 The next item of business is a statement by Fergus Ewing, an update on common agricultural payments. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end of his statement and there should therefore be no interventions or interruptions. I call on Fergus Ewing up to 15 minutes please Mr Ewing. Thank you Presiding Officer. I want to start off by thanking all the staff working in Edinburgh and at the 17 area offices around Scotland who have worked flat out since May to progress the 2015 payments. On the visits that I have made, I have seen first hand the dedication of our staff in helping to resolve this issue, often going above and beyond normal expectations to ensure that farmers get their money as soon as possible. The efforts have paid off. Substantial progress has been made. By 30 June, almost £310 million was paid out to farm businesses with more than £110 million of that since the end of May. Work has continued to pace over summer to process and progress the remaining payments, the most complex cases. As a result, the tale of 2015 payments has been larger than we might normally expect, but I can assure members that we are working hard to resolve these and aim to pay the majority of outstanding cases by the middle of next month. Moreover, everyone is eligible but not yet paid should have been offered alone. This summer, I asked officials to ensure that we were delivering on that promise, and I am pleased to advise Parliament that over 30 new loan offers have been made in recent weeks. In many more cases, the need for a loan has disappeared as people have received their cap payment. I can now confirm to members that over 99 per cent of eligible claimants have now had either a cap payment or the offer of a loan. I will not be satisfied until every single farmer and crofter entitled to a payment has received it in full. Today, we are publishing details of the 2015 cap payments to date. As at last Friday, more than £350 million has been injected into Scotland's rural economy through the various payment schemes. Of this total, £326 million has been made in 215 basic greening and young farmer payments. Over 17,500 farmers, almost 96 per cent of those eligible, have received their full payment. Under the ELFAS scheme, loans of approximately £54 million out of an estimated total of £66 million were made in March. Technical issues are holding back the final ELFAS payments, but its loans have already been provided to more than 11,000 eligible applicants, mostly at the rate of 90 per cent. The vast majority of potential payment recipients are largely unaffected. Rural priorities payments of £10 million have already been made with further payments expected later this month, and land manager option payments of £4 million are due to start from October. It should be noted that those payments are normally made after the other schemes. The vast majority of sheep support payments were made in July, as we said we would, with over 900 farmers receiving £4.3 million. We have also nearly completed payments under the mainland and island beef schemes, with £30 million paid out to over 7,000 farmers. While we are close to completing payments for 2015, it is clear that we are not there yet. Members will recall the EU-wide decision that was made by Commissioner Hogan in May, called for by the Scottish Government and other EU countries such as France. That changed the situation radically, with penalties waived for payments made from 1 July to 15 October. Moreover, the penalty regime applies to the UK as the member state, and any penalties will be determined by the performance of all four countries. The key now is to complete the vast majority of remaining payments by the mid-October point, which is what we aim to do. In May, I also undertook to put 216 payments on an even keel, and that work began with the IT payment system. I have met with the Auditor General, Caroline Gardner, to discuss Audit Scotland's findings on the futures programme. I wanted to put matters right, and she is helping us to achieve that. I can advise members that we are publishing a response to that report today, having accepted Audit Scotland's recommendations in full. Next week, I shall give evidence to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, whilst officials will appear before the Public Audit Committee at the end of the month. The Auditor General herself will provide a brief update as part of her audit of the Scottish Government accounts for 2015-16. Officials are inputting to and cooperating with that process in full. I know that we all recognise that there are lessons to be learned, and I am keen to work with Parliament and members to do just that. However, there is much that we have already learned from this first year of the new cap payment regime, and this experience will help to smooth the 216 process. However, some parts of the programme are still being added and developed, and will feature for the first time in 2016. Our contractor, CGI, has assured me that the IT system functionality for 216 will be delivered early next year, and final processing will be undertaken thereafter. I therefore expect and anticipate that payments will be made and substantially completed between then and by the end of the payment period, namely by the end of June. I am happy to report back to Parliament in January next year on progress. However, I am sure that all of us in this chamber can agree that farmers and their families need certainty in these uncertain times. Despite that uncertainty, we are determined to build sustainable growth in Scotland's rural economy. As part of that, I am holding a series of summits, including with the farming and food sectors, to explore how best to deliver investment jobs and opportunities in rural and island communities. We will also be developing a Scottish rural infrastructure plan in 2017 to better co-ordinate existing and planned expenditure and resources. That will allow a more cohesive approach to