Sportscotland
The next item of business is a statement by Stewart Maxwell on sportscotland. The minister will take questions at the end of his statement, so there should be no interventions.
The Government has Scottish sport's best interests at heart, and the review of sportscotland has been conducted with that in mind. We took a flexible and open-minded approach to the review. It was important that we listened to our stakeholders and took account of the recent challenges and opportunities that winning the bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth games creates for Scottish sport. That offered a new dimension to the review. It is a fantastic opportunity and it provides even more reason to make the delivery of sport as efficient and effective as it can be, as quickly as possible.
The review examined whether sportscotland's current functions continue to be necessary and, if so, which organisational arrangements would be most effective at delivering them. As part of the review process, the Government agreed that it was crucial to engage with all our stakeholders and key players that represent the delivery of sport and to give them the opportunity to submit their views. That is why all the principal organisations that represent sports interests were consulted. Several Scottish governing bodies of sport were consulted directly and others were consulted as part of group workshops that were led by the Scottish Sports Association, which is the representative organisation for Scottish governing bodies. That enabled all bodies to have input into the review process. Other organisations, such as the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Scottish Institute of Sport, the area institutes of sport and the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland, also contributed to the review.
Consultation was undertaken through a combination of written correspondence and discussions with key stakeholders. The feedback from stakeholders indicated that the majority wanted to retain a national agency for sport and that they valued its expertise. They identified the integrated one-stop approach to lottery and Government investment as paramount. However, they also felt that scope existed to simplify the complex sporting landscape. I have been impressed by the positive and practical responses from our stakeholders and I thank them for their input.
This country must ensure that the delivery of sport reaches the whole nation, and we are now presented with a unique opportunity to do that. Glasgow's tremendous success in winning the bid to host the Commonwealth games in 2014 for Scotland offers a great opportunity for Scottish sport and the people of Scotland. Not only is it an opportunity for those who take part as elite athletes, coaches or officials, it is an opportunity to inspire everyone in Scotland. Most of all, we want to inspire our young people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and to enjoy being active, with all the personal and social benefits that that brings.
This is truly an exciting time for sport. We therefore need to have an efficient, effective and co-ordinated approach to sports development. The delivery of sport depends heavily on having a robust development programme for sports professionals. We need people who can identify and disseminate good practice by working with national, regional and local sports development networks.
The Government is committed to ensuring that the organisation that will deliver sport in Scotland is leaner and more efficient, by removing the layers of bureaucracy of the previous structure. It will be fit for purpose and will ensure that the interests of sport remain paramount. It will provide strong support throughout the country by nurturing talent, supporting grass roots and boosting participation in sport.
Having listened to and considered stakeholders' views and opinions, the Government has decided that sportscotland should merge with the Scottish Institute of Sport into a single body under a single board. The Government wants to declutter the sporting landscape and to ensure that the new organisation delivers sport in a more effective and efficient manner that will benefit Scotland. I emphasise that we are not just merging two bodies but carrying out a radical overhaul. We will create a flatter structure and bring delivery much closer to the user.
We have decided that the newly merged organisation will retain the name sportscotland, because we do not want to waste time or money on an unnecessary rebranding exercise when sportscotland is a strong and recognised brand in the marketplace. [Interruption.]
Order.
The changes in how sportscotland is structured and operates to support sport better are the key, and we will initiate changes as quickly as possible with that in mind.
I am pleased to announce that the new organisation's headquarters will be located in Glasgow. That decision will come as a huge disappointment to Labour members, who desperately hoped to attack the Government. Their attacks have again proved to be nothing more than the usual ridiculous scaremongering. We intend to initiate the relocation as soon as possible. The organisation will ultimately be located at the new indoor arena in Glasgow.
Basing sportscotland in Glasgow will emphasise the opportunities that the 2014 games will bring and the important role that sportscotland will need to play in ensuring that there is a legacy from those games for the people of Scotland. Sportscotland will also have a crucial role in supporting our aspiration to have the most successful Scottish games team ever.
The Scottish Institute of Sport will be sportscotland's performance delivery arm. It will report directly to sportscotland's chief executive officer and board and will be tasked with primary responsibility for delivering on the elite athlete programme. The high-performance hub will remain in Stirling and will be encouraged and supported to continue to operate in an innovative and unique way that is appropriate to the performance sport environment.
Links across the six area institutes of sport will be strengthened and the potential will exist to simplify funding arrangements. Following discussion on simplifying the structure further, it is intended to reduce the number of area boards from 12 to six.
