance of water and rainfall in our area, more of which later. Without doubt, with the world population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, with climate change now happening in front of our eyes and temperature rises taking place and sea level rises also becoming a reality, the need to manage more carefully fresh water has never been greater in terms of both direct human consumption but also food production. Many of you know that this is an issue dear to my heart, and again I should declare an interest as a food producer, but we should recognise the enormous resource that we have in Scotland in terms of available fresh water. Of course, identifying a resource and harnessing and exploiting it are two different things. For example, we have an enormous resource in wave energy and tidal energy, as Marie Todd mentioned, which we have not yet been able to significantly access or harness. Fresh water, although more manageable, has not yet been fully appreciated or recognised in Scotland for the resource that it will become in future. That is why I am a supporter of Scottish Water and particularly Scottish Water Horizons and Scottish Water has become one of the Scottish Parliament's success stories for set-up under Ross Finney's leadership and Scottish Water's success, and the sensible use of taxpayer money has in large part put Scotland into the position of being able to aspire to becoming a hydro nation as well as creating Scottish Water international. Of course, more remains to be done in terms of further improving water quality and river basin management, as well as flood risk management. However, it would be remiss of me not to mention in this debate the flooding issues in Prestwick in my constituency, which I have been raising in Parliament for many years now. While other countries suffer from a lack of rain, part of Prestwick floods, because the local drainage and sewerage system is unable to cope with the volumes of water and sewerage that is now delivered into the system that lacks the capacity to adequately deal with higher rainfall events. At the risk of sounding like a stuck record on the subject of great concern, nonetheless, to my Prestwick constituents, I would again ask the Government to deliver the funds to Scottish Water to deal with rectifying the problem of external sewer flooding in my constituency and elsewhere. I first made a request to Roseanna Cunningham in September 2010, according to SPICE, and a request that one of my constituents raised very recently with her at the SNP conference. I welcome again this debate today and look forward to Scotland developing as a hydro nation. Scotland's vast water resource is not something that we have only recently come to recognise, nor is exploiting it a recent phenomenon. Against that historic backdrop, there is an opportunity to adapt the innovation and technology of hundreds of years ago in order to meet modern demand and play a part in green energy generation. Perth College, as part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, has undertaken research to ascertain the number of historic small-scale hydro sites in the north-east and central Scotland, predominantly old water mills. The work was carried out in collaboration with four local authorities, Aberdeenshire Angus, Fife and Perth and Cynros, with the aim of restoring microhydro schemes for modern use. My constituency, the location identified with the greatest potential, is the picturesque Barry Mill. Powered by the Barry Burn, the Mill is a category A listed building owned and operated by the National Trust for Scotland. Barry Mill, which goes back to the time of Mary Queen of Scots, I think trumping Bruce Crawford's Victorian example, is without doubt one of the greatest historic treasures in my constituency. I think that Liam McArthur is probably able to trump everybody, because I understand Scarrig of Reyes, where the oldest existing water supply exists from 3000 BC and, indeed, incorporated and working toilet. I stand corrected. Being one of only a handful of mills still powered by water, it is also probably the largest and finest example of its type remaining in working order. The mill continues to be a real tourist attraction in Angus South, where visitors can enjoy guided tours and witness first-hand the intricate process of a fully operated grain mill. The historic hydropower project is an incredibly exciting proposal. The next stage is for those behind it to work with local authorities to carry out feasibility studies on the selected sites. That would include assessments on a range of criteria such as potential power outage, proximity to the grid and the capacity for community involvement in the project. In my patch, Angus Council's green economy officer has already met the national trust, and they are working collaboratively to assess the viability of the proposals for barry mill. I am aware that Perth College's UHI is currently also working with local authorities and local energy Scotland to put together an application to kick-start a pilot project as soon as possible. I hope that that proposal for a microhydro-energy scheme at barry mill becomes a reality. The Scottish Government has rightly recognised the role that hydropower can play in its draft energy strategy, and I welcome the capping of business rates increases to 12.5 per cent for small-scale hydrop schemes and the 100 per cent rate that is put in place for all renewable projects that offer a 0.5 megawatt profit share for their local community. The former was an issue that I had raised on behalf of constituents with the Government. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance also took a positive step when he announced last month that the Barclay review of plant and machinery will fast-track the valuation of hydrop schemes. It is absolutely vital that we continue in this vein to encourage and support smaller-scale innovation in Scotland as we move to cement our place as a global water leader of the future. I will let me as a member of the environment committee finish by paying tribute to the sympathetic way in which many of the new schemes are being constructed. I visited three such schemes on the Invermark, Glenprosen and Rotol Estates. Two of them are in my constituency and the other one in Aberdeenshire. In each and every case, I was struck by just how well they had been made to blend into the countryside. From a distance, in some cases, you can barely make them out from the surrounding landscape, which for me is a win-win. We now move to the closing speeches for this debate, and I call on David Stewart. Around five minutes, please, Mr Stewart. Thank you, Presiding Officer. This has been a short but excellent debate on the hydro nation with wide-ranging contributions from members such as Lee MacArthur and Claudia Beamers, who focused on the international element. First, Donald Cameron also discussed the very important issue of water quality and floodless flood risk management. Jackie Baillie and Mark Ruskell spoke eloquently about Tom Johnson, who I have to declare as one of my political heroes. The less said about the ice cream, I think, the better. Members from across the chamber focused on the three main aspects of the hydro nation. First, the development of hydro power to maximise economic benefits by reducing energy use, improving efficiency and creating low-carbon nations. Secondly, raising international profile of Scotland as a leader in water management and developing a centre of excellence on water with international reach. I would like to focus briefly on hydro power, as other members have, Presiding Officer. If you like a case study of the hydro nation, not least because of its strong antecedents in my region, the Highlands and Islands. We all know, of course, that hydro power is a key renewable that can help to achieve our climate change targets and reduce reliance on important gas and coal, while, of course, increasing the diversity of our generation mix. We need to get our energy mix right. The lights might not begin out over Edinburgh anytime soon, but if we get the energy balance wrong in the next decade, we will be paying over a barrel or, indeed, over a therm of gas to countries with the political stability of Burma and the civil liberties record of Zambambwy. We all know that hydro power, if you like, is the grand old man of renewables in Scotland. The first public supply of hydro power was in the Benedictine Abbey in Fort Augustus in 1800 inhabitants in 1890 and, in 1896, a hydro power station was built in Foyers by the British aluminium company. Around 1900, a large hydro power station was basically responsible for the development of the village of King of Leven. As members have quoted previously, Tom Johnston, Labour's Secretary of State for Scotland under Winston Churchill, led the hydro revolution and, in 1940s, he created a network of dams and transmission towers that produced electricity to poor Highlanders for the first time. Tom Johnston, of course, when he left Parliament in 1945, went off to chair the hydro board and the Labour Government, just to complete the record, nationalised hydro power in its first term in 1945. At that time, it was estimated that only one farm in six and only one croft in 100 had electricity, and today, notwithstanding Donald Cameron's point, virtually every home has mains electricity. After the Second World War, workers came from all over the world to work in the Highland hydro schemes. Germans, Poles and Czechs in particular were famed as the tunnel tigers, who earned 10 times the weekly wage of local estate workers. By the 1960s, the Highlands had changed beyond all recognition due to new dams on larger locks. Rivers were diverted to aqueducts and underground tunnels to direct powers from the glens to remote crofts and farms. What was then once a threat to tourism is now, of course, a tourist attraction. For example, the dam and fish ladder had put the dreaded venue of many a Sunday school outing. It is now a major tourist attraction to visit by hundreds of thousands of people each year. Hydro power is not some bygone relic of a forgotten age. The Glendale project that I visited a few years ago near the banks of Loch Ness is the largest hydro power station for half a century. It provides clean renewable energy enough to light every house in Glasgow. Recently, a new £14 million hydroscheme is wrapped and running in Lochaber. Based on the hills above Kinglock Leven, villagers will get substantial community benefit. However, as was pointed out, the reduction in UK tariffs by the UK Government makes the economies of building new hydro increasingly challenging. I believe that there are opportunities for a new hydro revolution. There are some limiting factors. We have to look at the cost of grid connections, the reduction in phasen and out-of-fit payments and the consent process. Scots and newables