Sport
I am delighted once again to open a debate on a motion that identifies so many key issues for the future development of sport in this country.
Sport is an immensely valuable activity in its own right. It gives pleasure to millions and is a fundamental part of many people's quality of life. The Executive has a vision to make Scotland a great sporting nation. Sport makes a significant contribution to many areas of Scottish life. Our objective is to expand that contribution.
Sport is already a major and increasing force in our economy—there are 40,000 jobs in the sport and leisure sector in Scotland. Sport contributes about 1.7 per cent of gross domestic product and 2.5 per cent of total consumer expenditure. It contributes to our sense of national identity and pride. We therefore have firm foundations on which to build our policy.
Evidence is accumulating on the role that sport can play in making progress in key areas of the Executive's wider policy agenda. Sport can be a key part of our attack on health problems, by developing physical fitness and activity. Evidence from studies in France and England highlights the potential of sport to give young people positive lifestyles and activities and so to lead our efforts to combat youth crime.
Links between participation in sport and children's academic attainment are being recognised. We are beginning to realise the potential of sport in the regeneration and empowerment of people and communities. Recent developments in many places, including Paisley, Castlemilk, Dundee and Easterhouse, put sport at the heart of regeneration strategies.
We must build on that momentum. But sport cannot do that alone. It needs a strong and meaningful partnership, in particular with health and education. We are committed to supporting and developing such partnerships at local and national level. The role of local authorities is central to all those objectives.
In Sport 21, we have a strategy that sets out three co-dependent visions for sport in Scotland, a country where sport is more widely available to all, where sporting talent is recognised and nurtured and where world-class performances in sport are achieved and sustained. The strategy includes a target to increase the number of people who participate in sport from certain groups, including people with disabilities, women and young girls, people who live in areas of economic and social disadvantage and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The first review of the strategy was published last month and copies were distributed to all members of the Parliament. The review, which was undertaken by a series of expert forums, highlights the significant progress that has been made over the last two and a half years. More than 250 secondary schools have a school sports co-ordinator; lottery funding is available to support the deployment of resources and equipment into every primary school in Scotland; the biggest ever study of sports clubs in Scotland has been completed; the Scottish Institute of Sport is open for business; and a new strategy for disbursement of lottery funding for sport has been agreed, with a new emphasis on targeting those most in need.
Will the minister take an intervention?
But of course.
I thank the minister for allowing me to intervene. I am sorry to interrupt him while he is reading his speech out verbatim.
Why does the minister think that such targeting is more effective, when funding for sportscotland from the lottery has been reduced from what it might have been had the millennium fund been used to spread money to other deserving lottery funding causes, such as charities, heritage, arts and sport?
If the member had read the new opportunities fund proposals and discussion document, which we published on Monday, he might not have put forward his silly amendment, which I will ask the Parliament to reject.
By way of contrast, I am happy to accept the nationalists' amendment. It is not often that a Government comes across an Opposition amendment that commends and gives a ringing endorsement to its policies, which is what the SNP amendment does. I am happy to tell the chamber that we are willing to accept the ringing endorsement contained in the nationalists' amendment.
Is the minister accepting the amendment?
Yes, I am accepting the amendment. I will say it a third time: I am accepting the amendment. It is a wonderful and ringing endorsement of this Government's policy, so it is. I see that Mr Russell wants to stand up and endorse the Government's policies.
Mr Russell wants to move a vote of thanks.
The reason that we asked the minister to repeat his acceptance is that we found it so unusual for him to be gracious. If Mr Galbraith were to stop at that point and not give what I suspect will be a somewhat cynical reason for accepting the amendment, we will not be tempted to withdraw the amendment but will be happy to have it accepted.
Me? A cynic? How ridiculous. I simply want to say that the amendment is a ringing endorsement of our policies and I am grateful to get that from the nationalists.
Despite the fact that we have done such great work, there is still much to be done. That is why I am delighted to announce today a further major injection of funds for sport to accelerate the pace of implementation of Sport 21. I am allocating an additional £6 million of Exchequer funds to sportscotland over the next three years. Its annual grant in aid will be £12.5 million over that period. That represents an increase of nearly 20 per cent over the previously planned figure—the greatest increase that sportscotland and, previously, the Scottish Sports Council have ever had.
Before we get complaints from the nationalists about cutting funding in the previous year—which I see is part of the brief that the SNP has made available to all its members—I should point out that such a complaint would be the usual inaccurate rubbish that comes about as a result of someone not understanding a document. The reason that there is an apparent fall is because the money that was given to the Hampden rescue package naturally fell out the following year. If the figures are considered correctly, it can be seen that there has been an increase.
Sportscotland will also be spending an additional £3 million from the National Lottery sports fund over the next three years, following a revised forecast of lottery income. I am asking sportscotland to use that additional £9 million in three main areas. The first is a major expansion of the active primary schools programme currently being piloted. The second is the further development of the school sports co-ordinator scheme to put more focus on the links between schools and clubs and complement the funding for sport which will come from the new opportunities fund. With regard to that, I ask Brian Monteith once again to read the consultation document. The third area is a substantial investment in the 48 social inclusion partnership areas in Scotland to increase the number of people participating in sport who live in areas of economic and social disadvantage.
Will the minister give way?
Of course; I always do.
I welcome the new objectives. However, does Mr Galbraith agree that, in getting to the objectives that the Executive has set itself for active primary schools, it might need to consider the effect of budgeting, which primary schools have to cope with now? Schools often have to choose between a share of a peripatetic physical education teacher and some other facility or service for the school. Does Mr Galbraith agree that, unless the Executive gets more physical education teachers in schools, it is militating against achieving its objective?
With the continued and significant increase in funding for education that we have made available, local authorities should be able to do all the things that Ms MacDonald talks about. Not only last year and the year before but also this year, significant extra funding has been made available.
Subject to the present consultation, £87 million will be available through the new opportunities fund in Scotland to stimulate schemes that will encourage the improvement of school facilities and their wider use in the community, and for schemes in which sport can be part of the wider strategy in the fight against youth crime.
It is clear that local authorities, working through schools and their leisure and recreation services and in their work in deprived areas, will make a major contribution to achieving our objectives for sport and culture. The increased national funding will complement local commitments. Jack McConnell's announcement in September, following the spending review, identified significant additional funding for authorities—20 per cent over the next three years, or 10.5 per cent in real terms.
I know that authorities share our priorities in sport and in the wider areas of culture and, while it is for authorities to determine their own programmes, the additional funding they have will ensure that they can fully play their role.
Does the minister agree that the continuing separation in some local authorities of the education department from the leisure and recreation department does not advance the aims that he describes?
That is a matter for local authorities. I have always taken the view that education and leisure and recreation should be one department. On my advice, my local authority combined those in one department to the great benefit of everyone.
We also gave a pledge last year to assist the development of football academies.
Will the minister comment on the fact that East Dunbartonshire Council has just closed Twechar recreation centre, thereby disbarring a community from access to a local recreation facility?