We aim to create a clearer and better-supported performance pathway for our aspiring athletes and governing bodies, and we acknowledge the important role that performance experts can play with the Scottish Institute of Sport, not only in the area of high performance but in taking a technical lead role in performance development. Sportscotland will be charged with ensuring that there is a seamless pathway from grass-roots level to elite-performance level. It will also continue to provide Government and lottery funding by taking an integrated strategic approach, fulfil statutory functions, and provide expert advice and support services to sport throughout Scotland.
We will create a number of decentralised delivery hubs, which will provide expertise and advice to local authorities and Scottish governing bodies of sport. The decentralised delivery approach will build on sportscotland's experience of remote working practices, which its staff already use, and enable there to be a reduced central headquarters office base. We believe that that approach will achieve greater efficiency and promote smarter and greener working practices for a national delivery organisation. However, I make it clear to staff that there will be no compulsory redundancies because of the changes.
The proposal is to create four hubs—one alongside the new headquarters in Glasgow, and the others in Edinburgh, Stirling and Aberdeen. The decentralised hubs will ensure that staff will be able to work more closely with the area institutes, local authorities and governing bodies. There will be less travelling time for staff, which will enable them to concentrate on building strong partnerships with their stakeholders.
The new sportscotland will encourage wider participation through more initiatives like the active schools initiative and will support talented sportspeople who have the potential to reach world-class standards.
The three national centres—at Inverclyde, Cumbrae and Glenmore Lodge—will continue to operate as trusts under their current arrangements. They will be linked more closely and will play a role in the new decentralised delivery structure.
A new single board will be established to replace the existing boards of sportscotland and the SIS. That board will retain a number of its current members, but it will be encouraged to recruit the additional expertise that is required to support its new structure. An implementation team, which will include sportscotland and SIS staff and Government officials, will be created to oversee the setting up of the new organisation.
The decisions that have been taken meet all the objectives that we set for the review of sportscotland. They meet the needs of sport, take account of the views of stakeholders and reduce the number of public bodies.
We must now look to the future of sport in Scotland and build on the success of the 2006 Commonwealth games in Melbourne, in which Scottish athletes made outstanding achievements. It is important that we now set in place an infrastructure that will deliver an even greater medal tally in Glasgow. We also want to ensure that our athletes receive the best possible support to enable them to excel in the Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing later this year. Scotland will also have a team of young athletes competing in the Commonwealth youth games in Pune in India in October. I hope that some of those athletes will go on to success in Glasgow in 2014.
In addition, we must work towards the winter Olympics and Paralympics in Vancouver and the Commonwealth games in New Delhi in 2010. However, this is not just about Commonwealth and Olympic sport. In Scotland, we can look forward to Ryder cup golf in 2014. Recently, Scotland has seen a resurgence in its success in football internationally, not just with the national team but with our club teams, and Andy Murray got Scotland off to a great sporting start to the new year with his win in Qatar. [Applause.]
We are committed to sport in Scotland and to securing a firm and lasting legacy for the future. That was part of our successful bid for the 2014 Commonwealth games, through which we will have an opportunity to showcase Scotland on the international stage, to increase Scotland's sporting prowess and, most important, to demonstrate a long-lasting benefit to sport.
Scotland as a nation is passionate about sport. We want our young people to be inspired by Scottish athletes performing on the international stage and in a major showcase event on home soil in 2014. We will improve facilities and sports venues, we will focus on increasing participation in sport and physical activity, and we will create an army of volunteers for future sporting events. There will also be many non-sporting benefits for Scotland, probably the most important being the potential improvements to our nation's health.
The Government is committed to implementing "Reaching Higher: Building on the Success of Sport 21", the national sport strategy, which was launched early last year. The strategy defines what needs to be done to improve sport in Scotland and lays out clear and specific roles and responsibilities for all the major partners in Scottish sport—the Scottish Government, sportscotland, local authorities and sports governing bodies. It is crucial that we provide strong leadership to achieve that, and we look to our partners to do likewise.
We are all alive to how sport can make a significant contribution across society and to the fact that, without doubt, sport contributes to our objective of making Scotland a nation that is wealthier and fairer, healthier, smarter, safer and stronger, and greener. We are emerging from a period of change both nationally and locally, and we have a unique opportunity to ensure that the value of sport is high on a range of new and emerging policy agendas, such as in education, health and transport. For example, we must continue to encourage physical activity for everyone and continue to promote walking and cycling to benefit the health of the people of Scotland.
All members are aware of the concerns—which we share—about reduced lottery funding for grass-roots sport. We continue to pursue the matter with the UK Government. Since the lottery began, about £275 million has been invested in sports projects in Scotland alone. That is a significant investment that we cannot allow to be hijacked. Specifically, Scotland will lose more than £13 million from Scottish sport. Why should Scottish sport suffer to deliver a London 2012 Olympic games? Why is it that winning a major sporting event for London means more lottery money being invested there, but Scotland winning a major sporting event for Glasgow results in lottery funding being taken away from Scottish sport? That is unacceptable, and it is an issue on which the Government will continue to press.
