St Andrew’s Day 2010
The final item of business today is a members’ business debate on motion S3M-7351, in the name of John Wilson, on St Andrew’s day 2010. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament reiterates support for the passing of the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007 to mark St Andrew’s Day on 30 November as a national holiday; considers with regret that very few public bodies have taken on board the spirit of the legislation to fully appreciate that St Andrew’s Day should be granted full public holiday status, and would welcome widespread support for St Andrew’s Day throughout Central Scotland in 2010.
17:05
I take this opportunity to thank members who have signed my motion, which recognises the importance of St Andrew’s day and encourages more public bodies throughout Central Scotland to recognise it as a public holiday.
Held on 30 November each year, St Andrew’s day commemorates Scotland’s patron saint and was made a Scottish bank holiday as a result of the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007. The bill generated an unprecedented level of support in the Parliament, with 75 MSPs from all parties signing up to support the proposal within one month of its introduction, and the Parliament subsequently passed it unanimously at stage 3.
However, the 2007 act fell short of Dennis Canavan’s intentions. Although St Andrew’s day does now constitute a bank holiday in Scotland, the act made it voluntary, so employers are not obliged to give their employees time off. The act states that, if St Andrew’s day falls on the weekend, the St Andrew’s day bank holiday should take place on the following Monday, 1 or 2 December. It was hoped that, as more employers granted St Andrew’s day as a holiday, pressure would be put on other employers to do the same. That has not been the case, despite the fact that Dennis Canavan’s consultation exercise generated 85 per cent support from the respondents.
Some employers recognise St Andrew’s day as a holiday, including the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government, which give staff a bank holiday—albeit that they will do so on different days this year, with the Scottish Parliament closing on Friday 3 December, while the Scottish Government has chosen to give staff Monday 29 November as the St Andrew’s day holiday. The Scottish Government used St Andrew’s day in 2008 to mark the beginning, and St Andrew’s day in 2009 to mark the end, of Scotland’s homecoming celebrations, the Government-sponsored year of events marking the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’s birth.
However, local authorities have been reluctant to grant the same benefit to their staff, with only a few offering it as a bank holiday. The answer to a parliamentary written question from Margo MacDonald in November 2009 highlighted the fact that only Angus Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Scottish Borders Council and Renfrewshire Council acknowledge St Andrew’s day as an official school holiday. Aberdeen City Council makes it an in-service day to allow pupils to celebrate with a day off. That highlights the fact that, at present, the local authorities throughout Central Scotland do not adhere to the principles of the 2007 act by providing a holiday, although individual schools hold celebrations in various forms to acknowledge St Andrew’s day.
The ad hoc basis on which the act is being applied in Scotland does little to suggest that a blanket approach will be achieved without further legislation to make 30 November a compulsory bank holiday in Scotland. Granting full bank holiday status to St Andrew’s day would bring Scotland into line with many other countries in Europe. More than 90 per cent of countries in Europe mark their official national day with a public holiday, including Bastille day in France and unification day in Bulgaria. St Patrick’s day became an official bank holiday in Ireland under the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act 1903 and is celebrated both north and south of the border, as well as by many cities in north America.
Full public holiday status for St Andrew’s day would not only allow Scots to celebrate their much-recognised national identity, but would bring Scotland more into line with other European countries in terms of narrowing the public holiday gap.
The potential economic benefits that could be generated in sectors such as retail, tourism and entertainment by more organisations providing St Andrew’s day celebrations as a bank holiday is also an important consideration. In 2005, the Scottish Retail Consortium estimated that retail sales on a bank holiday can increase by as much as 80 per cent.
All Scots are proud to acknowledge their national identity and to celebrate Scotland’s fantastic history. Having been confirmed as patron saint of Scotland in the declaration of Arbroath in 1320, St Andrew has become a figure who is widely recognised as part of Scotland’s heritage, and he is reflected in the national flag, which embodies the St Andrew’s cross.
St Andrew’s day is used by the Scottish Trades Union Congress every year to raise awareness of diversity throughout Scotland. It reflects a day of national importance with a march and rally in Glasgow.