Members will know that East Dunbartonshire Council is now dominated by a Tory called Billy Hendry. That is the sort of policy that I would expect from a Tory.
I can announce today that sportscotland is opening a programme of lottery funding for football academies this week—£4 million will be made available over the next three years. Further funding, including moneys from the reduction in pools betting duty, will be available soon, when a new body is established in Scotland to succeed the Football Trust. My friend Allan Wilson will progress the establishment of the football academies with all haste.
I will make only a brief reference to the sterling efforts of Team GB and its Scots members at the Olympics and the Paralympics in Sydney, because Mary Mulligan initiated a member's debate on that subject last week. I want simply to extend to them again my warmest congratulations on their excellent performances and to confirm that the First Minister will host a reception for team members and officials at Edinburgh Castle next month.
I will conclude by discussing the 2009 Ryder cup. Members will be aware that last week the Scottish Executive submitted its bid to stage the 2009 Ryder cup in Scotland, the home of golf. Our bid demonstrates Scotland's commitment to golf at all levels and sets the staging of the Ryder cup firmly in the context of a comprehensive strategy for the development of the sport and of golf tourism. We are glad to have received the endorsement of Colin Montgomerie and, yesterday, of Tiger Woods.
With the Ryder cup in 2009 as a focal point, we believe that a partnership approach involving the public and private sectors and national and local agencies and clubs can take the development of golf and golf tourism to new levels. Golf is already an immensely popular sport in Scotland and golf tourism is worth at least £100 million per annum to the Scottish economy. The staging of the Ryder cup in 2009 would enable us to promote Scotland and firmly re-establish our status as the home of golf in key markets such as the rest of the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and France.
We also firmly believe that the Ryder cup will give us a focus for enhancing the junior golf development programme so that, by 2009, every child in Scotland could be introduced to the game by the time he or she is nine years old. The £10 million of new public money that we have pledged to support the bid will be added to our sport and tourism programmes and is additional to the new money for sport that I announced earlier. The economic gain for Scotland will be significant.
Our bid is bold and imaginative, and I am sure that every member of the Parliament will give it their full support. It reflects our commitment to sport and the role that it plays in many aspects of Scottish life. I commend the bid and the motion in my name.
I move,
That the Parliament recognises the contribution that sport makes to a modern inclusive society, to health and full and enjoyable life and as a positive and attractive alternative, for young people especially, to anti-social activities and criminal behaviour; notes the outcome of the first review of Sport 21; restates its support for Sport 21: Nothing Left to Chance as the strategic basis for developing sport in Scotland; welcomes the outcome of the 2000 spending review for sport in Scotland; congratulates Team GB and the Scots in it on their performances in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and commends and supports the Scottish Executive's bid to secure the 2009 Ryder Cup for Scotland, the home of golf.
I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion in my name. I also welcome Allan Wilson to what I understand is the first debate in which he will participate since his appointment as Deputy Minister for Sport and Culture.
The SNP acknowledges the role that sport plays in the life of Scotland and recognises that poor levels of physical fitness have contributed to Scotland's appalling health record, particularly in heart disease. That is why the facilities that we have need to be accessible to all. As the minister acknowledged, there are too many facilities that are not accessible, geographically or financially, and there are too few opportunities for participation in sport for people of all ages, people with disabilities, women and members of ethnic minorities.
I commend to the Executive its continuing commitment to improve and promote increased use of community-based facilities such as community sports centres, village halls and, in particular, schools, whose resources are vastly underused outwith the school day. Not only are such facilities closer to home for most people, meaning that people do not have to travel, but they are likely to be a much cheaper option.
That is often not the case for leisure centres run by local authorities. I am advised that, for people in Edinburgh who participate in sport regularly—four times a week or more—it can cost less to be a member of a private sports facility than to be a member of the local sports centre. That cannot be right, and will not contribute to the Executive's goal of an inclusive society.
The Executive wants young people to get involved in sport in a bid to prevent them turning to drugs or getting involved in anti-social and criminal behaviour, and I support that. I heard the minister's comments on funding to local authorities, but many local authorities have reduced spending on leisure and recreation, due to budget cuts. That has resulted in the closure of local swimming pools and ice rinks. The Executive's policy therefore becomes difficult to implement.
East Dunbartonshire Council did not just close the swimming pool in Kirkintilloch but knocked it down, leaving the small surrounding community—which suffered a drugs death last year—to take responsibility itself for recruiting volunteers to drive local youngsters to a pool in North Lanarkshire. It is because of such examples that I welcome the minister's announcement of increased investment.
There is no doubt that increased funding, particularly lottery funding, has made a significant difference to specific sports and to athletes, and that it is the single most influential element in promoting participation and excellence. But perhaps we need strategies to spread those benefits more effectively. Although a few badminton players have benefited from funding, it is debatable whether the sport could identify any advantages that it has gained at a grass-roots level. In other sports, the opposite is the case. Although the game has been advantaged, there has been only limited support to athletes at the top level.
I suggest that the process of funding needs to be streamlined at a local level. There are too many layers. Consideration should be given to a more direct funding of local sports councils. While we should prioritise the concept of sport for all, there needs to be provision for people with special talents. We emphasise that qualified coaches are the key to future successes in national and international competitions.
For the minister's benefit, I can confirm that we welcome and support the Executive's bid to bring the Ryder cup to Scotland in 2009. How could we not do so? I believe that my colleague Fiona McLeod originally suggested it. I will go further: I reiterate our offer to the minister of full co-operation and assistance in promotion of the bid.
The Executive has been remarkably quiet to date on the question of Scotland bidding to host the Euro 2008 football championships. Public reaction to the idea has been very favourable, and many people in the sport have voiced their support. I accept that hosting the European championships would not be simple, with issues of infrastructure, feasibility and finance. Perhaps we do not quite have the infrastructure for football as we do for golf—which makes the Ryder cup bid fairly straightforward. However, Portugal is to host Euro 2004, and the sport, transport and associated infrastructure in Scotland starts at a higher base than that of Portugal when it first entered its bid.
As far as the feasibility of a bid is concerned, I understand that the Dutch commissioned a study into the economic and social impact of their co-hosting Euro 2000. We suggested to the UK Minister for Sport that she begin a dialogue with the Dutch ministries that were involved in that study, to gain access to its findings. We could then learn from their successful co-hosting of the recent championships before commissioning our own feasibility study. Can the minister confirm that that contact was made, and can he update us on any progress on that?
If there is a financial issue arising from the bid, we should consider the amount of money that was spent on recent unsuccessful bids, particularly the money spent on England's recent world cup bid. We understand that more than £10 million of public money was spent in support of that, and that the UK Government spent more than £100,000 so that the English Minister for Sport could go globetrotting to promote the bid. Any bid by Scotland to host Euro 2008 should expect the same degree of commitment.
Given the complexity of the issues surrounding the 2008 Euro championship bid, does Irene McGugan's party have a view on involving another nation in the bid?
Norway.