The priorities for the new organisation will be to work with partners to continue to deliver the "Reaching Higher" strategy, increase participation and improve performance. It is also important that the new organisation continues to strengthen the development of improved partnerships with the governing bodies and local authorities. By getting rid of duplication, simplifying structures and stopping activities that do not contribute to the Government's objectives, we will free up Scotland's public servants to provide the services that people need.
The new organisation will also continue to support our athletes, work towards increasing the number and quality of Scots competing on the international stage, and improve the performance landscape in Scotland. That will be achieved by ensuring that the key role and functions of the Scottish Institute of Sport are maintained and by strengthening links with the area institute network.
This is a new year and a new beginning for sportscotland as a new organisation. It will give its entire staff more opportunity to work in partnership with their stakeholders. It will ensure the best delivery of sport to all the people of Scotland, who will be given the opportunity to participate and enjoy sport at every level. The new structure will ensure not only that our aspiring athletes can achieve their full potential but that the wider benefits of sport reach out to the whole nation.
I am confident that the decision is the right one for sport, for all sportsmen and sportswomen, and for the people of Scotland.
Before we move to questions, I know that members will be keen to know one of my many new year resolutions with regard to the chamber. The questions that follow statements are a superb opportunity for back benchers, in particular, to question ministers on the subject of the statement. The way to do that most effectively is to get as many of them in as possible, and the way to do that is to keep questions and answers as succinct as possible, please. Some leeway has always been given to front benchers, but I ask all members please to keep questions succinct, short and to the point, and ministers to do likewise with their answers.
I thank the minister for the early copy of his statement. I hear an aside about doom and gloom, which is not a characteristic that people naturally associate with Frank McAveety.
I congratulate the minister on his bravado in claiming that he has single-handedly got it right for the future structure of sport in Scotland. The truth is that his Government has been dragged kicking and screaming into the new year in resolving the issue of the future of our sports agency. If the minister had listened much earlier, instead of having eight months of indecision, avoidance and uncertainty we could have had eight months of ensuring that we worked with our sports agency to deliver the next decade of sport for Scotland.
I welcome the commitment—[Applause.] I am always pleased when the Government agrees with me, so thank you very much.
First, your statement claims that you listened to stakeholders, although the detail perhaps does not show as many stakeholders as your statement claims. If we are so committed to listening to stakeholders' views, when will the minister publish the stakeholders' responses to the review process? What questions did he, as the minister, ask as part of that review process? That would be helpful and in the interests of transparency.
Secondly, your statement claims that you want to strengthen the six area institutes of sport to simplify funding arrangements. For the benefit of the chamber, what exactly does the minister mean by that rather broad statement? How is he going to deliver on that ambition within the timescale contained in his statement?
The minister mentioned that staff will be relocated to the Glasgow headquarters, and I welcome that decision, although I remind Parliament that it was the previous Government's position and that it was supported by Labour members. However, I note that none of your back benchers was very positive about it when it was debated previously. How many staff will relocate to the Glasgow HQ and how many will be in the restructured hubs?
The minister claims that the existing national centres will be linked more closely and will play a role in the decentralised structure. Again, will he amplify that point?
Finally, minister, do you agree that you are the Muhammad Ali of Scottish politics? In December, you tried the rope-a-dope trick in Parliament, but unlike Ali you did not take the punches; you lost the fight. Today is not a victory for your Government; it is a victory for everyone in the Parliament who wanted to ensure that we have a national sports agency that is fit for purpose, not abolished, as you intended to do way back in May and June.
I remind members that they should not refer to people in the second person singular.
Just when you think that the pantomime season has come to an end, up pops Frank McAveety, unfortunately, with the same tired old lines and lame jokes. It is a bit rich of Frank McAveety to accuse the new Government of taking months to come to a decision when years and years of uncertainty were placed at the door of sportscotland by the previous Administration—the staff did not know what was happening and they were left in a very anxious situation of not knowing where they were going or when. The idea that the years of uncertainty, prevarication and anxiety for the staff of sportscotland that the previous Administration provided were somehow better than us making a rapid decision over the course of a few months and giving a clear indication of the future of that national agency is, frankly, nonsensical.
It is also a bit interesting, to say the least, that the first big question from the Labour members was about whether we will publish the consultation responses. The question was not about the future of the national agency, the future of sport, or the benefits of sport for this country—it was about publishing some responses. I made it clear on many occasions before Christmas that the organisations who responded did so in confidence. We have gone back to them and we will ask them whether they are willing to have their responses published now that the decision is public. I am quite happy to do that if they are happy to let us do so.
