 The next item of business is a debate on motion number 1581 in the name of Fiona Hyslop on securing Scotland's place as a perfect stage for events. May I invite members who wish to speak in this debate to press the request to speak buttons and I call on Fiona Hyslop to speak to and move the motion. Cabinet Secretary, no more than nine minutes please. Presiding Officer, I move the motion in my name. As well as celebrating successes and acknowledging how far Scotland has come as an events destination, today's debate also allows us to highlight the challenges facing the ever more competitive global events marketplace. I also want to stress the importance of the collaborative effort that is required across the industry and the public sector to support the ambition set out in the national events strategy to ensure Scotland's reputation as the perfect stage for events is recognised nationally and internationally. Scotland is already widely recognised as a world-leading events destination. In 2015, our visitor spend reached almost £9 billion, with £4.9 billion of the total spend figure coming from our overnight visitors. We aim to grow that to at least £5.5 billion by 2020. Continuing to offer a strong portfolio of events that attract visitors from outside Scotland is therefore essential if we are to achieve that goal. At a time when the importance of ensuring that we are viewed internationally as a welcoming nation is critical, our events play an important role in supporting communities and in sharing and celebrating cultural heritage. Our work with BMIS to ensure that all of Scotland's black and ethnic minority communities are encouraged to join in the themed years and that winter festival celebrations are proving successful with a growing number of events year on year. The value of our events cannot be underestimated, whether it is a reputation as the home of golf, which helps us to stage some of the world's greatest golfing events, or our capital's place as the world's leading festival city, attracting more than a million people every year. We simply cannot afford to rest on our laurels. Competition around the world is fierce. Events that presently call Scotland home, such as the Mountain Bike World Cup and the World Pipe Band Championships, could be staged elsewhere. To stave off those challenges, we must continue to innovate, create authentic event experiences and ensure that attendances remain strong. We have just had a fantastic summer of sports events in Scotland. We have also witnessed some amazing performances by Scots events outside Scotland. I am sure that members across the chamber will wish to join me in paying tribute to all of Team GB, who competed in Rio at the Olympics and Paralympics over the past few weeks. The strength of our sporting events programme has already seen many Olympians from Rio, both Scots and others, take part in events here. No less than eight medal winners from cycling at the Olympics took part in the Tour of Britain and seven Olympians competed in the Blair horse trials. The European Judo Open Championships, the UCI Track Cycling World Cup and the Scottish Open Babington Grand Prix are all being staged at the Emirates arena later this year. We will also see Scotland welcome yet more Olympians. Our world-class sporting events are matched by our cultural events and festivals. The Edinburgh International Festival welcomed artists from 36 nations and audiences from 84 countries, taking in more than £4 million in ticket sales for the first time. Initial figures from the Edinburgh Federal Fringe show a 7.7 per cent ride in ticket sales. Briefly, on the Conservative amendment, it strangely singles out the UK Government's support for the Edinburgh International Cultural Summit, a success with 41 Government delegations. The UK were meant to be equal partners with the Scottish Government and others right from the start, but there was no financial contribution to the 2012 summit, none to the 2014 summit, and they are very welcome to £50,000, very small compared to the Scottish Government's contributions over years to this year's summit, which came very late and with a bit of persuasion and conjuring. I have exercised discretion in not making this public to date, but the Conservative amendment unfortunately requires a response, so the Conservatives in this Parliament really have to remember that they are there to stand up for Scotland, not merely to be cheerleaders in chief for the UK Government. The national event strategy, Scotland the Perfect Stage launched this time last year, reaffirms the shared commitment that exists across Scotland's public, private and third sector to the delivery of a one-Scotland approach to build a strong and dynamic industry, producing a portfolio of events and festivals that deliver sustainable impact and international profile. The strategy covers everyone involved with Scotland's diverse events portfolio. We, as a Government, are committed to doing our part from promoting the importance of communities and partnerships to support the successful delivery of events of all sizes to securing the major one-offs, such as the 2018 European Championships, the 2019 Soul Highland Cup and the Euro 2020 Championships. Following the strategy's launch, I wrote to all public sector bodies in Scotland inviting them to consider how they can play their part in the process. Some early examples include the alignment of organisational and local authority strategies, the commissioning of research to underpin a national drive to maximising economic growth through the hosting of business events in Scotland, the targeting of major international brands to further improve the availability of quality accommodation stock within Scotland and the continued use of public contracts Scotland as a vehicle for access to major event business opportunities. The event industry's commitment to delivering the strategy is welcome and I am delighted that the Scottish Tourism Alliance has supported the establishment of the events and festivals industry group. The group is determined to give the sector a stronger voice and provide a forum for collaboration to support its further development. Our programme of themed years has been successful in giving tourism an edge, galvanising partners and working across sectoral boundaries to create a strong collaborative platform to promote Scotland. During our current year of