Norway is a suggestion from the back benches. I would suggest the Irish Republic as a co-participant in formulating a bid that might be recognised and might overcome some of the technical problems.
It will not surprise Brian Monteith that I would prefer Scotland to make an independent bid. I do not see why not. We hear a lot about Scotland being talked up or down and, if the Executive and the Parliament are serious about Scotland as a host for major events on the world scene, we will have to be ambitious. What is the converse view? That Scotland cannot or does not want to compete with the rest of the world? What about sporting vision and tourism? I am sure that the Euro 2008 bid would do as much for the Scottish economy and tourism as the Ryder cup would, if not more.
There is a proposal to introduce all children to golf by age nine. We welcome the idea of developing golf—as we would most sports—and particularly a sport that has social barriers. Some clubs still do not allow women to play. But golf should be developed alongside other sports. Why not ensure that every child can swim by age nine? That would have non-sporting benefits as well. Why not introduce all children to tennis? It is more accessible, easier to pick up and probably cheaper.
Scotland has a great history of success in minority sports such as curling, cycling and judo, but those sports get very little media coverage, little funding and next to no sponsorship. Scots rarely fail to achieve well in them at international level. In ice-skating, Scottish athletes face constant battles at the UK level for adequate funding, representation and recognition. We should support and develop all those sports at grass-roots and elite levels, encouraging wider participation in general and having the infrastructure in place to develop talent.
I move amendment S1M-1325.1, to insert at end:
"accepting that the overall purposes of a sport policy should be to involve as many as possible, to encourage diversity, to sustain not only mainstream but also minority sports, including traditional Scottish sports, and to ensure a high level of international standard sporting excellence in Scotland."
I would like to restate our support for the 2009 Ryder cup bid and for the Euro 2008 bid, which Mr Monteith will say more about. I do not think many people in Scotland were untouched by the rekindling of true sporting spirit at the Olympic games and Paralympics in Sydney, by the achievements of people such as Steve Redgrave and by joy at the success of Scots participants such as Shirley Robertson. For Conservatives, the performance of Equatorial Guinea swimmer Eric the Eel, who won the affection of audiences around the world, had great resonance. We are used to swimming on our own. The Paralympics then showed everything that we would want sport to encapsulate. Everyone who participated deserves our congratulations.
Arguments about the balance between competitive success and individual participation in the local community have been well rehearsed. After this year's Olympics and Paralympics there can be no doubt that success in sport provides a tremendous boost to the confidence and general well-being of a country. There should be no argument about giving our most talented sporting competitors the help and support that they need to fulfil their potential. In some areas, that is happening, and the Manchester velodrome is a facility that cyclists from Scotland and elsewhere in the UK have been able to take advantage of to improve their performance.
I accept the need to prioritise. It would be easy to come along today and say that beach volleyball facilities in Scotland are totally inadequate, if not requiring a complete change of climate. However, swimming is a sport that requires much more investment than it receives. Swimming is not just a sport: it is one of the healthiest activities that a person can engage in. It can also be a life-saver.
Swimming is a sport in which there is a clear difference between competitive activity and ordinary participation. Generally, a football pitch can be used and enjoyed by leisure footballers or by those who are more serious. A similar point could be made about a basketball court or an ice rink. However, with swimming, we have seen a move towards more leisure-based water facilities provided by local authorities and others. I have no complaint about that, because there is a demand for such facilities. However, that should not diminish the opportunities for what I would call serious swimmers.
The lack of Olympic-size 50 m pools in Scotland is a serious drawback. Many young swimmers have to battle with all sorts of other groups to get time in the pool. When they have to get up at 5 am or 6 am to go to the pool before anyone else gets in, then go to school, and then perhaps squeeze in some time later in the evening, it is not surprising that so many teenage swimmers give up when all that becomes too difficult to balance in their lives. That is especially true in rural areas such as my South of Scotland constituency, where many people have to drive miles to get access to a pool. It is good that the Sport 21 document recognises rural exclusion as well as urban exclusion.
Another difficulty arises with financial support for swimming—the relationship between capital and revenue funding. Swimming facilities—be they public or attached to schools—have a relatively high on-going cost. If all funding—and especially lottery funding—is skewed towards capital funding, practical consideration of a swimming pool becomes very difficult. I can give two examples of that from my area. In Langholm, lottery funding was available for the capital provision of a swimming pool, but there would have been no funding on a year-by-year revenue basis to allow the facility to operate. Another possible example of that is at Douglas Ewart High School in Galloway. We must, therefore, consider the difference between capital and revenue funding.
I would like to touch briefly on football. We in the European Committee have produced an extensive report on football, and I received some feedback from a member of the public—one of Allan Wilson's constituents. Mr Pete Smyth, of Ardrossan and Pyramid 2000, e-mailed me to say that for 30 years he had suspected that politicians knew nothing about football and that, when he read the European Committee's report, he knew it for sure. I did not agree with his analysis, but I welcomed his suggestion that he would petition the Parliament to ensure that we engage in a wider-ranging discussion on all aspects of football. I think that we would all agree that football touches on every community.
We should encourage participation in sport by everyone at their own level and in their own community. We should also support our best athletes. We would like more lottery funding to go into sport and, in our amendment, we have suggested a way in which that can be achieved through the ending of the millennium fund.
In the name of Mr Monteith, I move amendment S1M-1325.2, to insert at end:
"and urges the Executive to consider how it may best assist the objective of Euro 2008 being held in Scotland; recognises that sports such as swimming will require additional investment if participants are to realise their full potential; and calls upon the Scottish Executive to lobby Her Majesty's Government to use the ending of the Millennium Fund to return the share of lottery funds going towards sport in Scotland to the levels that existed when the share of National Lottery funding for sport, art, heritage and culture was 20% rather than the 16.7% that has been in place since the Labour Government introduced its New Opportunities Fund."
I would like to start by thanking the Presiding Officer for his indulgence on the last occasion when I spoke, when he was in the chair. I will try not to infringe my time limit this time, and will listen for when he taps his microphone.
Using the current parlance, I would like to welcome team McLeish to the debate. I welcome today's announcements of substantially increased funding and I welcome this short debate on sport. The time allowed is so limited that we can only scratch the surface of a massively important topic that impacts on the life of everyone in Scotland. There is widespread support in the chamber for an inclusive policy that promotes sport at all levels, in all social groups, and in all parts of the country. As I said in an earlier debate, if we can increase participation in sport across the board, society will benefit through having a healthier population, communities will benefit through enhanced social cohesion and sense of identity, and individuals will benefit through fitness, self-esteem and the great pleasures of taking part. Sam Galbraith spoke about golf; sometimes I think that people get a masochistic pleasure from taking part in some sports.
In the wide-ranging motion that we are debating, we are asked to consider the inclusive nature of sport, yet to make commitments to our elite performers—such as members of our Olympic and Paralympic teams. We are asked to consider local community issues at the same time as endorsing and supporting moves towards national and international professional sporting occasions, such as the Ryder cup and the European football championships. It is a broad-brush approach, and I am happy to support the various elements in the motion.
