Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill
The next item of business is a debate on motion S3M-1716, in the name of Nicola Sturgeon, on the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill.
We are in the chamber today to consider and, I hope, pass the bill that will enable Glasgow to host the Commonwealth games in 2014.
It is less than six months since we were all on tenterhooks, waiting to hear whether Glasgow would be given the opportunity to host the 2014 games. It was a tense time, which resulted from a great deal of hard work, much of the credit for which must go to all those who were involved, across all parties, in the Parliament and Glasgow City Council, as well as those on the bid team and the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland.
It is fitting that the bill has passed through the Parliament in a spirit of co-operation. Its progress, and the speed at which we have been able to reach this stage, shows what can be achieved when Scotland comes together around one objective.
We have made a lot of progress in those few, short months. Since 9 November, we have established the organising committee as a company to run the games. The company now has a chairman in Sir Robert Smith and a chief executive in John Scott. The company board met for the first time last week. We have published a legacy consultation and set up a legacy board to ensure that the games provide lasting benefit for the people of Glasgow and people throughout Scotland. We have also made significant progress on the bill. When it was introduced on 9 November, there was broad consensus in the Parliament and in Scotland on the policy aims, but some issues still needed to be addressed. The policy aims remain unchanged. The bill will protect the games from ticket touting, so that everyone in Scotland can enjoy the events at a fair price. The games will be commercially attractive, but they will not be cluttered by unofficial or unsuitable trading and advertising.
Mr McGrigor raised a point earlier about branded venues near games venues, with which I do not think I dealt. His point is a matter for the regulations. I am sure that he realises that the regulations will be developed pragmatically, with a view to dealing with the circumstances that he mentioned. We will take the same approach to those venues as we will take to shop signs and other such matters.
The bill will ensure that a games transport plan is developed and implemented. Athletes and spectators will be able to travel efficiently to and from Glasgow and between venues. The bill will allow land to be bought if it is needed for the games. It is worth saying that, if the bill is passed today, we intend to commence early sections 41 and 42, which are on compulsory purchase and financial support to the organising committee.
As I did at stage 1, I thank those who have been involved in the bill process so far, including members of the Local Government and Communities Committee, the Finance Committee and the Subordinate Legislation Committee; those who gave oral or written evidence; and everyone who responded to our consultation on the draft bill during the summer of last year. We have tried, as far as possible, to incorporate the views and wishes of the committees and those who offered evidence to them.
Concerns were raised at stage 1 about the enforcement provisions. We responded and introduced amendments at stage 2 to address those concerns. We clarified the role of enforcement officers by setting out who may be designated as an enforcement officer and by making it clear that the police will have recourse to the same powers that enforcement officers will have if those powers go above and beyond the normal powers of the police. We also made it clear that, although enforcement officers will at times need to be accompanied by police officers, the police will be able to enforce games regulations independently.
Today, we have had a debate about the scrutiny procedure for regulations. The Subordinate Legislation Committee had concerns about the scrutiny of any amendments to the regulations. It is worth pointing out that the committee played an important role in strengthening the scrutiny that will apply when substantive regulations are made for the first time.
Other issues were raised during the consideration of the bill. It was suggested that we might extend the ticket touting provisions to cover other sports and events. Unfortunately, that was not possible, as the scope of the bill extends only to the Commonwealth games. I have sympathy with the organisers of sporting and cultural events who regularly find tickets for their events being touted. We are considering the United Kingdom Government's response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee report on ticket touting, which was published on 21 April. I will make an announcement soon on how we intend to respond.
Briefly, on lottery funding, we have gone on record to express our concern that £150 million is being diverted from Scotland to help pay for the London 2012 Olympic games. That is manifestly unacceptable and Parliament can be assured that the Government will continue to fight with passion for a fair deal for Scotland from the lottery.
During stages 1 and 2, questions were asked about equality and access to the games. Although access to the games will be a matter for the organising committee, we have conducted a full equality impact assessment of the bill, which has been published on our website. The message from the assessment is that care will need to be taken to ensure that the transport plan, when developed, takes full account of the needs of people with mobility issues. Section 37 places a requirement on the organising committee to consult widely before developing the transport plan, and I expect that to include organisations and groups that can offer information and advice on equality and access issues.