innovation, architecture and design, 30 funded events and 115 partner programme events have been delivered and an estimated 650,000 people have already engaged in the centenary celebrations of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland festival of architecture, which includes over 400 additional events taking place across the country. Planning for Scotland's 2017 year of history heritage and archaeology is well underway and links will be made with the festival that Edinburgh's developing plans to celebrate the international festival's 70th anniversary in 2017. In 2018, Scotland will lead a global first by having a year-long celebration of the very best of Scotland and its young people. The Scottish Government remains committed to themed years, given its impact and profile and the enabling effect that the years have had in supporting partnership working to the benefit of all Scotland's communities. However, the time is right to test support for the continuation and I thank Scotiv Visit Scotland, who has been gathering industry views on whether the current model is still fit for purpose. That will help to ensure that future plans are informed by what both industry and delivery partners feel best supports and builds upon the benefits that the programme has already delivered. I am looking forward to confirming the outcome from that process in the coming months. The events economy, event tourism, is very much part and parcel of Scotland's offer. We have an international profile. We are reaching into communities and we are seeing the benefits of communities themselves, taking on board the importance of events to help their local economies. I recognise the Conservatives amendment at the last part of it in recognising the kind of challenges that that might sometimes bring to local communities. In closing, I welcome the opportunity that today's debate provides to recognise the growth, ambition and innovation of our events industry and the benefits that are being achieved through securing Scotland's reputation as the perfect stage for events. However, we cannot rest on our laurels. We have got to drive forward and we have got to make sure that in doing so we use the many and very talents of everybody across all the sectors in Scotland into delivering that. I move the motion. I forgot my microphone. I am terribly sorry, Ms Hamilton. I now call on Rachel Hamilton to speak to you and move amendment 1581.1 up to six minutes, please. I would wholeheartedly recognise the strength of Scotland's annual portfolio of events and believe that its positive and growing contribution to the Scottish economy will generate further room for growth into the Scottish tourism sector. The economic impact of visitor spend spreads out from the traditional parts of tourism industry into other sectors such as arts and crafts, food and drink, cultural events, sports events and business and retail. As part of a collaboration between the Scottish Government, public, private and third sectors, a 10-year national event strategy was launched last year aptly entitled Scotland the Perfect Stage. Do not expect me to hold back on selling Scotland's unique offering from its rich and ancient history, strikingly beautiful scenery, particularly in the south of Scotland of course, and delicious food and drink lovingly produced from our rolling fields and plentiful shores. As demonstrated by this long list, the event sector is incredibly diverse, covering trade fairs, conferences, outdoor and indoor entertainment events, as well as business tourism. Other Scottish regions could learn from Perthshire businesses, for example. The Perthshire Agency Challenge, the first of its kind, created by Perthshire Business Tourism Group with support from Visit Scotland, and Perth and Kinross Council put a group of seven UK buyers through their paces in a series of challenges to encourage more business visitors to the area. In a unique move that differs from the usual familiar trip that buyers experience, they learned first-hand from each venue of the possibilities for corporate conferences, events and incentives, but they were also pitted against each other in a series of mental and physical challenges at Blue Sky Experiences, which culminated in a mini-highland games and a visit to Perth racecourse. Our rural partners in vibrant towns and villages set the stage and scenery for over 16 million visitors to Scotland every year. Undoubtedly, Scotland's reputation as the perfect stage for events is recognised nationally and internationally, and the Scottish Conservatives support Fiona Hyslop's motion and hope that she will support our amendment, which sets out the importance of good infrastructure and transport systems, particularly in rural and semi-rural areas, to improve access to large events for people across Scotland. I will touch on that later. It is important that the Scottish Government continues to support events outside the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow to grow Scotland's wider economic benefit. It is well known that international visitors tend to concentrate their activities on larger cities due to access to transport and good road networks. Nurturing events that aren't headline grabbers is important. Rural communities can offer a different experience, a community with personality that attracts customers looking for a destination with a unique character. As a former Roxburgh curler, I am delighted that, in November of this year, the 2016 Allerg Reyer, European curling championships, will be held at Brayhead ice rink. Scotland will welcome more than 25 nations to one of the biggest sporting events this year. That will form the pathway to Olympic qualification for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. It is only right that we bring the roaring game to Scotland. After all, it is recognised that curling clubs were formed in Scotland, and during the 19th century, the game was exported wherever Scotland settled around the world in cold climates, most notably at that time in Canada, USA, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand. A speech on events could not fail to mention golf, as Fiona Hyslop has. The modern game of golf is generally considered to have been invented in Scotland. A little bit of political trivia, the first documented mention of golf in Scotland appears in the 1457 act of Scottish Parliament, anedict issued by