Nevertheless, underlying the debate is an attempt to make a statement in the Scottish Parliament that we want to establish a positive culture in Scotland. We want a Scotland where everyone is included, where sport is highly regarded and well supported by educational and political structures, where resources are made available, where individuals are valued whatever their abilities and where talent is fostered and excellence treasured. Devolution gives us an opportunity to make that focused adjustment to our culture. That can be achieved through debates such as this but, more important, through the practical steps that are embodied in Sport 21 and the atmosphere that we create, just as we discussed last week in reference to the cultural strategy.
I welcome the progress that has been made on many of the Sport 21 targets. I want to mention two or three areas where the process of readjustment could be accelerated or reinforced. In schools, the appointment of sports co-ordinators seems to be going well, but I make a plea for some flexibility in the application of the scheme. Some local authorities, such as the Scottish Borders, feel that the regulations surrounding such posts do not fit local situations. Provided that the aims of the scheme can be delivered, unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles should not bar the way to funding and the acceptance of local solutions to fit local problems.
There should be stronger emphasis on the importance of sport and physical activity in the primary and secondary school curriculum. We must embed that into the timetable. In negotiations with teachers, there must be a recognition of the importance of sport and other extra-curricular activities in our educational provision. I had expected sport to be mentioned in the national priorities for education. It appears that it is not mentioned specifically. Perhaps the minister will indicate his position in that respect.
We must examine the relationship between public education and the range of clubs and groups involved in sporting activity in the wider community. Good, flexible co-operative working should be encouraged. The work of voluntary organisations should be fostered in that area, as in others.
We must be prepared to invest in the provision of facilities. I agree with David Mundell that while it is sometimes possible to obtain capital through lottery funding to build a sports complex, that might mean turning a blind eye to the future implications for revenue funding.
Has Ian Jenkins had any contact with his Liberal Democrat colleagues in East Dunbartonshire Council, which knocked down the swimming pool in Kirkintilloch? In such cases, it is not about finding revenue funding or capital, but about replacing a facility.
Mr Jenkins, your five minutes is almost at an end.
That could be a good way out. I refer Fiona McLeod to Sam Galbraith's earlier comments about that council.
When we consider countries such as Finland, we find examples of cultural attitudes towards sport from which we might learn. I hope that the Education, Culture and Sport Committee will take up some of the issues that have been raised during the debate. In the meantime, I am happy to support the principal motion and the substance of Irene McGugan's amendment.
It is an extremely strange day: we had a constructive contribution from Nicola Sturgeon in the health debate in the morning and by the afternoon Sam Galbraith was accepting an SNP amendment. The old certainties seem to be crumbling.
Several useful points have been made. Members of my family would find it strange to hear me make a speech on sport, given their despair at trying to get me to participate. However, such reluctance does not stop me, or anyone else, recognising the key part that sport plays in our society.
It is true that Scotland has never recovered from the teachers' strikes of the 1980s. While we know that there were problems then and that participation in sport was not as high as it should have been, nevertheless there has been no determined effort to plug the gap that was created at that time. I welcome the debate and the initiatives that the Executive has put forward as a way of trying to address some of the problems that have existed since that time.
It is right, as Irene McGugan and others have said, that we should support those who are particularly gifted, in order to develop expertise, but if we are to see the true contribution of sport to our wider society, there must be engagement across the social spectrum and across all communities in Scotland. Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, sport still tends to be the preserve of a small minority in our country who have access to resources. While we should look at how we should encourage people who have the expertise, what are we doing for the broad mass who do not participate, particularly young people?
The evidence is well documented. Sam Galbraith mentioned that in many cases, educational achievement is predicated on sporting activity, and health is improved by involvement in sporting activity, yet it is in our poorest communities where participation is lowest. I should like the Scottish Executive to examine how it can be more inclusive and holistic in its approach to sport, so that its other targets can be met. Sport, and the initiatives that have been spoken about, should be only a starting block for the regeneration of our wider community. We have to start young.
I welcome some of the initiatives that have been mentioned. I do not necessarily concur with those who view golf as a good walk wasted; nevertheless, Irene McGugan was right to talk about other sports being included and encouraged. David Mundell spoke about swimming, and other areas should equally be considered. We have to look at access for ordinary people. David Mundell is right that it is not just about capital; it is about the on-going use of facilities in communities.
I would also like the Executive to consider how we can instil hope in communities that have no hope. Sport is good for personal development, team development and participation, and it enables people to take control of their own lives and provide leadership. I would like schemes to help young unemployed people to obtain level 2 Scottish vocational qualifications and other qualifications, to train them in sporting activities, and to allow them to be leaders in their own communities. We should look at means of paying people who have no other means of earning income. I commend some of the initiatives in Renfrewshire by Unity Enterprise Ltd and other organisations.
We should look at schools. Head teachers are worried about young people spending many hours working in supermarkets. We could look at senior pupils as peer group models and encourage them to play a role in their schools and communities.
I hope that by examining all those strands, the Executive, with support across the political spectrum in Parliament, can start to see long-term benefits after the current short-term focusing.
I also welcome the new Deputy Minister for Sport and Culture, and express regret that he did not wear his football strip or a tutu.
I agree with the sentiments of today's motion, and obviously with the amendment, which simply enhances an absolutely beautiful and all-embracing motion. However, I will comment on the core of the amendment, which is about ensuring high standards of international performance. That can be done only if there is a pool of skilled people from which to draw. Everything that Hugh Henry said forms the basis of the pursuit of excellence; far too many potential athletes and participants are excluded if the wider question is not considered.
That potential pool of excellence must be formed at primary school, because we must reach children as early as possible. There are so many other avenues for children to pursue that unless we get them used to sport at primary school, they will be lost before the age of nine. I understand all about the active primary school initiative, but I still do not think that the Executive is managing to hit its targets.
I return to my call for more physical education teachers in primary schools. I am not asking for a dedicated teacher in every primary school, but why on earth are there no travelling teachers who can go to two or three primary schools? I did that, and I know the difference that such provision makes. I also know how many folk made the Olympic team, the Commonwealth games team and the final of the Commonwealth games during that era—I will not say whether it was in this century or the last. I should be obliged if the minister seriously considered the relationship between having professionally trained teachers of movement, fitness and sport and the standards that participants in sport show at school, and even the volume of people who take part in sport or some form of exercise regularly.
Margo MacDonald spoke about targets. Does she agree that the Executive should examine systematic monitoring and evaluation to ensure that we are not spending money frivolously and that we get some returns on it?
I could not agree more. In Scotland, no national target for physical activity has been set, so the resources that we are committing to the programmes are not monitored. That is part of my point.
It has been said in Parliament that there is no need to train more PE teachers. Oh yes, there is. I hope that the new Deputy Minister for Sport and Culture will revisit that issue. The £3 million that was announced for extra investment in primary schools is not enough to provide continuous support of coaching and teaching.