Since the bill was introduced, public comment has been made on the risks that human traffickers will hide behind the influx of visitors to Glasgow. Detailed work will be needed nearer the time to find ways to stop the Commonwealth games being used in that way. We will be able to draw directly on the experience of the London Olympics in 2012 in that regard.
The bill sets a foundation on which we will deliver a successful games.
I move,
That the Parliament agrees that the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill be passed.
Like others, I thank those who contributed to all the committee meetings at stages 1 and 2. I also thank those who provided evidence to committees and supported some of the issues that have been highlighted in contributions this afternoon, in particular in the Minister for Communities and Sport's speech.
This is an historic day for the development of one of the major commitments that Scotland has made in recent years to use sport effectively and, I hope, use the benefits of 2014 to make a substantial difference to people in Scotland.
I thank those individuals who raised issues at stages 2 and 3. I put on record our appreciation of the fact that the minister has taken on board some of the issues that were raised at stage 2. It can be difficult to achieve consensus in a debate on sport, but there is a willingness across the chamber to make the 2014 games work effectively—it is important that we do that. It is necessary to pass the bill to put the legal framework in place. At stake are fundamental issues that are critical not just to the success of the 2014 games but to the role that sport can play in the lead-up to them and, more critically, the games' legacy post-2014.
It is important that we have in place a legal framework to deal with issues such as land assembly. I put on record the good work that has been done in recent years, particularly the developments that affect my constituency. Much work has been done there in preparation for the M74 extension, to which the former Executive made a commitment and the Government has agreed. The Commonwealth games also provide opportunities for new transport facilities, not just for the east end of Glasgow—welcome as they will be—but for other areas that will connect to parts of Glasgow and Scotland that will benefit from 2014. That is an important message.
Concerns remain about a number of issues. Although a heated discussion took place about the chair of the merged sportscotland and the Scottish Institute of Sport, an appointment has not yet been made. The minister has suggested that an appointment might be imminent. Previously, he said that it would be made soon. I hope that "imminent" means much earlier than "soon". The appointment is important in practical terms, as leadership is necessary in the form of the chief executive and the chair of the national sporting agency to facilitate some of the demands, on which I will now focus.
We have had a fairly honest report from Audit Scotland this week—"A performance overview of sport in Scotland"—which includes critiques of recent history and the present direction of sport in Scotland. We have a shared agenda to address the issues. No one in the chamber would disagree that we should use sport more effectively and as one of the major tools for self-improvement. I was involved with a local authority that tried to use sport as part of its strategy. The statistics in Audit Scotland's report—chilling as they are in terms of participation levels—indicate that if one gets infrastructure investment right, other major investment in sport is required to make the difference.
We must address the critical issue of whether the outcome agreements contain a clear commitment to sport. I understand that there is a general commitment about healthier lifestyles in the outcome agreements, but that there is no reference to sport. Has the minister had any meetings with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on that issue? If so, what was discussed, and if not, how does he intend to address that issue? The Audit Scotland report identified that 90 per cent of the spend on sport in Scotland—£511 million—comes through local authorities. Sportscotland contributes only £26 million. Our debate should focus as much on local authorities as on sportscotland.
Has the minister discussed with his Government colleagues the commitment to a minimum of two hours access to physical education per week? What is the Government's position on that, and how is it committed to ensuring that, through the outcome agreements, that can be delivered? Unless we get those legs moving in terms of sports activities for youngsters, we will not get the benefits from the 2014 commitment that we all seek.
Finally, I ask the minister to address the overall level of resources that were pledged by the previous Government, which made a commitment to national sporting facilities. I seek clarification on the additional moneys that the new Government might make available for those facilities. The minister might not be able to provide the sum that Christina McKelvie mentioned in her legendary performance on "Newsnight Scotland", when she said that £0.5 trillion had been made available to previous Scottish Governments, but even a mere fraction of that sum would solve all our sporting problems. It is important that we hear from the minister about that this afternoon.
I hope that the minister will address those points in his summing up. We need a shared, common agenda to ensure that sport is used to improve the lifestyles and wellbeing of people in Scotland by getting people to be more rather than less active. More fundamentally—this is a particular constituency concern of mine—we need to utilise the 2014 games to change the recent direction of travel on participation rates, especially in some of our most disadvantaged communities.
I support the broad principles of the bill and wish it well.
A cohesive, united and positive campaign brought about a terrific result. In the years ahead, we will see the benefits of that result in the city of Glasgow.