King James II of Scotland, prohibiting the playing of the games of golf and football, as those were a distraction from archery practice for military purposes. In 2020, Scotland is honoured to host the British Women's Open. The venue is still to be announced, and I am hoping that it would be Muirfield for obvious reasons. I would like to use East Lothian as an example to explain the Scottish Conservative amendment. East Lothian, otherwise known as the Gulf Coast, attracts golfers from around the world, because it provides high-quality links courses. With the will for the Royal in Ancient to take the Scottish Open throughout Scotland, it was indeed the intention for rural communities to benefit, and Gillan fitted those criteria. Independence research confirmed that the championship delivered 17.6 million benefit to East Lothian, plus it delivered considerable marketing benefits derived from promotional exposure across 104 television channels with a global audience reach of 500 million households. However, in a conversation with a local golfer, he told me that public transport was not fit to support these kinds of events, and road access to accommodate extra visitors requires investment, which poses a question that a lack of infrastructure may be a barrier to attract international events, particularly in rural areas. It will come as no surprise that infrastructure investment must be taken seriously if destinations fit the criteria for event selection. I would like to offer a solution to the Scottish Government, and that is to fast-track the reinstatement of East Linton and Reston stations to ease overcrowding and promote accessibility. Those investments being part of a long-term strategy to deal with an influx of 10,000 new homes and an increase in population. The Scottish Government and industry's 10-year strategy is welcome, but it is mainly aspirational, and there are a number of actions that the Scottish Government could be taking to make Scotland more attractive amongst investment in infrastructure and roads. I would be delighted if you would support my amendment to acknowledge the vital investment that is required in our road network, and especially so for the rural communities throughout Scotland. We believe that the Government should maintain the share of the budget that goes to road investment. Upgrading each of those would provide a huge boost to residents, visitors and businesses in their area. To put it into context, the Scottish National Party must be careful not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg by choking it to death. I move the amendment in my name. Thank you very much. We welcome this debate, and we wholly endorse the proposition that Scotland's major event strategy should be based on a collaborative partnership approach. Indeed, the first such strategy post-evolution was launched by the Labour-led Scottish Executive in 2002 and set out a vision for making Scotland one of the world's foremost events destinations by 2015. That strategy was about competing on an international stage, and the tagline of providing a stage for events has been continued in the latest strategy that was published by the current Government in 2015. Then, as now, the original strategy was developed in consultation with the Scottish Government's agencies for culture, sport and tourism, and with local government, a broad alliance that is mirrored in the current strategy's emphasis on a one-Scotland approach. The event Scotland was set up to implement the original strategy in 2003. The principles that underline the Government's motion today are ones that command broad support, and the strategy builds on an approach first laid out by Labour ministers. So far, so good, but of course any successful strategy requires not only a plan and a dedicated agency working with partners, but also the necessary resources to make it happen. That is where legitimate concerns exist. Scotland's event strategy is not just about the international major sporting events that are mentioned in the cabinet secretary's motion. It must also be about events of all sizes in a wide range of fields of human activity from the Book Festival in Wigtown to the Boat Festival in Port Soy, and many of those depend on local councils for support, and local government faces the reality of funding cuts that are already made and others still to come. Given the overall cut in funding of 11 per cent reported by the Accounts Commission already mentioned in its chamber today, it is perhaps no surprise that the best figures available to SPICE suggest that net revenue expenditure on cultural and related services by Scottish local councils taken together fell by nearly 10 per cent in real terms between 2009-10 and 2014-15. Local government finance has already been debated this afternoon. We will continue to call on ministers to use the powers that they have to secure the resources to achieve our ambitions as a country, whether that be in schools, in healthcare or in delivering the major event strategy that we are debating now. We will also continue to make the case for local government to have the power to raise local finance in order to deliver local priorities and to have real choices about what revenues to raise and how. Local councils that want to maintain and strengthen their events offer should be able to raise money by way of a tourism tax, as is done in places such as Paris and Barcelona, leading European destinations. Of course, a tourism tax would not work everywhere, but it might be counterproductive in some places. However, the parts of the country with the strongest offer for visitors are often the ones that are most open to the idea of a tourism tax to enable the investment that they need. Julia Armour, the head of festivals Edinburgh, said in February that there needs to be a very realistic public debate on how to fund future events. Rita Marcela, Dean of Aberdeen Business School at Robert Gordon University, wrote only this week that there is general consensus that Aberdeen and the Northeast more widely need to diversify and grow our sources of revenue across a range of sectors, and she highlighted the potential for a tourism tax to support Aberdeen's growing and vibrant festival programme. We want Scotland's major event strategy to succeed. That needs ambition, it needs partnership and it needs investment. That must include investment by local councils, empowered