We can compare Scotland with Finland, whose population had similar levels of poor fitness and health. Its Government followed a determined public policy of getting Finns off the couch and into the fresh air. Admittedly, the Finns drank too much. There will be more discussion of that later for those who care to stay for Mr Gorrie's motion. We also have the answer to that. Perhaps the difference between Scotland and Finland is that PE is compulsory between the ages of seven and 17 in Finland. As far as I know, the World Health Organisation has not reported more suicidal young Finns than Scots, so young Finns are not being driven out of their minds by going to PE classes. The benefit of that provision is shown in the health statistics that are now reported from Finland.
The potential for excellence is diminished if we do not catch people young. The potential for health in the whole population is further diminished if people are not able to participate in activities such as the aquafit class at the Royal Commonwealth pool in Edinburgh which, along with the other golden oldies, I attended this morning. Edinburgh requires more revenue to fund such activities. Edinburgh is doing its best, but it is not doing enough. It needs money—I hope that the minister will come up with the hard cash.
I congratulate Allan Wilson on his appointment as deputy minister.
I am especially pleased to be called to speak in the debate because, all too often, sport in Scotland is just a boys' game. Sport has much wider relevance, both for social inclusion and to ensure a healthy society.
I want to share with members two recent developments in my constituency. Kilmarnock Football Club has just appointed the first full-time women's football development officer in the United Kingdom. Women's football has a long pedigree in my constituency. Allan Wilson may remember Rose Reilly, who went on to captain the Italian women's world cup team and is now a successful businesswoman in Italy. She is a product of the town of Stewarton and developed her skills in Stewarton Ladies football club.
Recently, the club formed an association with Kilmarnock Football Club and has become Kilmarnock Ladies. From the ranks of Kilmarnock Ladies, Donna Cheyne filled the post of development officer, which will enhance substantially women's access to the sport.
At the same time, Kilmarnock Rugby Club started a women's team, which is coached by Scottish international, Lorna Murray, and which has full access to the coaching structure of the club that gave Scotland Bill Cuthbertson and Derek Stark. I hope that we will not have to wait for too long for our first women's Scottish international at Bellsland.
Two local clubs are taking innovative steps to improve women's access to sports that, for many years, were for men only. I invited the deputy minister's predecessor, Rhona Brankin, to visit those projects and I extend that invitation to the new deputy minister.
Other sports face more difficulties. Margo MacDonald mentioned swimming, with which there is a problem in my constituency. Kilmarnock Amateur Swimming Club has provided swimming lessons to the young people of Kilmarnock and Loudoun for many years through the voluntary activities of its many coaches. The club faces serious problems with access to the local pool. The Galleon leisure centre, which was established in the 1980s to replace the old Kilmarnock public baths, is a trust in which the local council retains an interest. The trust also provides swimming lessons. Recently, the swimming club received a bill for access charges as well as for use of the pool, which is seen as an attempt by the trust to drive a competitor out of the market for lessons.
It would be a disgrace if the club were driven out of Kilmarnock, as it has provided swimming lessons for many years, particularly to children whose parents cannot pay fees in advance. There must be a way of resolving that issue and, in line with the Executive's determination to improve access, I invite the minister to assist me in resolving that problem.
I have another invitation for Allan Wilson. I was pleased to be present at the recent launch of a new project that takes the anti-drugs message into primary schools in Kilmarnock and Loudoun through football coaching. The project is led and managed by Kilmarnock Football Club and is another innovative partnership involving the club, the local council, Ayrshire and Arran Health Board, Executive agencies and the private sector.
Kilmarnock Football Club shows that it takes seriously its social responsibilities, and it should be congratulated on that work. I invite the deputy minister to visit that groundbreaking project and to "Come and get your kicks from Killie", as the club's slogan says.
I, too, congratulate Allan Wilson on his appointment as Deputy Minister for Sport and Culture.
I am rather puzzled as to why the deputy minister should be responsible to the environment minister and why Rhona Brankin should have been so suddenly dumped from sport into fish. My good friend and colleague, Brian Monteith, fears that Allan Wilson may be responsible to the environment minister because land that may have been designated for sporting activities will no longer be released for that purpose, as such proposals may involve global and environmental matters. Many questions remain unanswered about that side of things.
We probably all remember the films such as "Chariots of Fire", which go back to the halcyon, golden days when all sportsmen and women in this country were amateurs. It was quite right that Eric Liddell became a great sporting hero, not only in the 1920s but in the decades that followed. Today's sport is very different in many ways.
In those days, boys at fee-paying schools tended to play rugby and cricket and girls played hockey and tennis, while, at non-fee-paying schools, boys played football and girls often played hockey or did gymnastics.
A number of years ago, a colleague of mine was involved in rowing. Around the 1970s, he paid two visits to the then East Germany and was quite astonished to discover that school pupils were given not only scholastic report cards but sporting achievement report cards. Children were streamed in sports at the ages of eight and 12, when the sport in which they were most gifted was decided. They were streamed into those sports and into any other complementary activities without having much say in the matter, although it was made clear to them that great material rewards could emerge if they were highly successful in representing the German Democratic Republic.
I am not suggesting for a moment that we should follow such a line. For 21 years, I was a member of Glasgow Sports Promotion Council, which achieved a lot. Most members were amateurs, but a few had professional expertise. Perhaps our greatest achievement, working with Glasgow City Council, was managing to get the world lightweight boxing championship fight to the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, where Jim Watt won the world title. Glasgow Sports Promotion Council also played a part in sport for children and young people.
The use of sports co-ordinators in schools is welcome. Much should be done to increase participation at school and to encourage children to take up sport. The use of sports co-ordinators cannot entirely make up for the shortfall in sports participation that resulted from the withdrawal of many teachers from sports and after-school activities, which Hugh Henry touched on.
Additional moneys are welcome, and I welcome what Sam Galbraith said about that. However, there will probably never be enough money in this sphere. Money being given to lesser-known sports is due in part to lottery funding and has allowed many athletes to train full time. When John Major established the national lottery, the share of funding for sport, art, heritage and culture was 20 per cent. Since Labour created the New Opportunities Fund, that figure has dropped to 16.67 per cent.
Many of Scotland's best footballers could be seen to come from areas of social aid, as it used to be called. Irene McGugan mentioned youngsters participating in tennis, and I absolutely agree with what she said. Many European countries are way ahead of us in tennis and are training very young people in the sport. Of course, we see the results of that approach coming through with the Boris Beckers of this world and other successful tennis players. We have fallen badly behind in tennis.
Success in sport at its highest level casts a worldwide glow of success not only on the athletes but on the country that they represent. It can also improve mutual relations and understanding. During the Sydney Olympics—the most successful ever—masses of billboards in the city, its suburbs and its underground system advised athletes that the Australian Institute of Sport favoured healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. The institute benefits from massive endorsements and the millions that have poured in will help to feed future success. That is a good propaganda message to youth.
You must wind up now, Mr Young.
I am just about to do so, Presiding Officer.