I was interested to hear the minister talk about the transport plan—we look forward to seeing further details in due course—but, of the several outstanding issues, perhaps the most important is the budget and the ancillary funding for the games. We need to ensure that we maximise input from all sorts of sources. I am sure that the Government will work in that direction. We certainly cannot have an overspend.
I also noted with interest the minister's comments on ticket touting, which is a particularly disagreeable pursuit for those of us who are interested in football. Ticket touting not only cheats those who run the sport but denies genuine fans the opportunity to attend large-scale sporting events. We look forward to seeing the Government's proposals on that in due course.
The games will be of enormous benefit to the city of Glasgow. The capital injection itself will be significant. As Frank McAveety correctly said, the benefits to Glasgow's east end will be enormous. A part of the city that has suffered more than its fair share of hardships over the past half century will be given a tremendous fillip as a result of the money and investment that the games will provide.
As I look around the chamber, I see a number of us—the Deputy Presiding Officer Trish Godman included—who have worked long and hard in serving the city of Glasgow. Glasgow is simply the best city in the world, with the best people in the world. However, despite the tremendous improvements that have been made, one thing that Glasgow has perhaps lacked for many years is confidence. When Glasgow hosts this massive international event, the prestige that the games bring should immeasurably improve Glaswegians' confidence in their city and themselves. That will be another enormous benefit.
The image of the city will improve beyond recognition. As members well know, Glasgow is not the city that it was 40 or 50 years ago—the improvements have been very significant. Perhaps the crowning glory will come when we see the improvements that the games bring and when we see how the city's international standing improves.
The games will reignite a more general interest in sport. It is perhaps a little unfortunate that, in Glasgow, sport equals football, pure and simple. As a well-known frequent attender of football matches, I know that the interest that people in Glasgow have in football can become a little bit obsessive and include a negative aspect. If a situation develops whereby the interest in sport goes beyond football to a great deal of the other activities that will be showcased by the games, that will have beneficial consequences, including social consequences, which is no bad thing.
The process has been good and has presented the Parliament and the current and previous Scottish Governments in the best possible light. Much can be done when we all work together. Today is the culmination of a great deal of effort by a great number of people, who can be satisfied.
Just the thought of the Commonwealth games in Glasgow in 2014 is wonderful. For many of us, it will be a chance to attend such an event for the first time. For Scottish athletes, it will be the once-in-a-lifetime chance to compete on home territory. We hope that the games will inspire a whole new generation of Scottish athletes and help raise awareness of sport throughout the country. We need the games to be a springboard for our future athletes and success stories.
We welcome Audit Scotland's report "A performance overview of sport in Scotland", which found that elite athletes' performance has improved in recent years, with 283 Scots winning medals in international competition in 2007, which was well over the target of 250. However, it is concerning that the level of adult participation in sport is declining quickly.
Investment is needed in community sports facilities throughout the country to encourage and support the country's interest in sport. It is from the grass roots that athletes of the future will come—the ones who will be our representatives at the Glasgow Commonwealth games. Scottish schoolchildren will have their imagination gripped by the very idea of taking part in an international competition. What better inspiration can there be than the thought of competing for Scotland in Scotland? The current cuts to community groups and sports facilities, with a tight local authority settlement imposed by the Government, are hurting those at the grass roots. If the sports facilities are not available, an interest in sport cannot be nurtured.
The Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill passed stage 2 with the unanimous agreement of the Local Government and Communities Committee. Now we need commitment to the organisations that will allow us to not only host the games but compete successfully along with all the other nations that attend. Earlier this year, the Liberal Democrats campaigned to retain sportscotland, and we are delighted that the Government will retain not only its name but all its key functions. Sportscotland is the organisation with the expertise to look after the needs of our elite athletes and promote sport at grass-roots level. The loss of the expertise of sportscotland's staff would have tragic consequences: it would be a loss to the sporting world that could not be replaced within a generation.
It is worrying that the planned move of sportscotland from its headquarters in Edinburgh to Glasgow will take place in two stages: there will be an initial move to an as-yet-undetermined site in Glasgow in 2009, and a further move to the national indoor sports arena in 2011. We share the minister's enthusiasm for ensuring that sportscotland is in the right place to help maximise our winning potential at the games. However, what thought has he given to minimising the disruption to sportscotland staff? How can he be certain of the cost of the move, given that the interim site is yet to be identified? If the cost rises above the £7.9 million that was quoted earlier, how will he ensure that the money allocated to sporting facilities will not be reallocated to relocation costs? Will the minister confirm that the £7.9 million includes the proposed interim move? If that is not the case, can he justify that and tell the Parliament just which sporting facilities and athletes will lose out?