economic activity, which benefits our rural, island and coastal communities. However, although such activity will help to support future growth, we must also secure the immediate needs of our farmers and ensure cash flow in the rural economy. I am confident that we are putting the 216 payments on a better footing. I am also reassured that the arrangements that we have put in place with our contractor mean that they should be able to deliver on the timescale that they have committed to for payments. However, those arrangements are not risk-free and, frankly, they are not risks that I am prepared to take, particularly with families and communities' livelihoods. I am therefore announcing today that every farmer and crofter who is eligible for a basic greening or young farmer payment will be able to apply for a loan up to the value of 80 per cent of their entitlement. Letters will be issued before the end of this month, two farmers inviting them to apply, and everyone who applies by the deadline of 12 October will receive a loan of 80 per cent of their entitlement in November. Our aim is for the bulk of payments to be made in the first two weeks of November. The new loan scheme will provide much-needed cash flow for normal business costs, such as wages, such as feed and seed, such as fuel and fertiliser, at a time of year when those bills often start landing on the doorstep. It will also give farm businesses the security and certainty that they need to take longer-term investment decisions, such as for the purchase of new machinery or equipment or facilities. It will not only bring certainty to farmers and crofters but also to those employed in and running supply chain businesses in the wider agricultural sector. Our estimates suggest that more than 17,000 businesses will be entitled to qualify for the loan initially, with work continuing to make offers and payments to the remaining eligible businesses by the end of the year. That has the potential to inject up to £300 million into Scotland's rural economy before the end of the year, securing jobs and investment, stimulating growth and acting as a bulwark in those uncertain times. Presiding Officer, as I said from day one in this job and for the foreseeable future, the resolution of the cap payment issues has been and will remain my top priority as Cabinet Secretary. I promise to fix it and I am fully aware that we are still some way off from that. But I want to reiterate what I said in May that we are sorry that whilst we have made substantial progress, we are not there yet, but I remain absolutely committed and determined to fix it and I am getting on with doing just that. To achieve that, we need to set a realistic timetable that our farming community can trust. We need to be mindful of the extraordinary effort that has been put in by staff all over Scotland to achieve our objectives. I thank them all for their continuing efforts and I also thank our farmers and crofters for their patience and their willingness to work with us to help us to get it right. In the meantime, I want them, their families, their employees and everybody working in the agricultural sector in Scotland to know that. By offering certainty and clarity through our loan scheme, by giving them the confidence and security that they need to get on with their everyday business and take longer-term investment decisions that are good for the rural communities in which they live and work, we are building growth in Scotland's rural economy. I would hope, Presiding Officer, that this is an objective and an outcome that everyone in the chamber will welcome. The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in his statement. I intend to allow around 30 minutes for questions after which we will move on to the next item of business. Members who wish to ask questions, please press the request to speak buttons now. I call, first of all, on Peter Chapman. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I am grateful to the minister for providing his statement in advance. I refer members to my register of interests regarding farming. The minister has said today that we need certainty going forward, but he has just confirmed what we all expected. The IT system still does not work and is not expected to work until well into next year. That is why some £40 million is still outstanding for this year's payments, nine months late. What a slap in the face for farmers who are sitting with record level of debt at a staggering £2.2 billion. That is why he cannot deliver 100 per cent payments in December, as we should expect, and he has instead to offer an 80 per cent loan. Deputy Presiding Officer, this loan is an admission of failure, but we still have problems from this year to face up to. Two questions for the minister. One, when will he deliver the £8 million of ELFAS money that is still outstanding? Two, will he recognise that his Government has lost the trust of farmers over the fiasco and finally agreed to a parliamentary inquiry into the 2015 carp payments? First of all, it is not for me, as a minister, to state whether the Scottish Parliament should hold an inquiry. It is a matter entirely for this Parliament to decide that I have already indicated that I am to appear before the rural committee, that my officials are to appear before the audit committee, and that the Auditor General herself is to report further to Parliament. I welcome the opportunity to submit to the scrutiny of this Parliament, but it is not for ministers to suggest or far less order Parliament's what to do. Regarding this first question, the ELFAS payments, we aim to start payments in September, but I would point out that the vast majority of those who are awaiting their payments have already received a loan payment of around about 90 per cent. It is fair to state the facts as a whole rather than selectively. The picture is that, as far as ELFAS payments go, the vast majority of recipients have received loans. I