raised concerns about the route to market and the lack of financial certainty for those investing in small-scale hydro, not least community groups. In conclusion, I believe that Scotland has a proud record in hydro power in no small measure due to the iconic status of Tom Johnston. There is so much more to achieve. For example, in pumped electricity storage, in run of the river developments and by streamlining planning processes. We all know that the task is great, but Scotland has both the opportunities and skills necessary. Sustainable development of hydro power can be a crucial contribution to meeting our global climate change responsibilities. With the appropriate development, the right technology and the proven skills of our workforce, Scotland can take the lead in Europe and beyond. I call Maurice Golden. Around seven minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I refer members to my register of interests with respect to my work in Zeroway Scotland on phosphorus and priority substance recovery. Let me begin by briefly highlighting the three amendments to the motion from the Scottish Government that we are supporting. The first relates to phosphorus and priority substance, and I will cover that in terms of the recovery of that resource. It is something that we must do in order to protect the environment and indeed biodiversity. The second area is ensuring that our river basin management plans and flood risk management plans are more effective across the whole of Scotland. We have some great practice, but we need that spread out and we need local authorities involved in that. The third area in terms of improving the market for the business sector would involve ideally the introduction of a not-for-profit company that runs on an escrow-style model that could share in the benefits of water efficiencies. I think that that would be a useful introduction into the market. Let me reaffirm my party's commitment to protecting and harnessing the benefits of Scotland's abundant water resources. Scotland has the potential to be the international lead in water management projects, and we can and should provide expertise and research around the world by developing initiatives that will help people and tackle climate change. The HydroNation strategy is to be welcomed, and we will seek to hold SNP Government to account in implementing that strategy. The SNP has spoken about their commitment to developing Scotland's water sector and to raising our international profile as a HydroNation, and that is something else that we welcome. We have heard today a number of interesting and worthwhile contributions from across the chamber in what has largely been a consensual debate. The cabinet secretary mentioned in her opening remarks that we must optimise and understand water use and that we must demonstrate exemplary practice and share that with the world. I agree with that. Bruce Crawford spoke about the scenic attraction of Loch Catron, as well as sharing an ice cream on Loch Lomond with Jackie Baillie, who in her remarks highlighted issues around business rates for hydro schemes. A top priority for Scotland should be addressing the amount of pharmaceutical and chemical waste that is appearing in Scotland's rivers, locks and seas. I highlight the case of Lulu the Whale, found dead on the Isle of Tyre. Her body contains shocking levels of PCB or polychlorinated biphenol—I have been practicing that all day. Chemicals take a long time to break down, therefore the estimated £75 million of pharmaceuticals that are dispensed with but never used, often ending up in the natural environment, should be an additional concern. Researchers have found some traceable content in drinking water. Water treatment plants cannot effectively recover those potentially harmful chemicals. The potential long-term environmental and health risks of pharmaceutical residue in water are a matter of concern. Health care without harm is one organisation that works to transform healthcare worldwide so that it reduces the environmental footprint, becomes a community anchor for sustainability and a leader in new technologies and practices. The use of a system such as the Swedish WISE list, which can be used to compare health outcomes with environmental impacts, would be a positive step forward in terms of physicians prescribing new drugs. I urge the Scottish National Party Government to look at that more closely. Donald Cameron spoke in his remarks about one of the goals of the hydro nation being to create a low-carbon water nation where carbon intensity is reduced. While I welcome the progress from Scottish Water on this, I would like that to go further. Stuart Stevenson talked about the potential for water wars internationally going forward, and he is absolutely right in that point. I refer the member to the UNESCO Centre for Water Law and Policy in Dundee, of which I am an alumni with respect to their work on the application of a water hierarchy and to use EU water framework directive as a dispute resolution management system throughout water courses in the world. I commend the international links that have been established with countries such as Malawi and India. That was a point well made by Liam McArthur. Donald Cameron highlighted the work of the UK Government in helping 64.5 million people gain access to clean water and sanitation and welcomed the target that a further £60 million would have access by 2020. That work