I will not indicate today the number of staff in each location but, frankly, it is a much better solution for all the staff that they have the opportunity to remain in the Edinburgh hub or go to the Glasgow hub. As well as those hubs covering the east and west, the Stirling hub will cover the central area and the Aberdeen hub will cover the north. I am sure that staff will welcome our flexible approach rather than the previous approach of having a bureaucratic relocation decision, in which one major centralised bureaucracy was shoved from one city to another. That is not the way to solve the problem. However, I am happy to tell Frank McAveety that the majority of staff will be located in Glasgow, where the west of Scotland hub and the headquarters will be situated. The majority of staff will be moving to Glasgow.
I thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.
Will the minister concede that his announcement is a significant U-turn on the SNP's stated manifesto commitment to abolish sportscotland, which was opposed across the whole Scottish sporting community? Although his U-turn is welcome, will he acknowledge that it is regrettable that we had many months of uncertainty in sports policy when we should have focused on the real priority of encouraging more participation in all sports among all age groups?
Will the minister give more details on how the new structure will ensure that the excellent work of the Scottish Institute of Sport is expanded? If the institute is to be merged with sportscotland, will its management have seats on the sportscotland board? How will the institute fit in with sportscotland's achieving excellence team? Which of the institute's six area boards will be done away with? I am sure that the institute wants to know.
Finally, the Scottish Institute of Sport's legacy was the Scots athletes' achievements in Melbourne, which the minister mentioned. I hope that he will not be haunted one day by the phrase, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
There is no U-turn on the table today. Frankly, what we said we would do is what we have done. We have radically overhauled the organisation. We are making an organisation that is radically different from the current one. It will have a small number of headquarters staff and a decentralised structure to ensure that delivery happens at the chalkface. It will work with partners, local authorities and governing bodies. That is what is important. We are driving the effort, support and expertise out into communities rather than having everything in a centralised, overly bureaucratic structure. Clearly, the structure will be very different from the current one.
On the consultation, Jamie McGrigor suggests that a few months of consultation and considering what is best for the future of sport is somehow worse than the years of prevarication, difficulties and anxiety that were caused by the previous Administration. During a consultation and review process that apparently caused so much trouble, we went out and won the Commonwealth games, therefore it seems to me that our eye was very much on the ball and on the benefits of sport. We did not take our eye off the ball. We worked with partners to ensure that the work continued while we reviewed what was best for sport.
In response to the question on the Scottish Institute of Sport, I can confirm that, yes, elite performance experts will be included on the new single board. That is absolutely the intention. The current sportscotland will not simply continue and take charge of the SIS. We have no plans to abolish any of the six area institutes—Jamie McGrigor may have misheard that—but we plan to merge their boards. The 12 boards will become six boards.
Which ones will be merged?
Order.
I hear comments from a sedentary member on the Labour benches. Frank McAveety has had his question, but I am afraid that he failed to ask any questions of importance about sport. I should explain to other members in the chamber that each area institute currently has two boards. In future, they will have one board, because the two boards will be merged into one, therefore the 12 boards will become six. That is a much simpler and more streamlined structure.
I thank the minister for providing me with an advance copy of his statement.
The minister is in danger of indulging in selective amnesia. The Government has quite rightly been making much of its manifesto, but I remind the minister that the SNP manifesto talked about the abolition of sportscotland. I take this opportunity to welcome the complete U-turn that has taken place—the one thing the minister has not done is abolish sportscotland.
The structures are important, but the key aspect of sportscotland is its objectives and national functions. If I heard the minister correctly, he said that we must ensure
"that there is a seamless pathway from grass-roots level".
I spent a little time examining my advance copy of the minister's statement against sportscotland's statement of national functions, but I was unable to identify in the statement any substantive change to the previously stated national functions of sportscotland, save for the important merger of sportscotland with the Scottish Institute of Sport. I am slightly concerned that, instead of acknowledging that the national functions of sportscotland have been retained, he said that there would be a "radical overhaul" of the organisation and that changes—not just those that are mentioned in his statement—would be initiated "as quickly as possible". I would be grateful if the minister would confirm that the current substantive and material functions of sportscotland will be retained.
I ask the minister to clarify an issue that Jamie McGrigor raised. In his statement, the minister said that the Scottish Institute of Sport will be the performance delivery arm of the organisation and will report directly to its CEO and board. However, he went on to talk about merging the boards. There seems to be some confusion: if I heard the minister rightly, he said that there would be a single board, but the advance copy of the statement refers clearly to
"their CEO and their board."