Can we build a similar cultural change here in Scotland? Some are against seeking foreign expertise and help, particularly in the world of Scottish football, but that is wrong. My final sentence—I always seem to end by saying that, Presiding Officer—
If you have only one sentence left, you may use it to conclude your speech.
It is a rather long sentence, but here it is. If we can open the doors to all the youth of Scotland and make them individual active participants, that will go a long way to solving many existing problems.
Finally, I was sorry to read that, for the first time—
That is two sentences.
For the first time, the Scottish international rugby league team did not contain a single member born in Scotland. That tells it all.
That may have been a long sentence, Presiding Officer, but it never feels like a jail sentence when one is listening to John Young.
I pay tribute to Sam Galbraith, who was a distinguished sportsman in his day as a climber and oarsman. I think that I may even have coxed him into the banks of the Clyde when I was slightly younger than I am now. It will not surprise members to learn that my skill in sport is non-existent, although I participate in running. I am able to unburden myself before members and say that I once came last, out of a team of 19, in the Cairngorm hill race. The following year, I increased my position substantially—to last-equal. Things would have improved drastically had the fixture not been abandoned before I could be allowed to move inexorably up the rankings.
I want to talk today about a minority sport that is Scotland's truly national sport: shinty. This debate gives me a chance to put the case for shinty—a case that was put so eloquently last year by Duncan Cameron, president of the Camanachd Association, in front of a large and well-oiled audience of MSPs from all parties. Duncan's case that evening was that shinty contributes to every part of the agenda that is espoused by Jackie Baillie and Allan Wilson in respect of social inclusion. It encourages volunteering, economic development, developing citizenship and healthy living. From every point of view, shinty contributes to those values.
I heard mention of whisky, and I will not use the term whisky Olympics; that has nothing to do with shinty. However, I know that shinty makes an active contribution to all the activities that the Executive wants to promote.
At the moment, when Scotland plays Ireland at shinty, sportscotland does not even recognise the match as an international. The team players have to pay their own fares. They are not allowed even to keep their jerseys or to swap them with the opposing team. However, until this year they had an excellent record against Ireland.
The shinty bodies do not have any representation on sportscotland. Allan Wilson may want to rectify the fact that, at board level, sportscotland has no representation from areas north of a line drawn from Aberdeen to the central belt. A senior sportscotland official led the shinty executives to believe that there would be a review group on minority and indigenous sport, but that seems to have been parked; perhaps the minister can tell us what happened to it. I am concerned that funding of sport takes place on a number of levels. How much is being wasted on bureaucracy? The minister will want to tackle that issue with zeal.
There are many other problems, but the primary concern relates to funding. The funding contribution that shinty, which is Scotland's national sport, receives from sportscotland has been fixed at a paltry £15,000.
That is a disgraceful figure and shinty deserves the recognition that the member seeks for it. However, I am confused by his claim to its being a national sport—although I am sure that he can educate me on that matter, as he often has on others. Is shinty played in Coldstream or Duns? To what extent is it played south of the Forth and the Clyde? If I knew that, I would be able to argue more strongly in favour of shinty.
Shinty is certainly played south of the border. Its Gaelic name is camanachd, which reveals its identity as the oldest organised team sport in Europe that is still played by its original rules.
Shinty receives one third of 1 per cent of sportscotland's budget. I hope that Allan Wilson, in his closing speech, will say that the 20 per cent increase in funding that we heard about earlier will allow that shame and ignominy to be ended. This Parliament, and every party represented in it, should recognise the importance of Scotland's national sport, shinty, treat it with dignity and fund it adequately.
I will confine my remarks to the lack of sports facilities, as Fergus Ewing has made an adequate case for shinty. I thank him for that.
This is the first year since 1996 in which Scotland has not lost some of its playing fields to developers, even though tougher rules and restrictions have been put in place. The most alarming fact is that statistics show that pitches have been lost where they are needed most. Playing fields in large urban local authorities have been worst affected, despite the concentration of deprivation in those areas. There is also an abundance of brownfield sites close at hand that could easily be used by local authorities and developers to satisfy demand for urban housing. Surely there should be a penalty for choosing to develop on greenfield sites.
Figures show that since 1996—just four years ago—167 pitches have been threatened with development, of which two thirds were lost. Taking into account the number of new pitches that have been constructed over the same period, there has been a net loss in Scotland of 87 pitches. That is disgraceful. In Scotland, since 1996, no minister has prevented any publicly owned playing field from being developed. In England, Mr Blunkett, the education minister, has saved only one playing field from development. I hope that our new minister will have greater compassion and understanding on the matter of sales to developers and whether fields should be preserved for generations to come.
Will John Munro give way?
With respect, if we are to fit in Mr Canavan—
I will be brief.
If you intervene, you will kill off Mr Canavan.
I wanted to mention the European convention.
I welcome and whole-heartedly support Sam Galbraith's motion—it is hard not to do so, as it is so wide and contains so many noble sentiments—but too much effort and money has been targeted towards the development of football academies. The needs of small indigenous or minority sports have been ignored.
I talked about shinty in last week's debate on the cultural strategy. I was interested to note that the Executive failed to mention sport, except to acknowledge that it was part of culture. However, the sports agency has no contact with cultural agencies within Government or in local communities where sport and culture are inextricably linked.
Sportscotland should have a strategy to develop more sporting facilities in remote areas where sport is a pivotal point in the community.
As we have heard, sportscotland should make an immediate commitment to the shinty-hurling internationals. The game should be acknowledged as a full international, with the full status that is accorded to other sports at the same level. It should be funded adequately so that international players do not have to pay for their own travel and accommodation.
Although this may remain a matter for the minister and politicians, it is ridiculous that sportscotland at board level has no representation north of a line drawn from Aberdeen to the central belt. The minister has claimed in the past that no account is taken of geographical representation. In answer to a parliamentary question, Mr Galbraith said that that none of the appointees lived in the Highlands and Islands and that there was no information on whether they had any association with the area. So that is all right, then.
Sportscotland must press to have the cultural and geographical representation on its board of management made inclusive and representative. The current imbalance enhances the perception that sportscotland is an Edinburgh/Gyle-centric organisation that concentrates its efforts within a radius of a few hundred miles.
I support the motion.
Can Mr Canavan manage to make his speech in a couple of minutes?
Two and a half.
Done.
At the Scottish Institute of Sport's annual forum earlier this week, we were told the result of a survey of its athletes. They number about 140 very talented Scottish athletes in 10 different sports, including 16 who competed in the recent Olympics and nine who competed in the Paralympics. We are talking about the crème de la crème of Scotland's sporting talent. The survey revealed that just over 60 per cent of those athletes aspire to be the best in the world. The question arises: why do more of our best athletes not aim for the top? Is there something about the Scottish psyche that lowers rather than raises expectations?
I am sure I am not the only one who remembers Ally McLeod's spell as team manager of the Scottish football team for the 1978 world cup finals in Argentina. The manager had many of the players—and all of the tartan army—convinced that Scotland would win the world cup. When that did not happen, it was like a national hangover.