We support the bill. We need to ensure that in Scotland we have the imagination and whole-hearted enthusiasm that are required for this major event. We need to see the bigger picture for Scotland. The games will present a wonderful opportunity, not only in respect of the event itself but in respect of the legacy for Scotland.
I begin by expressing my appreciation for all those who helped to secure the Commonwealth games for Glasgow and Scotland and all those who have been involved in the scrutiny of the bill. I welcome the Scottish Government's positive response to that scrutiny. A vital aspect of the bill that came up at committee and which I am pleased that the Government has taken seriously is the idea of the legacy of the games. I will be making a submission to that consultation, along with others, I hope.
I want to explore two aspects of the legacy: first, the idea of how the sporting legacy can interact with a social legacy; and, secondly, the creation of a legacy for Glasgow and Scotland that will live on.
The sporting legacy is not just about getting a clutch of medals in 2014, although we all want that to happen. Rather, it is about building on a raised awareness of sport in general and the inspiration that will be taken from cheering on our sporting heroes on their home turf. I hope that that leads to our young sportsmen and sportswomen getting an extra lift and to the seeds being sown for more sporting success, and that it encourages those who do a bit of sport and exercise to do even more.
Far more important, however, is the need to reach out to those who do little or no exercise. All too often, they can be on the fringes of society, in some of our most deprived schemes and housing estates. Getting youngsters from such backgrounds to participate is our real challenge and would be a true legacy. A clutch of gold medals might go almost unnoticed in some communities or might seem to be of another world. We must ensure that the games are real to all our communities in Glasgow and Scotland. It will take community projects, youth workers, sports coaches, local facilities and long-term funding if we are properly to engage with people who appear uninvolved in or excluded from the process and the celebration of 2014. That presents us with a challenge and an opportunity.
Operation reclaim, an initiative that is run by the police in Glasgow, is an example of the sort of opportunity that I am talking about. The initiative, which involves people participating in local sports in order to reclaim our streets, gives troubled youngsters in our communities a chance to be involved in sporting activities. It has resulted in a 37 per cent reduction in crime in the areas in which it runs and has led to young people becoming healthier. The initiative has received money as a result of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, which I welcome.
Ending violence and territorialism and impacting on grim health statistics in one fell swoop is a challenge for our nation, and operation reclaim is a perfect model on which to build a legacy for Glasgow and Scotland following the Commonwealth games. Sporting projects can be used as a springboard for social progress. The Commonwealth games give us a once-in-a generation opportunity. Legacy funding must use sport as a catalyst for tackling serious social issues.
There is massive scope for inclusion. For example, with regard to volunteering, we should mobilise and involve Glasgow's grey power—the generations of Glaswegians who have contributed most to giving Glasgow its friendly reputation and image. We should also ensure that there are apprenticeships to fill the skills gap and give youngsters who need a job a leg up. That would be a real legacy of the Commonwealth games.
I will use my remaining time to suggest another legacy: a festival of Glasgow. Glasgow is a city that is known for festivals, and its artistic credentials precede it. The panoply of world-class festivals that complement the dozens of local fêtes and galas give a flavour of what Glasgow is all about. However, I think that we should go for a biggie. Can those individual events use the games to work towards a common, world-class arts festival and carnival that would draw in all Glasgow's communities? Celtic Connections might want to feature the links that it has within the Commonwealth. The Aye Write! festival might want to have a poetry section that celebrates the poetry of Inuits, Maoris and other indigenous Commonwealth peoples. The possibilities are endless.
We should have such a festival of Glasgow the year before the Commonwealth games, in 2013, as a lead-in to the games. I can just see a parade of floats winding its way to Glasgow green in the sun. The diverse nature of Glasgow's communities can be reflected in any festival and the social benefit that the arts can provide for Glasgow will be immense, if they can touch those in our most marginalised and excluded communities.
If the festival is successful, why not have one every four years, and use that to build a special relationship with whichever country is holding the Commonwealth games?
I am excited at the thought of the games coming to Glasgow, and at the thought of the world seeing Glasgow in its best light. I am also very much looking forward to the party.