Finally, I ask the minister to clarify a matter to which he did not refer in the statement. We have all been enormously impressed by the community regeneration programme that sportscotland has run. Can he confirm that it will continue and that one of the national functions that sportscotland will retain is its ability to set national standards?
The answer to Ross Finnie's last question is an unequivocal yes—sportscotland will retain that function.
The board of the Scottish Institute of Sport will be the sportscotland board. The institute will report directly to that board, through the CEO. There is no confusion: there will be a single board, to which the institute will report. Currently, if someone in the SIS wishes to secure funding for a new project that will promote sport, they make a presentation to their manager, who makes a presentation to the CEO, who makes a presentation to the SIS board, which makes a presentation to the CEO of sportscotland, who makes a presentation to the board of sportscotland, which eventually makes a decision. That is a ridiculously overheavy and bureaucratic structure. The SIS will now report directly to the CEO and board of the new organisation.
It will be a new organisation. In the previous debate on sportscotland, the Liberal Democrats failed to understand that there is a difference between objectives and how they are delivered—they still seem to have difficulty understanding it. We have all signed up to the objectives that have been set: we want to see greater participation and improved performance. There has never been any argument about that, but there has been a difference of opinion about how we will deliver the objectives. We have made changes in that area to ensure that we push the organisation out of its centralised bureaucracy and into the areas of Scotland where it will support and work hand in glove with local partners.
It is not true that what we propose is simply a merger. Ross Finnie failed to mention that we are completely decentralising the structure of the organisation, which will be very different. Given the Liberal Democrats' history and their belief that decentralisation is important and that organisations should be pushed out to the lowest level, I had thought that they would support a proposal that will ensure that local communities, local organisations, local authorities and the governing bodies that are based in local areas have direct and local contact with sportscotland staff, via the hubs. I hope that they will sign up to that in the future.
We come now to questions from back benchers. I repeat my earlier stricture: we have 11 back-bench questions and answers to fit into 15 minutes, so I ask for one succinct question per member, please. The first question is from Michael Matheson, who will be followed by Patricia Ferguson.
I warmly welcome the minister's statement this afternoon, which is effectively about the abolition of sportscotland as we know it. The radical new structure—decentralisation in particular—will serve Scottish sport well. With that decentralisation in mind, I ask the minister what benefit will be gained at grass-roots level from the creation of the four hubs throughout the country.
Clearly, the benefit to local organisations—whether they are local authorities, governing bodies or other partners such as those who work in sport—including local voluntary groups, is that there will be a sportscotland hub in their areas in the west, east, centre and north of Scotland. At the moment, there is a huge amount of travelling backwards and forwards by staff from sportscotland's headquarters to various parts of the country. The hubs will mean that staff bases will be local. Over and above that, my firm expectations are that staff will spend more time out in communities working with organisations and that they will use their local bases when it is necessary to sit at a desk. They will not have to return to Edinburgh to do that. The staff will be based in local hubs and they will be out daily working with local groups and partners to ensure that we deliver on the ground for sport at grass-roots level in order to make sure that we build a future for sport in Scotland.
I say to the minister in opening that some of us have a little difficulty in equating the words "abolition" and "retention", which somehow mean the same thing to him.
I noticed in the minister's statement that he talked about how Labour members would be disappointed that sportscotland's HQ would go to Glasgow. Members on this side of the chamber, as well as other members, are very pleased with that announcement. It is strange and churlish of the minister to say that Labour members wanted to attack the Government on that decision and to allege that we were scaremongering. Given that the minister's stated view was that we should abolish sportscotland and that his Government does not believe in relocation, we were correct to be worried about the new location.
The minister said in his statement that "the review"—as opposed to the consultation—
"examined whether sportscotland's current functions continued to be necessary".
Will the minister say which of the current functions are necessary, which will be retained and which new functions sportscotland will develop?
It is strange that the Labour Party campaigned for something but complains about it when it is delivered. That sums up the hypocrisy of members on the Labour benches. When one campaigns for something that then occurs, the usual response is to welcome it. It is rather churlish of the Labour spokespeople to complain now. [Interruption.]
I make it clear to the member who is shouting from a sedentary position that the question was about the objectives of the new national agency and the difference between it and the previous agency. As I have already made clear, the answer is that the objective, via "Reaching Higher: Building on the Success of Sport 21", is the same. We are signed up to improve performance, enhance delivery and ensure that sport is part of Scotland.
What about the functions?
The new agency's objectives are part of its functions. If the member does not recognise that, I fail to see how he could recognise anything at all. The functions of the organisation will continue; it is a national organisation that will deliver for sport in Scotland. Now, however, it will deliver much more efficiently because it will no longer be a large centralised bureaucracy based in the middle of Edinburgh; it will be out in the communities with a decentralised structure working at the grass roots and delivering what we all want—which, unfortunately, has not been delivered up until now.