by ministers to raise local revenues, set local priorities and fund local investment. That way, everyone as a stake in success and Scotland's ability to compete on the world stage can go from strength to strength. We are now moving to open speeches. I say to everyone that we have to be very strict with time, because we cannot compromise the adjourned section of general questions that is coming before decision time. I call on Bruce Crawford to be followed by Maurice Corry up to four minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I'm very pleased with this debate today. I just wish it had been a bit longer debate, because this is a very, very important area for the Scottish economy. I'd like, however, to compliment Fiona Hyslop, the cabinet secretary, on the development of Scotland, the perfect stage Scotland's event strategy for 2015-2025. The ingredients that are in the strategy around our people, our culture identity heritage, our natural environment, our built environment and our signature events are exactly the right type of ingredients that are required for this type of strategy. I'm also glad that the strategy is aligned with the Scottish Tourism Alliance strategy towards 2020 in terms of the growth of the tourism product in Scotland. I'm no wonder that this is such an important area given that it attracts about £3.5 billion in spending the event area alone. So this has a significant tourism impact and I want to concentrate on the tourism impact in my short contribution today. Let me look back real quickly to 2014, the year of homecoming, the Commonwealth Games, the remarkable Ryder Cup held at Gleneagles. Obviously, the stilling economy benefited significantly from those events, but stilling just didn't sit stand still around those events. They had a fantastically successful Bannock Burn Day, supported by the Scottish Government, and the National Armed Forces Day. I mentioned those because, to me, from the experience of talking to hoteliers, to restaurant tours in my constituency—a bit like the word of Fraser said in a debate earlier this week—that the good-feel factor is certainly out there in terms of the number of people who appear to be attending events in Scotland just now and filling up hotels and restaurants. That may be anecdotal at this stage and I hope that the figures come through to show that, but I've begun to wonder just how much of that activity that's currently taken place in my constituency is a result of the legacy for the investment that was made in the homecoming from 2014. I suspect that there is a truism in that. There are all good events that need infrastructure behind them. I think that Tories recognise that in their motion to be a good time. I doubt that we will have gone back to that. I make no apology today in talking about one of the key themes, which is the built environment. Stirling City is in the verge of submitting a bid to the Boat of Scottish Government and the UK Government for a new city deal for Stirling. I'm very impressed with the highly professional documentation that's put forward in that bid. It will transform the city, not just having the background of the fantastic Wallace Monument, the Castle and Bannockburn, but it will create a much more modern feel by that transformation process. I hope that it's a successful bid, because that will help to draw in in its own way more events in the future. Culture, identity, heritage—again, it's not all down to the Scottish Government. I don't think that the Scottish Government is putting any money into Bloody Scotland, the international crime raking festival and Stirling. It may be, but it is well done. There is a festival that has grown year-in, year-out, with not a great deal of support from the public purse. A lot of that has come from support from private industry, and it is a hugely successful international conference that takes place in Stirling. Wrapped around that in terms of the local product on the ground are the remarkable number of highland games, which do not always attract much money from the public purse, but continue to be successful and attract tourists wherever they are, because that's what tourists want when they come to Scotland. With that, I applaud the cabinet secretary for her strategy. I call Maurice Corry to be followed by Colin Smyth. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, for allowing me to speak in this debate. The events in which Scotland has attracted are a real coup and show the high regard in which Scotland is held in the world today. The list is quite remarkable in the size and scope in what we are doing and going to be hosting here in Scotland in the coming few years. Just some examples of which there are the 2016 European Kerning Championships, which have been held in my region of the west Scotland at Brayhead this November, which Rachel referred to. Also, the women's British Open held in Kings Barns next year, and in 2020 Scotland will host the games for the Euros at Hamden. That last one will be even better, of course, if Scotland can qualify. Also, there are several sailing events on the rebirth of Clyde held annually, which attract both national and international participants for all age groups. It is worth pointing out that another benefit of Scotland holding large international events, in particular sporting events, is that they not only provide the economic benefits of the areas in which they are holding them, but they are also great for our young people, giving them the opportunity to see world-class athletes compete here in Scotland, hopefully inspiring them to get out there and try new sports. The same also goes for other sorts of events, when Edinburgh hosts the festival, for example. We have people performing who are the very best of what they do—actors, musicians, comedians, among the best in the world—and visiting and performing in Scotland. Certainly, festival events are rich in talent. Another example is the tattoo, held in Edinburgh Castle every year, which gives our armed forces a chance to show their work to the Scottish people and abroad. As members will be aware, the tattoo is now exported to other countries overseas, so successful has it been. Every year, if you go up to the castle and watch, you will see the services at their best, showing the professionalism, tradition, dedication and determination that make them the very best in the world. That is