also complements the work of the Scottish Government. Peter Chapman highlighted the issues that farmers face, not surprisingly, as a result of the wettest summer since 1985 and stressed the importance of quality water for the whisky industry. Indeed, as climate change continues to affect global weather patterns, Scotland becomes increasingly vulnerable to extreme flooding, and that is why enhanced river basin management plans and flood risk management plans will be required. We must do more to protect communities. The water market for business customers is currently imperfect and we believe that it needs reform. I recognise that deregulation has led to savings for Scottish businesses, but, similar to the consumer energy market, businesses need more information and advice and support to switch to companies in order to get the best deal. Indeed, bundling together with other utilities is another way to drive down costs and improve service. Certainly, for us on those benches, an energy service company and ESCO being introduced to the market would also be an improvement, because a commercial non-for-profit business providing a broad range of solutions and sharing in the benefits of efficiencies would be beneficial. Claudia Beamish highlighted the issues around small-scale hydro and a community-led approach, and the introduction of a project manager would be very useful in facilitating that. To conclude, I welcome the fact that Scotland is becoming an international leader. We need to take seriously the value of Scotland's water for the sake of our climate, economy and international profile as a hydro nation. I call Alistair Allan to close this debate. Can you take us up to just before five, please, minister? Thank you, Presiding Officer. Let me begin today by thanking all members for their very valuable and considered contributions. This has been a wide-ranging discussion, a constructive one, and one that has produced many unusual images, perhaps, as you have heard from previous contributions, one image more unusual than most. I think that, certainly, the revelation of Mr Crawford going to Loch Katron to share ice creams with Jackie Baillie is one that will live long with us, not least because I understand that already the considerable combined forces of Twitter and Photoshop have come together to ensure that it now has a much wider audience than any I could possibly give it. I thank my colleague the cabinet secretary for the environment, climate change and land reform for setting out the impressive breadth of the Scottish Government's hydro nation agenda. I particularly thank her for the way in which she has allowed many members to point out and dwell upon the fundamental importance of water as a resource, its critical nature for life, underpinning everything that we do. It is right that we should take a systematic and wide-ranging approach to how we manage that resource and develop its value. I wish to reiterate our thanks to the HydroNation Forum for its role in helping the Scottish Government to develop that HydroNation strategy. The strategy that is tested and agreed with the forum at its biannual meetings, chaired by the cabinet secretary, sets out action and plans under four key heads or themes. The themes cover activity that is focused on national, international knowledge and innovation-led aspects of water. I want to address some of the points that were raised that relate to the national theme, which sets out the key activities in the domestic agenda being delivered under the strategy. We heard about Scottish Water's successful journey to becoming a world-class utility that delivers services to the majority of people in Scotland. Its success in meeting and indeed surpassing performance targets while reducing costs and environmental impact was rightly held up by many members as an example of how public ownership can deliver results right across the board for people in Scotland. We heard, too, about the on-going action under the HydroNation agenda to tackle the particular supply challenges that are faced by some of our most rural communities. We have heard about the need for innovation as a means of reducing costs for consumers, for its contribution to lower environmental impact and increased energy efficiency and, indeed, the development of a flourishing water economy. It is important, too, that we also had the chance to discuss the knowledge theme of the debate, the theme that recognises the strength in our universities and research institutions in relation to water and the work of our researchers and academics, which is making a significant contribution to understanding and tackling key issues across a broad front. HydroNation is helping to demonstrate to the world where Scottish expertise is leading the way or contributing to better resource management, whether that is in relation to water scarcity, access to adequate, safe and affordable drinking water and sanitation, or developing thinking and mechanisms to tackle globally significant transboundary legal issues. We have heard how, in the fields of economic and non-economic regulation and governance, Scottish expertise is increasingly acknowledged as an exemplar of best practice and is increasingly in demand. We noted how HydroNation International is building on the strengths of the established and respected crew model to bring together better alignment and consistency to the outward-facing hydroNation activity. Not only that, but