believe that those payments started in March and April. March is when ELFAS payments are normally made, not last December, as might have been implied. As far as the second question goes, I recognise and have been quite straightforward in accepting that there have been grave difficulties for the farming community. I still recognise that. That has not changed, but when I have attended eight area offices over the summer, when I visited around 11 farming shows, agricultural shows, game fairs and other events, I found that the farming community wanted a realistic assessment and an improvement in respect of 216. I was disappointed that Mr Chapman and the Conservatives did not specifically welcome what I believe will be welcomed by the farming community around Scotland, namely that, earlier than ever before, in the first fortnight of November, we intend that there be distributed up to £300 million before the end of the year. Surely it is not unreasonable to expect that even the Conservatives could find it in their heart to welcome that step, which I am sure will be appreciated by many farmers today, particularly those who traditionally plan investments at the end of the year. I also thank the cabinet secretary for an advanced copy of his statement and join with him paying tribute to the staff who are working flat out trying to clear up this mess. In his statement to the Parliament in May, he set out his three objectives. They were to complete payments, to minimise penalties and deliver compliance, and to set the 2016 scheme on a proper footing. It is clear from a statement that I have not achieved any of those. Can he at least tell us the value of cap payments that are still outstanding? By that, I mean the full cap payment outstanding rather than that amount less any loan payment made. Can he confirm when 100 per cent will be paid? I can tell the member that, as at 9 September, the total value process for payment has been £326 million and that 17,744 eligible businesses that we have processed payments for have received those payments. There are around about 500 farmers who have yet to receive their payment in full, but the majority of those will have received the offer of a loan. It is not possible to estimate precisely the total amount that remains to be paid, because yet that amount is not a fixed amount. It depends on a number of other calculations, but I will come back to the member with that information later. As far as putting payments on a proper footing is concerned, we have made considerable progress over the summer months. I believe that we have demonstrated to the Auditor General that the warnings that were contained in her report published on 20 May, warnings that there would be the possibility of penalties in excess of £100 million, that we have dealt with matters in such a way that that will not happen, that we have secured great progress in relation to compliance and that we are busting a gut to ensure that there will be a minimum difficulty possible in that regard. Emma Harper Thank you, Presiding Officer. Before I ask my question, I would like to put on record that First Minister has appointed me as PLO for rural economy and connectivity. I look forward to working with everyone across the chamber in that capacity. I welcome the announcement of a new loan scheme that will inject up to £300 million into the rural economy in my region and, indeed, across all of Scotland this winter. Could the cabinet secretary provide more detail about how the loan scheme will operate, where potential applicants can find out more about the scheme and whether other countries are operating a scheme like that for the 2016 payments? Fergus Ewing Thank you, Presiding Officer. Under the loan scheme, we shall write to all farmers and crofters who are eligible for the CAP Basic Payments and Greening 2016 payments with details of the scheme. We aim to write to them by the end of this month. Indeed, I have been involved in revising two drafts of the letter. We shall write separately to inform any applicants who we believe will not be eligible for CAP, BPS and Greening payments in 2016 to explain why that is the case, and we shall write separately to any applicants who, for any reason, will be offered a restricted payment due to their specific circumstances. I urge everybody who receives a letter to respond immediately if they can, and that will allow us to get their payment processed as quickly as is possible. Applicants will receive details and terms and conditions in their letter. Also, there is information on our website, and there is a customer information line. I am happy to provide details to all members if it would be useful. Those arrangements have been put in hand, and the aim is to invite the forms to be returned as quickly as possible, and at any rate, by 12 October, to ensure that payments can be made to those individuals who do so in the first fortnight in November. Finlay Carson, to be followed by Marie Todd. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and thank you for the advance notice of your statement. In Galloway and Westam Frees, we are still getting claims approved in the local office, but yet the IT system in Edinburgh is rejecting payments. While I and all my colleagues welcome the loan scheme that the cabinet secretary has announced today, and the stability that it will bring farmers and rural communities right over the winter months, will the cabinet secretary accept and agree that this scheme is yet another admission of failure this time with the 2016 payment run, with him only being hopeful of substantial payments being made by June 2017? Fergus Ewing? Well, the member's constituents will have their claims dealt with by the Dumfries office, which I had the pleasure of visiting some months ago. I can say that the Dumfries office that there are 1,372 eligible claims paid in full 1,303 in part 29 unpaid 40. I will not be satisfied until every eligible claimant has received