why, every year, thousands will travel from all over the world to watch. The reason, of course, why we are having the success of bringing the events into Scotland is because people are working together in organisations such as the events and festivals in disigroup set up by the Scottish Tourism Alliance. I think that it was right of my colleague Rachel Hamilton to mention the UK Government and the support that it can and have provided in Scotland in her amendment to the Scottish Government's motion today. Infrastructure, of course, is always vital to these events. I think that Rachel was correct again in her amendment to emphasise that particular importance, not just for getting people to events, but just also for getting them around to other parts of Scotland. So, while people are here in Edinburgh or in Glasgow, they can travel to the west of Scotland and enjoy the many fine attractions that we have in our part of the world. I declare an interest as a councillor in Dumfries and Galloway, where I have the privilege of carrying out a voluntary role as events champion for the region, a region with a rich tapestry of events and festivals. Dumfries and Galloway's reputation as the rural location of choice for many international quality events is in no small part thanks to the unique major festivals and event strategies adopted by the local council over the past decade, the most recent being agreed in 2014. The strategy very much recognises that events are real business, cultural and sporting assets that bring thousands of people to the area every year. When Dumfries hosted that the World Cirland seniors and mixed doubles championships in 2014, more than 70 nations participated and the net economic value was over £650,000. So, what does the strategy mean in practice? Well, it very much aligns with the national perfect stage strategy. It promotes collaboration between the events sector, bringing together events organisers, the local authority, Visit Scotland, Events Scotland and local organisations such as the Hollywood trust. The excellent relationship between those stakeholders is vital in helping support and fund events, with events Scotland investing £0.5 million since the start of those strategies, something that I very much congratulate them for. The strategy also engages local communities, building the region's volunteer base and develops young talent across sports, arts and culture. This weekend, I will have the pleasure of attending the fantastic Lockerbie Jazz Festival that will include a performance from the new Lockerbie Youth Jazz Choir who have come together as a result of the festival. The strategy adds real value to the outstanding range of events and festivals that take place across Dumfries and Galloway, such as last year's women's world championship ice hockey, which led to Dumfries becoming the only town in Scotland to then have a women's ice hockey team. In case you are wondering, they played teams in England. The work between the council and the Scottish Rally held in Dumfries and Galloway has helped to rally become one of the rounds of the newly re-established British Rally Championship. Earlier this month, I had the privilege of presenting the first stage winning trophy when the Tour of Britain Cycle Race held its only Scottish stage finish in Castle Douglas, its eighth visit to Dumfries and Galloway. Cultural events are also successful in the region, such as Springfling, which has helped Dumfries and Galloway. It is widely believed to become the region of Scotland with the most artists and crafts makers per head of population. Of course, Dumfries and Galloway has become Scotland's outdoor music festivals destination, with the Wickermann Festival, which will hopefully return in 2017, Electric Fields, the Eden Festival and the Knockingoric Festival, to name just a few. However, if I can raise one concern with the cabinet secretary that organisers have, it is the spiralling cost of policing events. I will give members just two examples. In 2015, the policing bill for Eden Festival was £12,000 for a licensed audience of £8,000. This year, it is £38,000, an increase of more than 300 per cent. The Electric Fields Festival had a bill of £1,600 for 2,000 people last year. This year, it is £19,000 for an audience of £5,000, albeit over two years. Notwithstanding the perception of over-policing, the charges by Police Scotland are well above those in England, undermining and risking events in rural areas and putting Scotland at a competitive disadvantage with our near neighbours. There are also challenges when it comes to accommodation, limited venues, transport links and, of course, cuts to local councils budgets. However, I am happy to endorse the motion and amendment. There is no doubt that Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland is the perfect stage for events, and they make an outstanding contribution to the cultural, social and economic life of our communities. Finally, in 1999, the Parliament awarded Wigtown with the status of Scotland's boot town. This weekend, the Wigtown boot festival will kick off with two weeks of fantastic events. I will be going along and I am sure that all members will be made most welcome. Thank you, Mr Smyth. I move to the last of the open speeches. George Adam. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am too pleased to speak in a debate like this because I am too aware of the cultural impact of events throughout the whole of Scotland and, in particular, in my hometown of Paisley. I know that many of you will be surprised that all roads lead to Paisley, but, on this occasion, it has quite arped as Paisley moves towards trying to achieve UK city of culture in 2021. I think that you have to look at the ambition of it, but all of this has come from the fact that we initially thought of the idea of when I was in the local authority and Derek Mackay, my friend and colleague and now cabinet secretary, was leader of the council, brought events back into the town centre and ensured that, whether it be the fireworks events or the Christmas lights switching on, we made sure that we got a major crowd for our retailers and for the night-time economy. We know that that was a good starting point. For me, a lot of the things when we talk about cultural planning and cultural regeneration, it came from events such as the Renfrewshire witch hunt, which the cabinet secretary