I note that, in relation to the reduction in staffing at sportscotland, the minister made the important point that there will be no compulsory redundancies. Has he discussed that with trade unions? If so, what is their position on the proposals and the impact that they might have on their members?
I am happy to reiterate that there will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of the changes. It is important to make that clear to ensure that staff are not anxious about their future.
Officials and I have met Scottish Government unions on a number of occasions to discuss the approach to the public sector landscape and, in particular, the future of sportscotland and its staff. The most recent of those on-going discussions was held at the beginning of the week. I am sure that we will have meetings in the future; indeed, I have made a commitment to the unions that I am happy to meet them to discuss today's announcement. Obviously, we did not discuss the details of the announcement before it was made to Parliament, but—now that it has been made—I am happy to work with the unions and the organisation's management to ensure that we get the best outcome not only for sportsmen and sportswomen throughout Scotland, but for staff and their future.
Members might recall that before the Christmas recess the minister was revealed in the chamber to be
the Humpty Dumpty of the … Parliament". —[Official Report, 13 December 2007; c 4374.]
I am sad to say that he is now Humpty Dumpty in denial.
The minister should understand that to assert something does not make it true. The fact is that there was no consultation or review. However, despite the minister's best endeavours to ignore them, the views of sporting organisations and members of this Parliament have been forced on him.
Could we have a question, please?
Perhaps on some other day the minister will reflect on how such an arrogant approach has led to this pantomime.
My question is about two groups that were not consulted in the non-consultation: Children 1st and other children's organisations, and the planning officials in his own Government. What meetings or discussions have taken place since 13 December with children's organisations on sportscotland's role in relation to child protection issues? What meetings have taken place with planning officials on sportscotland's role in protecting open space in our communities? If such meetings or discussions have not taken place, will the minister tell us when he will meet those organisations and people to ensure that those critical roles for sportscotland are sustained in the coming period?
As I said earlier, pantomime season clearly has not ended. Only Johann Lamont could moan about things that she actually agrees with and supports. The Labour Party cannot make up its mind whether it is happy or unhappy with this announcement.
As far as consultation is concerned, no matter how much the member might assert otherwise, there was clearly consultation of a large number of bodies—[Interruption.]
Order.
I think that the problem, Presiding Officer, is that the Labour members fail to recognise real consultation when it takes place. Over the eight years of the previous Administration, consultation was no more than a fig leaf to cover decisions that had already been made. On the other hand, this Administration has real consultations in which it goes out and speaks to governing bodies, the whole sector and all interested parties and major stakeholders in sport. When they respond, we take on board their expert opinions and respond accordingly. [Interruption.]
Order.
That is what a real consultation is supposed to be—I am not in the least surprised that Labour members do not recognise it.
I am pleased that the Government has listened to stakeholders and decided not to abolish sportscotland—although I have to say that there has been a bit of selective amnesia about a certain debate in which Parliament's will on the issue was made quite clear to the Government.
That said, as constituency member for the location of the current headquarters of sportscotland, I am disappointed that the new HQ will be located in Glasgow because such a move can only add to disruption for staff. The minister might know that a report that was undertaken in 2006—
Could we have a question, please.
This is my question. The report suggested that about 30 per cent of staff would leave the organisation if it moved to Glasgow. It is unacceptable that in this respect the minister has provided no clarity on numbers. How many staff will remain in Edinburgh? How many experienced staff, if any, are expected to be lost to the organisation at this crucial time as a result of relocating the majority to Glasgow? Finally, how much will relocating the HQ cost?
I recognise Margaret Smith's clear interest in having the organisation in Edinburgh, in her constituency. The relocation decision that the Administration has taken is good news not only for the people of Glasgow but for staff in Edinburgh. The previous situation was that 145 staff were to be shifted from Edinburgh to Glasgow. There would have been nothing at all for Edinburgh—no sportscotland presence in the east of Scotland. There will now be the establishment of a local delivery hub of sportscotland staff who will work with stakeholders across the east of Scotland. That is good news for Edinburgh. I am sure that Margaret Smith will welcome the change and the flexibility that we have provided for many staff in the organisation.
I turn to Margaret Smith's question on numbers. Clearly, before individual numbers and names are given, the new organisation's management and implementation team must be given the freedom to put in place the structure for the skill sets in each location. It is inappropriate for me to talk about the numbers in any great detail today.
Clearly, the cost of the previous relocation was massive; indeed, it was merely an exercise in relocation for relocation's sake. The relocation decision that we have taken is an exercise in decentralisation, albeit that it includes a relocation, the cost of which is substantially less than that which the previous Administration had provided for relocation of the whole organisation.