the initiative will develop stronger academic networks at home that can contribute and support other strategic priorities. We have seen that the HydroNation agenda is also an international agenda, a point picked up on by Donald Cameron and many others in the course of the debate. Scotland recognises that there is a responsible nation in the world that has a duty to contribute to solving global issues where it can bring its expertise to bear. The abundant water resources that we benefit from in Scotland undoubtedly contribute to the quality and distinctiveness of Scotland's environment. While we enjoy access to excellent quality drinking water and high standards of sanitation, many millions around the world are not so fortunate. Last year, I had the very humbling experience of meeting women in a Malawian village who pointed out the effects of what they recognised themselves to be climate change, explaining the practical consequences of that for them, which was that they had to walk several more miles a day each just to get water. I am proud that Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to publicly commit to the new sustainable development goals in September 2015, and it is heartening to see the direct contribution that HydroNation is making to the achievement of those goals in Malawi and other parts of the world. I am pleased that Malawi was mentioned in the Labour amendment, which the Government is happy to support, because of our on-going relationship with that country and because of the HydroNation contribution to the climate justice fund, which has already ensured that more than 30,000 people have gained access to clean water, and many more are supported. I also want to make mention of the fact that the Scottish Government does similarly good and important work in India, and that the Ganga River health project, led by the UNESCO Centre for Water, Law, Policy and Science, is one that we are very happy to co-operate with. If I can address one or two of the themes in the amendments, it is important to say that with regard to the Conservative amendment, I am not sure that we did, after all the debate, quite learn the thinking behind every aspect or every intention behind that amendment. There is much in it that would be unobjectionable, except that the last line of the amendment fails to recognise the benefits that public ownership has brought to our water industry. I wonder whether the member could clarify whether the SNP Government is arguing that the market for business supply is perfect, and whether the market would benefit from a not-for-profit escrow sharing model being introduced to that market as an offer for business customers in Scotland? We feel that, at the moment, not only is the market properly competitive in the customer's interest, but that with 87 per cent of our water body is achieving a good status classification by 2027. More important is public support for the public ownership principle. I do not think that we need to depart from that principle. When it comes to the Labour amendment, I think that I can happily support that, not least because of the support that it expresses for people in the developing world and their right to enjoy a decent water supply. I am happy to conclude on that note by saying that, before I do briefly that Ms Cunningham is happy to meet, as she has indicated to me with John Scott about the constituency issues that he diligently raised. I conclude in that case by saying that the annual hydro nation report laid in Parliament tells the story of how we are moving from a potential to a genuine opportunity to have a first-class world-class contribution to the debate about water in the world and a contribution to make in that we can be proud of not only what we have achieved in Scotland but what we can achieve in the wider world. Thank you very much, and that concludes our debate on the hydro nation. The next item of business is consideration of two parliamentary bureau motions. I would ask Joe Fitzpatrick on behalf of the parliamentary bureau to move motion 8.416 on committee membership and motion 8.421 on substitution on committees. Joe Fitzpatrick moved together. Joe Fitzpatrick Thank you very much, and we come now to decision time. There are five questions today. The first question is that amendment 8378.1 in the name of Donald Cameron, which seeks to amend motion 8378 in the name of Roseanna Cunningham on the hydro nation maximising the abundant benefits of our water resources, be agreed. Are we all agreed? We're not agreed. We'll move to our vote and members be cast their votes now. The result of the vote in amendment 8378.1 in the name of Donald Cameron is yes, 32, no 74, there were no abstentions, the amendment is therefore not agreed. The next question is that amendment 8378.3 in the name of Claudia Beamish, which seeks to amend the motion in the name of Roseanna Cunningham be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. And the next question is that motion 8378 in the name of Roseanna Cunningham, as amended, on the hydro nation, be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. The next question is that motion 8416, the name of Joe Fitzpatrick, on committee membership be agreed. Are we all agreed? And the final question is that motion 8421 in the name of Joe Fitzpatrick on substitution on committees is agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. And that concludes decision time. I close this meeting.