payment in full, but I think that those figures illustrate that the position is just not as bleak as the rhetoric of the Conservatives. We have substantially completed the task, and I have accepted that there is more work to be done, but I do think—and I repeat this—that he, unlike his predecessor, the official spokesman welcomed the loan scheme. I assume that that is the official response of the Conservative Party, but I do absolutely believe that farmers around the country will be pleased that a practical, helpful, sensible response to the difficulties in 2015 has been brought forward by myself for the Scottish Government today. Presiding Officer, the cabinet secretary alluded to the uncertainty facing Scotland's farmers, crofters and rural communities as a result of the Tories taking us out of the EU against our will. Can he advise what he is doing to seek guarantees about the future of Scotland's cap funding? What I would say, Presiding Officer, is that I do not want this to be at all political. I welcome the fact that there was—albeit after a little while—confirmation that the pillar 1 payments will be met by the UK Government. However, we have sought confirmation from the UK Government that the money that was secure in the EU, as a member of the EU, for Scotland's rural community, namely the SRDP money, was secure until 2020 under the European arrangements. That money amounts to £360 million. Sadly, despite Mr Mackay's attempts to persuade David Gough of the Treasury to provide clarity about the future of that money, there is none. Many farmers who have applied or intend to apply for schemes under the SRDP elements—the pillar 2 elements of the payments—are waiting for that clarification from the UK Government. It is a simple matter of fact that that is generating far, far more uncertainty. It is nothing else affecting rural Scotland at the current time. The cabinet secretary states in relation to the loan scheme that it has the potential to inject up to £300 million into Scotland's rural economy before the end of the year. Does the cabinet secretary agree that that is in no way a good news story? It is a rationalisation, as the loans are only necessary if there are possible problems with the coming year's payment. Does he also agree that, while it gives 80 per cent certainty, this is still a sorry state of affairs? No, I do not agree with that. I hope that most farmers will agree that this is an entirely practical step. It is also an approach that has been a mirror in other parts of the EU, notably France. I think that the fact that I have announced today that farmers and crofters will be entitled to 80 per cent of their basic entitlement within the qualifying limits will be a great reassurance to those who are listening and want to know the answer of when will we receive payment. I have been told not once, but many times in speaking to many people in agricultural shows, and I know that Claudia Beamishia is diligent in attending that as well, that one thing that farmers want is clarity and certainty. They want me to say today when payment will be received. I have said that they are all entitled to a loan if they wish one, if they are eligible, and that those loan payments will be paid. We are aiming for in the first fortnight in November. That is clarity. I believe that that will be welcome. Willie Coffey, and then Mark Ruskell. While it is good that the Scottish Government has accepted on Scotland's recommendations in full and has begun implementing those, there are clearly many issues and lessons to be learned here. Could the cabinet secretary just flesh out a little more about what those are, please? The kernel of the issues relates not to the good work of the people who work in the area offices, but to the application of the IT system to an extremely complex process, which involves 4 million hectares, 400,000 fields, each the size of four or five football pitches, with the permissible area for a margin of error equivalent to the area of a goalmouth. That and the complexity of the scheme means that the IT systems are complex. In order to respond to Mr Coffey's question to address the pre-existing problems, we have addressed all of the issues that are identified by the Auditor General in her report. I have also personally met Steve Thorne, the senior director of the contractors on 1 June and last week on 7 September. They have brought forward a number of changes in respect to the computer systems. I suspect that, without laboring the answer that I have the opportunity before the rural committee to give more details of the work that we have done, the IT fixes that have been delivered, those that have not yet been delivered and what we are doing about them to make sure that they too will be delivered. So a great deal of work has been done and I am very happy to account to Parliament, the parliamentary committee, to give more details later. Mark Ruskell, followed by Stuart Stevenson. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I can also thank the Cabinet Secretary for Advanced Copy of his statement this afternoon. I notice a word that is peppered throughout the statement and indeed in his answers in this chamber is the word certainty. Can I draw attention to the plight of the organic sector in Scotland? As he says, the farmers across Scotland face a critical time. They have to make investment decisions at this point. For organic farmers that means investment decisions about habitat management, about whether they wish to stay organic for the long term or indeed whether they wish to convert more land to that certification, they need certainty. Can I ask him in relation to the agri-environment and climate scheme what his Government's commitment is to running the scheme in the years to come, notwithstanding the points that he has already made about the future of the SRDP? Fergus Ewing? Well, we have shown a considerable commitment to the greening and agri-environment schemes and indeed