The minister is right to say that Scotland is passionate about sport. It is. However, that passion lies as much in the grass roots as it does in our elite athletes. Will he provide more detail than he gave in his statement on exactly how the new structure will increase participation at the grass roots, particularly among schoolchildren? More importantly, how will it attract volunteers who are willing to assist in that area?
One of our primary targets is to increase participation across the country. I am sure that we all share that aim. Increased participation is a primary role of the current organisation and it will be a primary objective of the new organisation.
Decentralisation will allow people to work in communities in the local office areas rather than in the Edinburgh headquarters. Much more of their time will therefore be spent on delivery and support and in providing expert opinion and advice. It is important for sportscotland staff that they will not have to spend the time they currently spend travelling backward and forward to headquarters in Edinburgh—it is more important to them to spend time where they work. Decentralisation will have a positive impact on the grass roots of sport.
I turn to volunteers. Currently, a number of measures are being developed to increase the number of volunteers. Our aim is to support sport through the opportunities that Scotland has gained as a result of the legacy plans for 2012 and in the lead-up to 2014. Those plans are on-going. We will, over the next few years, build a base of massive numbers of volunteers across the country—many thousands of people will have the opportunity to become volunteers. We will grasp the opportunities that are provided by 2012 and, particularly, by 2014.
We will also grasp the opportunities that are presented by the other sporting events that we hope to bring to Scotland over the next decade. We want to ensure that people see volunteering as an important and integral part of the sporting landscape. I am sure that Glasgow's success in winning the 2014 Commonwealth games has inspired many people to volunteer for that event. I know that people have already made contact with Glasgow City Council and other organisations to indicate their wish to volunteer, as they have for other events.
The Scottish Institute of Sport is a highly regarded organisation. However, some people fear that the implication of today's announcement is that sportscotland will totally take over the institute. Will the minister reassure Parliament that that will not be the case? Will he set out more fully the implications of the merger for the institute?
It is absolutely not the case that the Scottish Institute of Sport is under threat in any way, shape or form. The changes that I have announced today will ensure that the institute continues to be the performance delivery arm in Scotland. It will have freedom to operate—I made that clear in my statement.
However, the changes will have an effect on the institute. As I mentioned, we will remove the bureaucracy of management—the structure above the institute—which means that it must go through layers of management before decisions on its activities can be made. The institute will operate with a streamlined management structure and will be the major delivery arm for elite athletes.
It is worth mentioning the important point that as well as changing the institute's management structure, we will also provide long-term stability in its funding. Until now, the institute has been funded through the national lottery which, frankly, is not an absolutely certain method of funding, particularly given the United Kingdom Government's desire to remove lottery funding from sport in Scotland. In the future, we will provide Government funding for the institute, which it has been requesting for some time. The previous Administration did not provide Government funding, but we will. That will provide long-term stability of funding for the organisation and guarantee its future. That shows clearly our determination to support elite athletes in Scotland and to ensure that they deliver the sort of medal tallies that we want, not only this year, but in the years to come and particularly in the lead-up to 2014.
Well, well, well. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it is a duck—this new body is sportscotland. Like the minister, I welcome the successful campaign by sports bodies and by all the parties in Parliament—except the SNP—to retain sportscotland as the national governing body for sport.
In his statement, the minister said that the changes will stop
"activities that do not contribute to the Government's objectives."
What are those activities?
In his previous answer, the minister said that he will provide Government funding to the Institute of Sport. How much will it be, when will it be available and will it be additional to the money that is currently available for sport in Scotland?
I said that the institute will no longer be funded via the unstable funding stream of lottery funding, but through Government funding.
How much?
It will be funded through Government funding and to the current level, with an increasing level in the future. That is in line with our increases in the money that will go into sport during the spending review period. It is clear that additional funds are going into sport. We will provide stability of funding for the institute. While it remained under lottery funding, it was clearly in danger of losing funding. That will now not happen.
I am glad that Karen Gillon welcomes the fact that we listened and had a real consultation. That is unlike some of her colleagues who, frankly, have not known whether they are welcoming or condemning the Government's decision today.
The speedy conclusion to the Scottish Government's review of sportscotland has been both practical and radical and demonstrates clearly the SNP's active commitment to the people of Glasgow. I emphatically welcome the decision.
Does the minister agree that it will not only enrich the forthcoming Commonwealth games, but support our nation's current and budding sporting heroes and play a significant role in the regeneration of the east end of Glasgow? When Labour was in power, we had words and uncertainty about sportscotland but, from the SNP Government, we have actions to benefit the people of Glasgow.