will be aware of as they all came here dressed in their clothing from 1697. Many of you might not know that Paisley is the last town in the whole of Scotland that actually tried someone for witchcraft and killed him for it. Why would you celebrate something like that? You talk about your past, the good and the bad, and ensure that you know where you are. One of the things was that it was very good how local groups got involved and ensured that young people learned more about their culture and their future within Paisley. I think that those events have made the difference in showing that we can be confident that Paisley is a post-industrial town that has the same challenges as other post-industrial towns, but one of the things that you have to look at is the fact that we have the ambition to go for the UK city of culture in Paisley 2021. I hear that he asks that Paisley is a large town and that it is not a city, although with 77,000 members in the public, it is large enough and it is populist to be a city itself. We are led in Paisley by Jeane Cameron, who is pushing those events forward next year, and we should hopefully gain that idea of being UK city of culture. Why would we not want that? Why would a town that gave us Doctor Who, after all, both the actor, David Tennant and the executive producer and showrunner, Stephen Moffat, Gerald Butler, Jerry Rafferty, Paolo Nattini, Robert Tannihill the poet and John Burn, the playboy? Why would we not, in a town like that that has such a cultural background, why would we not want to tell the world exactly what we have got and what we have given the world? That is why Paisley's bold, initive bid for the UK city of culture can be, in my idea, successful. It will show that we can go forward and use culture and events as a way of regenerating our town and our town centre. It is so much so that it is now that we have a situation where my dearly beloved fan-owned Paisley St Myrn is at home and has now been called Paisley 2021 stadium. That shows you how important that bid is to the great town of Paisley. Historically, you have to look at the buildings in the part of history where the birthplace of the Stuart dynasty and the last resting place of Marjorie Bruce. Who would not want to come to the great town of Paisley and see everything that we have to offer? We also have Pace Theatre Group, which does events and offers young people access into drama and the arts of which James McElvoy is one young Glasgow person who turned up one day and treaded the boards and now he is a world famous actor, all began in Paisley. You have to look at the way that Jean Cameron and our team are taking this forward. We are being bold, we are being ambitious and we are just going to say just to paraphrase someone else in the next year or so as this bid counts down, keep your eye in Paisley. I think that we can all take it. You are quite like Paisley, Mr Adam. We now move to closing speeches. I call Lewis Macdonald again. Four minutes, please. Thank you very much. It has been useful to focus on Scotland's event strategy. However, briefly, we have been obliged to do it and to consider the challenges that lie ahead. Colin Smyth's point about the cost of policing emphasised the important point that this is about securing the resources to deliver the investments that a successful event strategy will need. Whether at local or at national level, we all understand that money invested well in cultural and sporting events will come back several times over as extra visitors spend on increased economic activity. Councils and public agencies need to be confident that they will have the resources that they need in doing that, and they need to command the confidence of the public as well. Next year has been designated as the year of history, heritage and archaeology, so the spotlight will be turned firmly on all the agencies that are engaged in that field, whether they are national, local or in the third sector. We had questions this week about Historic Environment Scotland and the issue of access to Maze How. I know that the cabinet secretary is very alert to that. Confidence in their stewardship of our historic and prehistoric sites will be essential not just next year, but beyond. Our museums, too, will have an important role to play in enhancing the historic and heritage events that will happen up and down the country in 2017. In December, the Museums Association surveyed its members across the UK, including in Scotland. One museum professional raised concerns about prospective cuts to funding between 25 and 40 per cent, while another in Scotland talked of the local museum service having to review its estate and review its opening hours in order to focus on priorities. Councils and others must be able to focus on priorities, to set priorities, to secure the resources that they need to meet their priorities, and that is why we argue for much greater flexibility and choice in the future of funding on local government. As far as the motion and amendment before us today are concerned, there is little, I think, of substance with which to disagree. Rachel Hamilton is right to highlight the importance of good infrastructure and transport systems to allow people to access major events, although, of course, that is true for our towns and cities, as well as for more rural areas. The Edinburgh International Culture Summit—I was able to attend part of that this summer—is a very good event. Although, of course, the British Council, the Edinburgh International Festival and this Parliament are partners in that, alongside the Scottish and UK Governments. The motion in the name of the cabinet secretary notes the importance of cross-agency working and welcomes the establishment of the events and festivals industry group by the Scottish Tourism Alliance, and those are both points that I am happy to endorse. A number of members have highlighted just how important events are to their local economies and communities. Colin Smyth, of course, has his own words of wisdom, quoted on page 29 of Scotland, the perfect stage, and he has again today highlighted the contribution of festivals and events to the cultural and sporting life of his part of Scotland. In my own region of North East Scotland, such events are equally important, whether that is True North, Aberdeen's festival of music and song, which starts today, or indeed the 20,000 people who