Expectations were unrealistically high then, but perhaps nowadays expectations and aspirations in Scottish sport are not high enough. If we are to raise those aspirations, we must start with young people in our schools. There are more than 200 school sports co-ordinators in Scotland who have the responsibility of promoting sports opportunities for all young people. It is to be hoped that they will also help to identify and nurture exceptional talent. The Scottish Executive should consider the possibility of having more schools that specialise in maximising the potential of exceptionally talented young athletes. It could learn from the experience of the Glasgow School of Sport at Bellahouston Academy, which takes in talented young athletes from all over the city.
Margo MacDonald mentioned the case of Finland—a country of similar population to Scotland—where there is a network of 12 national sports schools, offering a specialised service to around 1,600 talented young athletes. The annual running cost of that network is only £1 million.
Professor Ian Thomson, of Stirling University, and David Fairweather, of Falkirk College, visited Finland last year and produced a report on the Finnish sports schools. Last night, they gave a presentation to the Parliament's cross-party sports group. I would like to give the minister a copy of their report and ask him to consider its contents with a view to taking appropriate action. In England, the Government has allocated £3.4 million to improving facilities, and a similar sum for running costs, of sports schools. However, there has been no corresponding investment in Scotland. I hope that some of the additional funding that was announced by the minister today will be invested in sports schools.
Investment in our young people is an investment in Scotland's future, and investment in sports for young people is an investment in Scotland's future success in international events. I wish Allan Wilson, the new Deputy Minister for Sport and Culture, every success in his appointment, and I hope that he will work hard to achieve sporting success for Scotland.
I apologise to Kenneth Macintosh and Colin Campbell, who were not called. I would like to trim about two minutes from the totality of winding-up speeches. Jamie Stone has just over three minutes.
I congratulate Allan Wilson on his elevation to Deputy Minister for Sport and Culture. It is always nice to see a friend getting on and I look forward to great things in the far north of Scotland from the deputy minister.
Fergus Ewing and I have several things in common: specs, striped suits and a complete ineptitude where sport is concerned. Fergus will be comforted to know that I, too, was useless at sport. I was the last child to be chosen for the football team and I had to be life-saved from the swimming pool at Tain Academy during a swimming lesson.
The Sport 21 document rightly makes reference to Scotland's rural areas—Irene McGugan also referred to them—and I shall illustrate the nature of the problem in the Highlands. Mr Sam Galbraith will know that there are lots of sports centres in Ross-shire and Inverness-shire, but that Sutherland and Caithness are poorly provided for. Although there was a rush to spend, at the time of local government reorganisation, sports provision was left out. That chronic under-provision is a problem that needs to be tackled.
The document contains a graph that shows the downward trend in revenue and capital funding from councils for leisure and recreation, to which the minister has referred. In that context, it is hard to see how progress can be made in sports provision for outlying rural areas. It rather sticks in the gullet of the people of Caithness that the council tax that they are paying is funding sports centres in other parts of the Highlands, especially Ross-shire and Inverness-shire. The inequality that is built into the system needs to be tackled.
Sam Galbraith referred to health, self-respect and "positive lifestyles". He said:
"The role of local authorities is central to all those objectives."
My intervention on the minister was deliberate. He knows that I have long believed that the separation of funding between leisure, recreation and education is unhelpful in tackling such issues. I complement the minister on all that he has done for community schools in the past year. I believe that such schools are a way forward. There is a small problem in getting young people to accept that community schools are not just schools—they do not like to go back, because they are schools—and a marketing job needs to be done in that context.
I highlight those two points: the under-provision of sporting facilities in rural areas and the problem with co-ordinated funding in our local authorities.
I will move on to other things. One of the ramifications of Tavish Scott's elevation to Deputy Minister for Parliament is that I am joining the Holyrood progress group. I look forward to it with enormous enthusiasm. Unlike Ian Jenkins, it will not be life after death on the Education, Culture and Sport Committee for me. I think it only right and proper to thank Sam Galbraith for his very courteous and quick responses to all comments that I made and letters that I wrote as the education spokesman for the Liberal Democrats. I wish him well for the future.
Thank you, Mr Stone. That was helpful. I ask Brian Monteith to keep his speech to less than four minutes.
I will try to be as helpful as Mr Stone, Presiding Officer.
I was saddened to see that at the debate's lowest point, only 14 members were present in the chamber. I hope that that does not reflect the chamber's views on sport.
What is sporting policy for? What should it seek to achieve? The Tories do not disagree with the Executive's motion, which is framed within the general context and great tradition of cross-party support for the expansion of involvement in sport. We will support not only the Executive's motion but the SNP's amendment, which—as Irene McGugan will be pleased to hear—we find as agreeable as a 12-year-old malt.
That said, although our amendment seeks to add to the Parliament's view on sport, we feel also that an opposition party should seek at least to challenge the orthodoxy, if not to tease out new opinions from the establishment.
Yesterday, we debated equality; today, we debate sport. It will not be lost on keen observers that, in society, the Government denies natural talents and differences whereas, in sport, it is keen to fund those differences. That is strange. I like to think that no one is equal except before the law and in front of the ballot box. I am fat, bald, short and—some would say—lacking in intellect; however, I believe that I am equal to all members here today. My two sons are tall, lithe, bright, energetic and keen to learn, and will take up any sporting opportunities that are made available to them.
If we are keen to support excellence, we must first encourage children to explore their abilities to allow them to discover what they are excellent at—to find something at which, as Hugh Henry said, they might be gifted. All schoolchildren have an interest in sport, because most of them can find one that they are good at, even if it is as unphysical as darts.
Moving on from the philosophical view of sport, I want to touch on two issues. First, as far as Euro 2008 is concerned, the minister is keen to support the Ryder cup bid, because Scotland can lay claim to being the home of golf. Well, we can also lay claim to being the home of football. There is a field in Callander where the first recorded game of football was played, and we can be proud of our role in generating the rules of association football. We should use that fact to promote Scotland. Furthermore, we should work together with the Scottish Football Association, the Scottish Premier League and—if required—the Irish football authorities to bring Euro 2008 to Scotland. We could have the facilities and the infrastructure; indeed, as rugby has shown and football will show, events can be staged across a number of countries.
I will also touch on the issue of lottery money. When the Conservatives set up the lottery, there were five good causes, each of which received 20 per cent of lottery funds. The Labour Government introduced a sixth fund—the new opportunities fund—which resulted in the funds to sport being reduced to 16.6 per cent. Now that the millennium fund, quite rightly, is to be abolished as the millennium year is ending, instead of the share of sport funding increasing from 20 per cent to 25 per cent—which is what should have happened—it will stay at 16.6 per cent. The Olympics and Paralympics have shown the advantages of funding coaching; however, any advantages from doing so through lottery funding are being lost. The winding-up of the millennium fund should have provided an opportunity to help the funding of sport.
Surely it is not too late to help swimming or shinty by changing the share of lottery funding. I commend my amendment.