St Andrew’s day is celebrated by people all over the world, in much the same way as people celebrate St Patrick’s day, but workers and those in the education system here are not granted the same privilege of a day off to celebrate. It is therefore disappointing that it might be true that St Andrew’s day is celebrated to a greater extent by people outside Scotland.
I congratulate all the organisations and communities throughout Scotland that have organised events over the coming days to celebrate St Andrew’s day. I look forward to the contribution of the minister and other members in tonight’s debate.
17:11
I congratulate John Wilson on securing tonight’s debate, and I welcome him to the unique group of MSPs who are trotted out at this time of year to extol the virtues of Scotland’s patron saint. I believe that this is the seventh time that I have delivered a St Andrew’s day speech since coming into the Parliament. I am reminded of the reported comment of Elizabeth Taylor’s seventh husband on the eve of their honeymoon. He said:
“I think I know what’s expected of me, but how do I make it interesting?”
Of course, as a native of St Andrews, I am delighted that my home town bears the name of Scotland’s patron saint, and I pay tribute to Dennis Canavan’s achievement in having St Andrew’s day designated a voluntary public holiday back in January 2007. I also welcome the news that Historic Scotland and other public bodies are opening key places from Scotland’s history for people to visit free next Tuesday. Scotland’s tourism gets a much-needed boost at the start of the run up to the Christmas and new year celebrations—our so-called winter festival—and, if the weather is kind, St Andrews and other towns throughout Scotland will hopefully attract many visitors to the festivities that they are laying on. Later in my offering, if time allows it I will go into more detail about the exciting programme in prospect in St Andrews itself.
This is where I part company with John Wilson. What he and those who support a compulsory national holiday on St Andrew’s day seem to forget is that someone has to pay for public holidays, and the cost usually falls on small businesses and the taxpayer. When approximately 7,500 Scottish Government staff are given next Tuesday off, it is estimated that it will cost the taxpayer £1 million. It is little wonder that the Federation of Small Businesses says that in the deepest recession that we have known since the war, with its members working evenings and weekends to improve the economic situation in Scotland, they have no chance of taking a day off. CBI Scotland agrees, and makes the point that
“more and more firms are moving away from shutting on specified days towards a system whereby each employee has an annual leave entitlement and decides for themselves ... in agreement with their employer - when to take holidays”.
As we know, four of our 32 Scottish councils are giving pupils and staff a day off school next week, but why should schoolchildren and council staff in Angus, Dumfries and Galloway, Renfrewshire and the Borders get a day’s more holiday than children and workers in other council areas? What about the hard-pressed parents in those council areas who are working on St Andrew’s day when their children are off school and who will have to make special arrangements for child care?
To sort out messes like that, I have no objection to St Andrew’s day being made a statutory public holiday, provided—this is an extremely important proviso—that it is not added to the number of statutory public holidays that we already receive. All we have to decide is which of our existing public holidays we are happy to give up. The two Monday holidays in May have always seemed to be one too many for me—why not get rid of one of them in favour of St Andrew’s day?
I turn now to the actual programme for the St Andrews festival, which is supported by Fife Council and EventScotland. Over this coming weekend and lasting until Tuesday, St Andrews has a cornucopia of goodies on offer. Many events will be staged under cover this year, with a large section of the historic South Street under a canopy, including a stage, which will create a massive new street venue for acts ranging from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and Blawbag, to local musicians such as the Black Sheep Music Society and St Andrew’s university’s own chanteuse, Chloe Matharu.
Elsewhere in the town there will be performances from the Edinburgh string quartet, Gypsy jazz musician Lulo Reinhardt—the grandnephew of the legendary Django—and the Amici Cantate choir. There will be a taste of Scotland food festival, a winter barbecue and a Scottish real ale and malt whisky festival. For the outdoor types, there will be a veterans rugby tournament—I can only imagine that my invitation to participate is still in the post. Reliving the iconic movie “Chariots of Fire”, parts of which were shot in the old town, there is to be a West sands “Chariots of Fire” fun run.