will gather at Pytodry on Sunday afternoon for the visit of Rangers FC. Sport or culture, old or new, large or small, North or south, Scotland's events calendar is jammed full of great occasions for people to come together and enjoy themselves, and some of those memories will last a lifetime. We should, of course, engage in realistic debate about what and how, but we should also celebrate 14 years of strategic vision and growth and look to the future. I call Alexander Stewart up to five minutes, please, Mr Stewart. May I refer members to my note of interest as a Serving Council on Perth and Cynos Council? Securing Scotland's position as the perfect stage for events is synonymous with Scotland, Deputy Presiding Officer. We have the people, we have the ambition and I would like to pay tribute to everybody who is actively involved in all of the events that we have heard about today. Also, visit Scotland and the Scottish Tourism Alliance also have a major part to play. I commend and congratulate the GB team for their efforts at the Paralympics. They are real heroes for us and we look forward to welcoming them back soon. Bruce Crawford made some very good points about the contribution that is made to the tourism product, and I very much agree with that, Bruce. Lewis MacDonald talked about so far so good, and I think that we can acknowledge that as we are going. The title of this debate sums up my feelings on the issue. Scotland really is the perfect stage for events, and that is recognised throughout the world, Deputy Presiding Officer. We have the people, we have the places and we have the perfect opportunity to extend a warm welcome to visitors from across the world and the United Kingdom. Colin Smyth makes a very valid point when he talks about the policing of events, because that has a massive impact on some local areas and what they can achieve as they go forward. It is no doubt that the stunning landscape, the historical buildings and the integral part of what we can have within our sectors here in Scotland. There is no doubt that the contribution that is made to the economy when tourism spend around £12 billion, and it is about 5 per cent of our Scottish GDP. That is very important as we move forward. In my own region, we are renowned for our hospitality and the location that I represent. The famous tea in the park festival has had some concerns about policing and public safety since its relocation to Strathallan castle, but that once again attracts tens of thousands of revelers, and Persia and Cynrosia have both benefited immensely from that festival. It really is the duel in the crown for Perth and Cynros and also for Scotland. Recently, Perth has the privilege of displaying at the Black Watch Museum the beeping window tour with the poppies, and that has generated in excess over 100,000 visitors to that event. Fantastic. As I say, anyone gets the opportunity to see it before it disappears, and I would recommend it. Other events, such as the rewind that we have in Skun, the Royal Military Tattoo and all the other festivals that we have heard about today, make a massive contribution. Events that are going to take place over the next four years, are also fantastic. We are going to look at 2016 and we will have the Cycling World Cup coming to Glasgow. In 2017, the European Rugby Championships in Edinburgh, 2018, and the Junior World Championships in Aberdeen, and the Songhang Cup coming to the Eagles in 2019. Those are worldwide events that give us a huge opportunity to promote Scotland and to show what we do best, and it is a great opportunity for us. We cannot talk about events without talking about St Andrews and golf, because it is synonymous. It is the home of golf, the history of golf, and we have had some fantastic events down the years, and I am sure that we will continue to see many as we move forward. We have also had a fantastic event there two years ago, when the weather was perfect, the location was perfect and, of course, we won. It is important that the 10-year strategy is welcomed. We welcome that, but we also have to be very aware that we do not always have things tallying up with the administration. We have seen and acknowledged the fact that there has been a cut in spending of 11 per cent on culture in one single year. Spending on culture is not only the sole indicator of success for international events, but we have to take on board that it does have an impact, and it is very important that we acknowledge that. The member must be aware that, in terms of the culture budget, a great deal of the reduction was the fact that we had already spent capital funding that had delivered completed theatre royal, for example, and other buildings. You cannot spend that twice, hence that level of reduction. Alexander Stewart You have to acknowledge, cabinet secretary, that there was a funding reduction in Creative Scotland at £1.2 million, and that is planned for this year as well. We have seen things happen, but at the same time we have to acknowledge where we are. We all must play our part to ensure that we do the best that we can to ensure that Scotland gets all it wants. Infrastructure is essentially important, and we in the Scottish Conservative Unionist Party believe that the Government should maintain the present share of budget that goes into road investment. That is crucial, but it is also crucial that we look at infrastructure and connectivity. We cannot have events taking place without individuals being able to switch on their broadband and move forward. Scotland is proud of its location, we are proud of our brand, we are proud of our welcome and our reputation, but we have to maintain that. I look forward to working with everyone across the chamber to ensure that that takes place. I now call Aileen Campbell. May I cut you down to around seven minutes, please, minister? Presiding Officer, it is my pleasure to close this lively and celebratory debate of Scotland being the perfect stage for events. As many have already noted, the debate comes after a stunning display of sporting success of our 86 Scottish Olympians and Paralympians, who were part of Team G competing in Rio. I look forward to celebrating that, along with the First Minister at the Oriam, our national sports performance centre at the Harriet Watt University. That celebration will also include schoolchildren, members of community sports hubs, young