Before I welcome Allan Wilson to his new portfolio—everyone else has done it, so I will do it too—I will thank the SNP's Fiona McLeod, who has carried the responsibility of speaking on education, culture and sport with Nicola Sturgeon for some time. The baton has passed to new hands in the shape of Irene McGugan and me; I hope that we can live up to the amount of work that Fiona has done, not least in pressing Sam Galbraith on the issue of Hampden.
It is good to see Allan Wilson in his new position. He is obviously a man of ambition: The Sunday Times this weekend informed us that he wishes to establish a Radio City in Kilbirnie, and one cannot get more ambitious than that. We certainly need his ambition; we need people to be ambitious for Scottish sport. I am sure that he and the Minister for Environment, Sport and Culture will feel the hot breath of ambition down their necks, because the convener of the cross-party sports group—one Dennis Canavan—is, as we understand it, about to rejoin the Executive and, I am sure, will be pushing for a place in team McLeish. We can look forward to some fun.
That would be some promotion.
Mr Henry recognises the potential of such a team move. We will see what happens. I will come to Mr Henry in a moment. [Members: "Oh."] Absolutely. I would not think of ignoring him. What an illuminating debate this has been. I have managed to agree with Hugh Henry and, more unusually, with Margo MacDonald.
The member is losing his touch.
I am about to make a revelation to the chamber. For a long time, I have worried about my relationship with Margo, as she has no doubt worried about her relationship with me, but I discovered today where the edge comes from—I discovered that Margo was a PE primary teacher. My mother was a PE primary teacher. It is clear that, in the deep recesses of the psyche, there is a problem, which I am sure we will be able to work out together.
That is all very fascinating, Mr Russell, but you have a minute and a half left.
Time passes quickly when one is enjoying oneself, Presiding Officer.
I agreed strongly with the point that Margo made about children being the key. When she made that point, Hugh Henry intervened on her to point out that benchmarks and resources are the key. That is why I welcome the minister's acceptance of our amendment, because our amendment is entirely about that. It is not an easy amendment for the Administration to accept—so I am glad that it has —because it does not praise the Executive, but sets the benchmarks by which we can judge the Executive's progress.
Our amendment states quite clearly that we must have a sporting policy that involves "as many as possible"—
We have got that.
A policy that encourages diversity—
We have got that.
A policy that sustains
"not only mainstream but also minority sports, including traditional Scottish sports"—
We have got that.
And ensures
"a high level of international standard sporting excellence in Scotland."
We have got that.
Mr Galbraith makes endless interventions. We will find out during the next few years whether we have got it, because now that the Executive has accepted the amendment and the motion therefore includes the benchmarks, we will be able to work it out.
Finally, we give our full backing to the Ryder cup bid for 2009. That full backing extends to any co-operation that the SNP can give in working nationally and internationally to secure the bid, which, we were heartened to hear, Tiger Woods supports. The SNP's support for the bid brings another open champion into contention for support, as the former title holder of the Colonsay open—one Mr Alex Salmond—is free to help with the bid. I am quite sure that he, like all other members of the SNP, will be happy to ensure that Scotland secures the tournament and a place in the sun for the Ryder cup in 2009.
I am happy about the consensual nature of this debate. We shall now see whether the Executive can deliver. I hope that it can, but the proof will be two or three years down the road. Mr Galbraith has not done it yet.
I call Allan Wilson to respond to the debate on behalf of the Scottish Executive. [Applause.]
I thank colleagues for all their good wishes. I must, however, correct Irene McGugan, as this is not my ministerial debut. That took place, as those members who were there will know, in the great sheep dip debate of last week. I also thank all those who contributed so sportingly to today's debate.
Sport is of great intrinsic value. We should never forget the pure pleasure that comes from taking part in sport. Playing is reward in itself and is a satisfying experience that many of us, including Fergus Ewing, have had. Sport is basically good fun. It therefore seems natural to us in the Labour party, the Liberal Democrats and the nationalists—this agenda cuts across political parties—to give that pleasurable experience to as many Scots as we can.
Opening up the pleasure of participation is a worthwhile objective in itself, but we are committed to seeing our people succeed and to building their confidence. A lack of confidence, low self-esteem and low self-worth often contribute to many of the problems and difficulties that we must tackle in modern Scotland, such as drug abuse.
This debate has made clear the role that sport has to play in building confidence, creating opportunity and, as Hugh Henry said, giving hope to communities. Well-being, confidence and opportunity: each feeds the others in a virtuous circle of personal and national growth. We are engaged in the pursuit of excellence and, as Margo MacDonald said, teachers play a pivotal role in that.
That is why my passion for sport is easily reinforced by my passion for politics and social justice. My new environment role links with sport and culture in many ways, particularly in the maintenance of green and open spaces.
Would the deputy minister care to list five ways in which environment helps sport?
I have already mentioned one and there are many links with open-air activities such as the sport of mountain climbing, which my colleague, Sam Galbraith, pursued. There are many more besides.
With sportscotland, we are giving strong leadership to governing bodies, sports clubs, local authorities and other organisations that all have a major role to play in giving the sporting experience to as many people as possible. I take the point about appointments, but appointments are made on the basis of merit, not of residence.
In the next few weeks, I will endeavour to meet as many of those organisations as possible to hear their views and ideas about what has been done and what has to be done, in relation to shinty as well as to swimming. I will also take the opportunity to talk to as many people as possible in local government. I will be stressing to them the role that I believe sport has to play in their objectives for social, cultural and economic prosperity. We will lead by example on this issue. Sportscotland will receive an increase in funding of nearly 20 per cent and we shall announce soon the details of a further £9 million investment.
Money from the national lottery has been vital in the good start that we have made; those resources will be a key part of the additional funding that has been announced. The next round of new opportunities fund initiatives will see £87 million pumped into sports facilities and development with the primary objective of giving our young people attractive and positive alternatives to criminal and anti-social behaviour.
Last week, I was in Birmingham arguing the case for bringing the Ryder cup to Scotland. I am glad that our colleagues in the SNP have dropped their initial negativity to that proposal because, if our bid is successful, it will be a huge achievement for the Executive and our nation.
Our ambitions do not stop there, of course. In 2001, we will be developing a strategy for attracting major sporting and cultural events to Scotland. The European championships have been mentioned; the Dutch study to which the SNP referred in a letter to Rhona Brankin was not to do with feasibility but was conducted after the event and examined the economic benefit of Euro 2000. We will obtain up-to-date information about the economic benefits to Holland and Belgium of staging Euro 2000. The Scottish Football Association is carrying out a preliminary feasibility study that will seek to quantify that economic gain. We have said to the SFA that we are willing to support it in all its efforts.
In conclusion—[Members: "Aw."] It is a shame, I know, but all good things must come to an end. This is an exciting time to be involved in sport and sports development in Scotland. I hope that I have shown where that fits into the big picture. This debate has shown that the Scottish Parliament sees a huge role for sport in building a confident and successful country. We have the vision, we have the people and we have the energy. Social equality and justice is our goal. Sport for all is a pivotal midfield player in the strategy to score that goal.