It will be a great festival, with something for everyone. What better place to celebrate St Andrew’s day and the launch of the winter festivals than the city that bears the name of our patron saint. I issue an open invitation to the minister and all others who are interested to come along and enjoy a super St Andrews festival.
17:16
Like others, I congratulate John Wilson on lodging the motion and securing the debate.
As we have heard, the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007 had the overwhelming support of the Parliament, so it is disappointing that for most workers the day continues to go unmarked. As the motion says, for the majority in the private and public sectors, a holiday is not provided. That shows that the voluntary nature of the legislation means that it is not working.
A longer weekend around the time of St Andrew’s day would be a really good time for an extra public holiday. It would allow Scotland to participate in a day of celebration that could signal the beginning of the winter festivities that we have—including the switching on of Christmas lights around the country, markets in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and other events in cities throughout Scotland—that culminate in the hogmanay celebrations. It would benefit my constituents to have an extra day’s holiday around St Andrew’s day that formed a part of those celebrations.
As this week is trade union week in the Parliament, it is appropriate to consider the position of holidays more generally, perhaps taking up where Ted Brocklebank left off. Scotland currently has only eight public holidays—I think that John Wilson made that point—compared with the European Union average of 12 per year. Scots are therefore already overworked when compared with their counterparts on the continent—and average annual hours worked are higher in Scotland than they are in most western European countries, including France, Germany and Italy.
I note that in response to the original consultation on a St Andrew’s day bank holiday the STUC argued that an extra bank holiday would be a positive step for Scottish workers. I think so too, and I am sure that my constituents in Coatbridge and Chryston agree with that assessment. Even so, that would still leave Scotland with fewer public holidays than the rest of the EU.
In its submission, Unison Scotland noted that there might be some opposition from businesses to establishing such a holiday in Scotland—either the complaints that we heard earlier about a loss of competitive advantage or complaints about having different bank holidays from the rest of the United Kingdom—but Unison concluded that it would be a national holiday and, since the majority of companies in Scotland could be expected to participate, the fear of a competitive disadvantage would be minimised. It also pointed out that Northern Ireland already has two more bank holidays than the rest of the UK—and we seem to be able to get an extra one with the flourish of a royal ring.
Big business tends to oppose changes that benefit the workers, as do Tories, but we should not forget that millions of pounds are lost to the Scottish economy through stress-related illness and, especially in the current climate, many people feel overworked and undervalued as employers seek to maximise profit, often at workers’ expense. According to NHS Scotland, stress costs the UK economy about £3.7 billion every year and the loss of as many as 80 million working days per year. There is also high incidence of seasonal affective disorder and vitamin D deficiency in Scotland, so we would also benefit from an extra bank holiday day in that regard—which would go some way to alleviating pressure on the NHS.
The STUC also expressed concerned that Scottish and UK workers are placed under increasing pressure as a consequence of the need to balance family and working lives. An extra day’s bank holiday could allow families to spend quality time together. It could also help the tourism industry to generate income outwith the traditional peak times, serving as a boost to local economies throughout Scotland—so it would not necessarily be a drain of any kind on the economy. There are many tourist attractions in my constituency, such as the newly refurbished Time Capsule complex, which will reopen soon with a brand new flume called tornado tantrum. The complex is always well used during the holidays and a public holiday on St Andrew’s day could be well spent in Coatbridge.
St Andrew’s day would be an all-inclusive celebration; everybody could rally round it. Indeed, as John Wilson said, the STUC holds an annual anti-racism march to mark St Andrew’s day. This year’s march will be on Saturday 27 November. Trade unionists will rally round the St Andrew’s day banner against racism and fascism and celebrate diversity and shared humanity.
I believe that the Parliament should do more to encourage the St Andrew’s day holiday as a national celebration of Scotland’s patron saint and the trade union movement’s position that it could be used to promote a sense of collectivity. More private and public employers should follow the Parliament’s lead and honour the day by granting a holiday; otherwise, we will need to revisit it and consider legislating, as Dennis Canavan first suggested.