ambassadors, the young people's sports panel and members of the public. A further opportunity for our athletes to inspire the next generation of Scottish Olympians. That is what I want to discuss in my closing remarks, the wider societal and economic benefits our successes can bring to our nations, because legacy is crucial to our flourishing events industry. It requires work, it requires effort and dedication to ensure that that is delivered on an on-going basis. The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 Rider Cup at Gleneigals brought societal, cultural and economic benefits to the whole of Scotland, including Bruce Crawford, who particularly mentioned his constituency in Stirling. Between 2003 and September 2014, Scotland invested £10.9 million in golf events as part of the Rider Cup event legacy programme. A further £3.3 million has been invested since 2014, and over the next three years an additional £6.1 million will go into the programme. In relation to the Commonwealth Games, we set out to achieve 150 operational community sports hubs by 2016, and we have not only achieved that target but surpassed it with 155 hubs now up and running. Over 180 projects have been awarded funding through the 10 million legacy 2014 active places fund, which aims to help communities to be more physically active. Looking forward, we have an equally strong programme of national and international events taking place. Those include the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Challenge Cup and the World Barminton Championships in 2017, the 147th Open Championships in 2018, the mixed world wheelchair curling championships and European indoor athletics in 2019, and the 2020 world men's curling championships, which was mentioned by Rachel Hamilton. Our dependability as a world leader in the events industry has also directly influenced the decisions that will see new and exciting multi-sports European championships in 2018, the Solheim Cup in 2019 and the UEFA Euro 2020 coming to Scotland. Our programme for government sets out the detail of the substantial investment that the Scottish Government will provide to support delivery of those events during the term of Parliament. I think that those were issues that were raised by members in this debate. While ensuring that economic benefits are fully realised, it will be critical to ensure that every effort is made by those involved in the planning and the delivery of our major event programme to maximise the benefits that each has to offer in both social and reputational terms. The vision for the European Championships is to not only let Scotland see world-class athletes in action, but also to showcase Scotland and drive greater participation in sport. The event will also be supported by a cultural programme that will have clear links to the exciting 2018 year of young people. Staging the Solheim Cup not only offers the opportunity to promote and celebrate our values, demonstrating our experience and innovation in hosting events and highlighting our commitment to promoting the equality agenda. It will also help to cement Scotland's reputation as the home of golf and inspire a new generation of children and, in particular, girls to take up the game invented in their home country and to get involved in sport more generally. On the theme of encouraging more girls into sport, I am delighted to announce today that the Scottish Football Association intends to bid to host the women's under-19 and under-17 European Football Championship in 2019. The tournament will not only help to promote the women's game, which is in its self-great shape, particularly after our national team qualified for the 2017 European Championships and our commitment to equality for all in Scotland, but it will also help to build momentum towards Glasgow hosting both group and round 16 matches as part of the anniversary edition of the main tournament in 2020. The outcome of the bid should be known in December, and while Shueffa will fund the tournament, we will work to ensure that a once-Scotland approach is taken to support and promote the event. Let's hope that the fantastic media coverage of women in sport that we saw during the Olympics and the Paralympics does not fall off a cliff edge and that, especially after our women have broke the near-20-year drought of our country being involved in football championships. Turning to some of the excellent contributions that were made throughout this debate, Rachel Hamilton and Colin Smyth beautifully articulated the splendor of the South Scotland, and given my constituency as part of that region, I have no trouble in agreeing with those sentiments. However, as a Perthshire lass, I am glad that Rachel Hamilton mentioned the innovative work of Perth and Canos Council, who have innovated and grabbed the thistle to maximise economic activity. Furthermore, just to reassure her that, during 2015 and 2016, more than 77 per cent of events supported by events Scotland were held outside of Glasgow and Edinburgh, so I hope that that reassures the member that the events programme is not just about Glasgow and Edinburgh and the central belt. Lewis Macdonald also spoke about the need for collaborative work, and I agree with that, and much we have discussed today would not have happened had there not been a one Scotland approach. However, we did experience some difficulty with the Homeless World Cup, which, with visa hurdles for participating countries, not being quickly addressed by the UK Government and putting into jeopardy some of the competing countries. We need everyone with a role to play in enabling events to happen to be done in a timious fashion and to ensure that we enable those things to happen to ensure that they are successful. Colin Smyth also made interesting points about police charge, and he is right to raise those, and we are working with Police Scotland on those. George Adam, as ever, did a sterling job in promoting Paisley. I know that the Paisley 2021 stadium is a crucial part of the girl's football bid, although I am sure that perhaps Alexander Stewart will have his own views about the competition for the city of culture bid. To conclude, we have a lot to be proud of and to celebrate across the chamber, and we are united, though in our belief, across—regardless of political party divides that Scotland is and always will be—the perfect stage to hold major events.