just I think two weeks ago a pleasure of meeting representatives of the soil association Scotland and discussing in detail some of the opportunities and challenges facing the organic sector at the current time. Regarding the member's question, obviously we want to continue to provide appropriate support in all of these measures, but I think it is reasonable to say that that task is made literally impossible to perform at the current time because of the lack of any clarity from the UK Government about the future of pillar 2 and rural development programmes. Stewart Stevenson and then Mike Rumbles? It is a cause of some embarrassment to me as a systems engineer that at the heart of the problem is a computer development problem. It is clear that farmers have experienced pain, the Government has experienced pain to its budget. Will the minister ensure that the contractor also shares some of the pain of fixing this IT problem? Fergus Ewing? I can assure Mr Stevenson that in the meetings that I have had with the contractors and with the project team in Soft and House that we have had a full and frank discussion of all of those issues, resulting in a reported department earlier in the year of a substantial saving on the contract and a driving down of costs and of improvement of performance. Therefore, I can assure Mr Stevenson that the contractors have responded to our requests and our requirements to secure better value for money. I know that Mr Stevenson has on-going interests in IT projects, and he will have a copious knowledge about all of his matters from his previous experience of implementing them in practice. Perhaps it is a shame that we did not have his input to the project some five years ago. However, I hope that he will be pleased to hear that a great deal of work has been done to address precisely the issues that he correctly raises. Mike Rumbles, followed by Kate Forbes. Deputy Presiding Officer, the minister has just confirmed that there are over 500 farm businesses that still haven't been paid what they were due nine months ago. For the coming year, his 80 per cent loan plan still means that the average farm business will be £6,000 out-of-pocket for goodness knows how long because the minister has confirmed that the IT system isn't working and will not be running until well after all the payments are supposed to have been made. That is a dreadful admission that this year's payments aren't going to work. How does that square with his commitment in his previous statement to this Parliament that the 2016 payments will be put on a proper footing? Fergus Ewing? Were it the case that Mr Rumbles' series of assertions were accurate, perhaps there may be something in his point, but, since they are not, I am afraid that there is no point. He has said that he accused us of making a statement that promised to make payments after the due period. That is simply not the case. I said precisely the opposite that the majority of payments are sought to be paid by the end of the payment period and therefore that does not follow. The second point that does not follow from Mr Rumbles' assertions is that, whereas I said that 500 cases remain to be paid, I also pointed out that, in all those cases, they should have received an offer of a loan. Mr Rumbles, please stop shouting from your seat. I made absolutely clear, Presiding Officer, that of those 500, most of them will have received a loan. More than that, precisely because I was concerned to ensure that that was the case, I asked my officials to go back over that in the summer. As a result, as I said in the statement, if Mr Rumbles wants to reread it later, he will see that additional 30 cases were identified. That is because I will not be satisfied until every farmer and crofter has been paid in full. I will get on with that job. Kate Forbes, followed by Colin Smyth. What assurances can the cabinet secretary give to those recipients of payments whose cases are deemed particularly complex but still require payments to be made in a timely fashion? Fergus Ewing? I can assure all those individuals in those circumstances that work is being done in order to deal with their applications. Many members will be aware in this chamber that there is always every year a tale of cases that pose particular difficulty. Those generally fall into a number of categories of cross-border cases, private contract, entitlement cases, cases in which there is a dispute as to the area of land that is permissible for the purposes of the claim. Those complex cases generally cause, and I think that it has accepted, problems for some. However, I want to assure every individual involved in that position, a relatively small minority thereof, that everything is being done to process their claims as quickly as possible. Colin Smyth, and then Gail Ross. The cabinet secretary referred to what was the exceptional decision that penalties would be waived for payments made from 1 July to 15 October. Given that that decision was exceptional, can he tell the chamber whether future penalties for late payments will also be waived, and if not, how much will those penalties cost? Fergus Ewing? We, myself and the First Minister, lobbied commissioner Hogan in the 20th of May, and we were very pleased with our efforts. Other EU member states mentioned France, who also sought a similar approach. We were very pleased that we received a sympathetic hearing from commissioner Hogan. That means that the fears, identified quite reasonably by the Auditor General in her report, will not come to pass. I think that that is a major step forward, and it is a tribute to all the hard work that is done by the staff in the area offices. As to future years, it will depend whether we remain fully in the EU as we wish to do, does it not? At the moment, there is absolutely no plan from the UK Government in relation to what happens in the next five years. However, we will always work to minimise any difficulties and