17:21
I am glad to be able to speak in this debate. Of particular relevance to my theme is the last clause in the motion, which is about welcoming
“widespread support for St Andrew’s Day throughout Central Scotland in 2010.”
I will talk briefly about an initiative that was launched last St Andrew’s day with the support of the minister and the First Minister, Alex Salmond, which I believe deserves widespread support throughout Scotland.
The cross out child poverty in Scotland campaign was run by Glasgow the Caring City. It was launched on St Andrew’s day last year with a declaration about child poverty in Scotland. I give credit where it was due—the declaration was authored not only by the Rev Neil Galbraith, the chief executive of Glasgow the Caring City, but by Tom Harris MP, the local MP for Cathcart old parish church, who works closely with the Rev Galbraith on the initiative.
We were asked to sign a declaration. Some people who regularly come to this chamber—although they are perhaps not here now—and who regularly go to council chambers in central Scotland and Lanarkshire signed that declaration, which said:
“We ... believe that Scotland’s children deserve better. We believe that no society can be truly at ease with itself while significant numbers of children live in poverty. We believe that the elimination of child poverty must be a priority for us all ... every member of society”—
especially those who are privileged to represent people, such as politicians and community leaders. It continued:
“We believe that poverty should be defined more widely than lack of money, that it encompasses a lack of education, of health, of welfare, of self-esteem and of love. We believe that poverty corrodes children’s health, their happiness, their safety and their aspirations. We recognise that children whose lives are blighted by poverty are at higher risk of educational failure ... We recognise that a life lived in poverty can lead to a life of drug abuse and exploitation.”
We see that far too often. It concluded:
“We believe that only through the elimination of child poverty can we expect the children of Scotland to live their lives to the full, and to be able to enjoy the opportunities that the rest of society take for granted. We ... believe the time for change is here.”
The initiative was well worth launching on Scotland’s national day, but it should not end there—we should not just launch something, sign the declaration and then feel that the job is done. I am glad that the minister and the First Minister have kept in touch with the Rev Galbraith to see how we can encourage that work, which I am sure all of us in Scotland care for very much.
I am also delighted to be able to say again—I have said it already today—that the initiative is spreading wider. In fact, we are launching the cross out child poverty in East Kilbride campaign on Sunday, in East Kilbride. The campaign is spearheaded by the ministers from two local churches—Claremont parish church and East Kilbride old parish church—and South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride. There is a great interest among the staff and students at the college in looking after their own community and trying, as far as possible, to drive out child poverty.
I congratulate Glasgow the Caring City on launching the initiative last year and welcome the fact that it is spreading out from Glasgow. I know that East Kilbride is not the only place that has taken it on board for this year. I hope that members here will consider speaking to community leaders and others in their area to try, as time moves on, to use St Andrew’s day, Scotland’s national day, as a catalyst for driving out poverty—that blight on our society that affects children all too badly.
This St Andrew’s day—this national day—help us cross out child poverty in Scotland.
17:25
I thank John Wilson for bringing his motion for debate. I also thank Dennis Canavan for his initial campaign; he continues to provide advice to the Scottish Government.
This debate gives me an opportunity to restate the Government’s support for and recognition of the significance of St Andrew’s day to Scotland and the wider world. St Andrew’s day gives the people of Scotland a magnificent opportunity to celebrate our patron saint.
I have some sympathy with John Wilson’s point that few public bodies and local authorities have taken on the spirit of the act, which received royal assent in January 2007. However, I can report that of the 39 public bodies that come within the public sector pay policy, 30 are recognising St Andrew’s day.
Members might recall that the act was not in any way prescriptive; indeed, it was framed so as to allow a flexible approach on how it could be interpreted by public bodies and private firms alike. If bodies wish to observe St Andrew’s day as a public holiday, the facility to substitute another holiday for 30 November is contained in the act.