It is vital that we establish the Commonwealth games in Glasgow in 2014 as the pinnacle towards which we will work in the next six years. That is one major reason why the organisation's headquarters must be located in Glasgow. That will contribute to the regeneration of the east end of Glasgow, but it is not the fundamental point in that regeneration. An awful lot of work is going on in the east end of Glasgow, including the Clyde gateway project, for which I announced £62 million late last year. The regeneration of the east end of Glasgow will, finally, get under way under the present Administration. The fact remains that it is important that we ensure that the Commonwealth games in 2014 are a tremendous success, not only for the Commonwealth as a whole, but for Glasgow and Scotland, and that they inspire the next generation of young athletes.
I will be able to call the remaining questioners if the questions are very short.
I thank the minister for allowing prior sight of the statement. I do not care how many U-turns this Government or any other Government makes—as long as they end up looking the right way, I am quite happy. By and large, the minister has got it right.
I was very interested in what the minister said about the hubs. I have only one criticism, which is married to the possible loss of corporate memory. People are the resource on which sportscotland depends. If the hub structure is set in train, negotiations on how the organisation will retain people will be difficult. I ask the minister not to go too fast. In his statement he says that he wants all the changes to take place "as soon as possible". However, it is better to get it right than to get it quick.
I acknowledge Margo MacDonald's long-standing interest in the subject and her commitment to it. I hope that she will accept that the previous decision to move everything—lock, stock and barrel—to Glasgow is no longer on the table. We have taken a decision to retain expertise in the Edinburgh area. I hope that she will welcome that.
I agree with her that it is much more important
"to get it right than to get it quick."
We will ensure that we do that. We will be working hard with various partners—including sportscotland, the Institute of Sport and others—to ensure that we retain the highly skilled and professional people who currently work with sportscotland. That will ensure that we can benefit from their experience and that the country can benefit from their expertise in delivering a new sportscotland.
The minister has said a lot in his statement and there is no doubt that he has made a U-turn. I welcome that—not on behalf of sportscotland but on behalf of our athletes, young and old, at the grass roots and at advanced level. The Government U-turn is the right decision because those athletes will get the best chance of getting support.
The minister did not mention cost. He said that the headquarters will relocate to Glasgow and that decentralised hubs will be created. Will the minister tell Parliament what the cost will be? Will the Government allocate additional funding, or will our athletes lose out if money is taken from existing budgets?
I am glad that Jim Tolson acknowledges that the Government listens to stakeholders when it carries out a consultation.
As I said earlier, the cost of the relocation will be much less than the cost of the relocation that Jim Tolson's party signed up to in the previous Administration. That relocation would have cost substantially more than the cost of the decentralised structure with headquarters in Glasgow. If Jim Tolson thought then that it was right to move to Glasgow, I am sure that he will also think it right that the decentralised structure will have its headquarters in Glasgow.
As I have said, I will not put a figure on the cost today, but I assure Jim Tolson that it will be much less than the cost of the previous Labour and Liberal Democrat plan.
The minister brings a whole new meaning to consultation. What he regards as consultation is the most right-wing example I have ever heard of.
How will those who will serve in the new organisation be appointed or elected? Will the minister use the procedure for public appointments that has been established for a number of years? How long will members serve, and what will be their terms of reference?
However, I have another question that is much more important to my constituents and to people across Scotland. The minister mentioned that free walking and free cycling will be included in his objectives, but we did not hear swimming mentioned—only walking and cycling. Is that because it costs the minister money? Is it because he wants to ignore the vast majority of older people and disabled people who need hydrotherapy treatments? There has been nothing mentioned in any of his statements—for almost a year now—that will actually mean something on the ground to help people in Scotland.
I rise to my feet with a heavy heart. The standard of the questions started badly and has declined to an all-time low in that last attempt. The only question of any merit there was about the process of appointing people to the new board. The answer is that the process on public appointments that is currently laid down in statute will be used. That is what is currently in place, and that is what will remain in place.
The minister said in his statement that he wants young people in Scotland to be inspired to take part in sport. Given that most young people in Scotland have probably never heard of sportscotland, how does he imagine that the new body that has been announced today might play a role in inspiring young people to participate in sport?
There are two main responses to that. First, we will build on the number of volunteers throughout the country in order to ensure that people get involved in more sport and more physical activity. Over and above that, a decentralised structure for sport in Scotland means that the very structure that supports sport will be out in the community, working with and supporting the partners, the local authorities, the governing bodies and local organisations, and providing the expertise that they require. That will be an inspirational part of the process. At the moment, sportscotland is large, remote and bureaucratic. In the future, it will be based much more in local communities, with its staff working with the stakeholders on the ground. That will be welcomed by all such groups.