maximise compliance, and that is what we have done with some success over the past few months. Gail Ross, followed by John Lamont. What engagement does the cabinet secretary have planned going forward with members of the farming industry to inform additional improvements to the system? We do engage through our area offices with farmers. What I have discovered in visits is that many of the people who work in our area offices throughout the country are members of the farming community and have been or are farmers themselves. We provide a great deal of information through area offices, and I know that the staff there are extremely adept and capable of providing helpful information. As far as the other means of providing information have already made clear that we are contacting every eligible farmer in relation to the loan, and that process has been set up with clear leadership responsible for that reporting to me. Of course, we are very happy to use the excellent organs such as the Scottish farmer to promote, with great accuracy, the steps that are necessary to be taken by farmers to take up the loan scheme, which will deliver up to £300 million into the rural Scotland and the farming community in the early part of November. John Lamont, followed by Edward Mountain. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I have been contacted by many constituents in the Borders who have been adversely affected by the failure of the Scottish Government to deliver their CAP payment on time. Many have incurred significant consequential losses as a result. What is the minister's response to those who say that the Government should pick up those losses, too? Obviously, I respond to any individual cases that are raised to me by MSPs, and that includes Mr Lamont. I do not believe that I have received any such case from him. If I receive it, I will study it very carefully. I can say that the case for consequential loss is one that I have not seen many Governments accept for a number of pretty good reasons. If Mr Lamont can come up with a series of arguments, I promise to look at them. I am very happy to consider them in any relevant case, if he wants to write to me. I have two question requests after Mr Mountain, so if we are all fairly succinct, we shall manage to get them all in. Presiding Officer, I would like to declare an interest in being part of a farm partnership. I would like to join the cabinet secretary in thanking the staff in the area offices for all the extra work that they have undertaken in unpicking this disaster, which was predicted but not admitted at this time last year. Could the cabinet secretary please now tell us the cost of the extra work that the staff have undertaken, including the costs of the overtime, the extra hours that they put in and the extra people that have been employed over and above the IT costs, which no doubt he will be telling the rural economy committee about next week? I value the extraordinary effort that has been made by staff throughout our ARPID offices. The focus, I can assure Mr Mountain and all members, has been on making absolutely certain that we are processing the claims as quickly as we possibly could. If that has involved a level to overtime, I think that that was money well spent. If that is something that the committee chaired by Mr Mountain wishes to pursue, then, of course, I can look into that specific question and examine it, but I think that the effort that was made by the staff was well worth paying and, in the circumstances, it was absolutely the right thing to do. Statistics are often thrown about in the chamber, but statistics are people, and in this case they are Scottish farmers. I wonder if the cabinet secretary recognises that the mention of the percentage of those farmers who have received some payments is of cold comfort and little help to those whose debt continues to rise without their cap payments now nine months overdue. I have made it clear on several occasions that I entirely accept that any farmer who has not received payments in full will obviously feel disappointed or angry or aggrieved about that, and that is precisely why I am very pleased that we have made such progress since I stood before Parliament on the last occasion. We will continue to leave no stone unturned in order to get all payments out to all farmers as quickly as we possibly can. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, for declaring an interest as a farmer. The cabinet secretary will be aware of the reducing profitability of Scottish farming as evidenced by the accumulated farming debt of £2.2 billion. Given the need to encourage new entrants into farming, how does he see that being achieved against the background of reducing profitability and growing debt is overseen by the Scottish Government since 2007? First of all, Mr Scott would perhaps agree with that it is reasonable to point out that the support of the banks over difficult periods over the last year has been very much appreciated. The joint working that I do with banks—indeed, I met some recently—is something that we value very much. I thank all the banks who are involved as part of their farming community and rural community in Scotland for their efforts. Secondly, it is reasonable to point out that the recent statistics about the level of average debt reveal that, yes, the average level of debt per farm has increased in Scotland, but what has not been mentioned by our friends is that it has increased by a higher level in the rest of the UK. Of course, the decision to take on more debt is done for a number of reasons, but on a positive note, I was very pleased to see that reports from some of the sales—not least one that I heard about from the sale of 11,000—Lams at Dalmalley reported very good prices, so I hope that everything else aside, we can all agree, that is a good thing. That completes this item of business. I will give a few seconds for change round to our next item of business.