For its part, the Scottish Government has continued to encourage all parts of Scotland to recognise St Andrew’s day. Indeed, £434,000—the same level as in previous years—was made available to local authorities for St Andrew’s day celebrations. Through that funding, the Government is supporting a programme of high-quality events throughout Scotland, which start on Friday 26 November and run through to Tuesday 30 November, to mark St Andrew’s day. Of course, St Andrew’s day launches our Scottish winter festival, which runs all the way through to Burns night.
I understand that Renfrewshire, Dumbarton and Stirling have begun their celebrations this evening. For 2010, the Scottish Government is holding a competition, which is open to all publicly funded schools and pre-schools, to design a St Andrew’s day poster with the theme of Scotland’s food and drink, to tie in with our year of celebration of food and drink. The winning entries in three categories will be displayed here in the Parliament during our family weekend, which is this weekend, and £200 will be awarded to the winning school or pre-school.
That is a very interesting point. Ted Brocklebank said earlier that some local authorities are granting a day’s holiday and others are not. Will the minister consider writing to local authorities to tell them that some authorities are granting the holiday and encourage others to do so?
I assure the member that that has been done on a number of occasions. Her point about the voluntary nature of all this is well made, because those efforts have been made in the past.
Perhaps it is about making sure that people see the opportunities. Celebrations also provide opportunities for people to spend money, which might address the point that Ted Brocklebank made. Festivals mean that people come out and buy from local shops and small businesses. St Andrew’s day is an opportunity. The burgeoning Advent fairs and markets that are taking place this weekend show that there is a commercial aspect, which we should perhaps encourage more.
The point is that for the people who are coming into work on the national holiday that goes against what Elaine Smith is proposing, because they will have to work overtime on that day to make a profit for their employers.
That is where the balance has to be struck. I draw to members’ attention the fact that Scotland’s most famous heritage attractions will be free—and not just for one day on the Tuesday, which is St Andrew’s day; all 48 of Historic Scotland’s winter ticketed heritage sites and monuments will be open free from Saturday 27 November to Tuesday 30 November. In order for those sites to be open, staff will have to work those days, but that gives them the opportunity, with their employers, to think about the day that they will take off in lieu of working on St Andrew’s day. A bit of common sense and flexibility would allow us to make progress.
The other events that are taking place include Edinburgh’s four-day family festival, the undercover at St Andrews festival in Fife, the saltire celebrations in East Lothian and the St Andrew’s day Border banquet and taste awards. I will be at the East Lothian saltire celebrations and Edinburgh’s event in St Andrew Square gardens. There will also be a St Andrew’s day debating championship in the Parliament, in which we will support the cross out child poverty in Scotland campaign. The final motion at that will be on crossing out child poverty.
Elaine Smith made an important point about the STUC and its annual anti-racism march. Our national identity is not only about our history; it is also about the values that we hold as a country. The values of fairness and justice have been well reflected by the STUC in its demonstrations and in the cross out child poverty campaign. I assure Linda Fabiani that that campaign will be informed about, and involved in, the development of Scotland’s tackling child poverty strategy, which will be Scotland’s first child poverty strategy.
John Wilson mentioned that there are international celebrations. There are celebrations from Australia to Zambia. Eighteen countries around the world hold lots of ceilidhs, concerts and dinners to celebrate St Andrew’s day. John Wilson was correct to draw a comparison with other countries in talking about the number of public holidays that Scotland recognises. According to the figures that I have been given, Scotland has nine public holidays; Belgium, France, Germany and Ireland have 10; Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Italy and Luxembourg have 12; and Austria and Malta have 14. That is not to say that we should aspire to mirror what the Austrians or Maltese do. However, Scotland is a nation of hard-working, passionate and proud individuals who, by and large, care deeply about their identity and being Scottish. Acknowledging and honouring our patron saint is just one way of celebrating our nationality. As I mentioned, there are ways of spending money in celebrating that which help the economy. It is important that we think about that, especially in these times.
I am confident that recognition of the holiday will grow in the years ahead, and I encourage all members to join in their local celebrations of our national saint’s day. I hope that, on Tuesday, all members will think about the points that have been made in the debate, and that we will collectively take forward our ambition to celebrate our national day appropriately in the years to come.
Meeting closed at 17:32.