When we pass the bill today, as I am sure we will, we will have passed another milestone on the journey to the Commonwealth games in Glasgow in 2014. The bill is, of course, a requirement of the Commonwealth Games Federation, and a commitment that was made in the bid document. It deals, as we have heard, with the technical issues around ambush marketing, land acquisition and ticket touting.
I congratulate the Minister for Communities and Sport on the successful passage of the bill; it makes him one of a very small band within the current Executive who have actually had the experience of taking a piece of legislation through to completion. There have, of course, been many hurdles on the journey to this point, and we have been able to proceed at each stage only because of the strength of the partnership behind the bid: the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Executive—or the Scottish Government, depending on which title one subscribes to. Although all the partners will continue to play a role in the future, the team that is led by Sir Robert Smith will obviously have the main responsibility for organising the games.
The minister can perhaps advise us in his closing speech how Parliament will be kept informed of progress between now and 2014. Perhaps he can also outline the efforts that are being made to secure the private sector commitment to funding the games that is a requirement of the funding package.
I have had the privilege of attending both a Commonwealth games and a Commonwealth youth games, and I have experienced the pride and pleasure of seeing Scottish athletes compete and win medals for their country. As other members have said, we know that athletes do better in front of a home crowd, and we can therefore expect our athletes to do even better in 2014 than their record-breaking colleagues in 2006.
However, the intention was always that the games would have a legacy: that the performance at elite level would be accompanied by an increase in participation in sport, particularly among our young people, and by an overall increase in physical activity among the general population.
My colleague Frank McAveety mentioned that 90 per cent of the current spend on sport in Scotland comes from local authorities. In light of that, can the minister outline in detail how he will ensure that that spend continues and is targeted appropriately, given the current concordat with local government and its lack of focus so far on sport and physical activity? I realise that that is a new initiative, but it would be helpful to hear something about it.
The Melbourne Commonwealth games were described by many as the best yet. I cannot comment in that respect, because they were the only games that I have attended, but they certainly were a spectacle. The games, and the cultural spectacle that always accompanies a Commonwealth games, were spectacular; so, too, was the effort that the 12,000-plus volunteers put in around the city, working not just with those of us who were delegates at the games, but with tourists and with others who were in the games capital on business. Those volunteers made a significant contribution to the games, and I am sure that Glasgow's 15,000-plus volunteers will make an even bigger contribution, given our city's reputation for hospitality and friendliness.
The Melbourne games also gave the young people of Australia new opportunities. Every school in Victoria state was twinned with a Commonwealth country, so that every single child in Victoria was rooting not just for Australia but for another country. I had the pleasure and the privilege of meeting pupils from schools around the Bendigo and Ballarat areas in particular, which were twinned with Scotland. The children proudly flew the saltire as well as the Australian flag while the games were taking place.
I am sure that, great though Melbourne's games were, the New Delhi games will be better, and Glasgow 2014 will be better still. I congratulate Louise Martin, the former chair of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland, who was involved at the very beginning, before the bid idea even became public. I also thank my two colleagues who are sitting on my right: Charlie Gordon, who, as leader of Glasgow City Council, announced Glasgow's desire to bid for the title; and, of course, Jack McConnell, whose commitment to and confidence in his country persuaded many that Glasgow could host the games.
During the time that the bid has been in the public eye, the staff and volunteers of many sports agencies, Government bodies and sports governing bodies have lobbied and worked hard when they could. I thank them, and of course the one million people who logged on to the website to back the bid. I am looking forward to 2014—the only thing that cannot come quickly enough for me is the day that the tickets go on sale.
The passing of the bill has been described in the debate as an historic milestone. I regard it as something of a landmark that establishes the foundation for the games.
One of the real strengths of Glasgow's bid was the way in which it harnessed support across the country; it was regarded as something in which everyone had a stake, and it was very much Glasgow's and Scotland's bid. Schools in Glasgow stopped to watch and cheer the television announcement that Glasgow had secured the bid for the 2014 games, but schools and children right across the country also celebrated. There is still a considerable level of good will across the country towards making the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow a success.
As we move away from the post-celebration stage to the delivery stage, it is clear that we will meet a number of challenges. For example, we must ensure that the venues are in place and up to standard, that we have the team in place to be successful in 2014 and that we retain the broader picture of increasing levels of participation in sport, which was set as one of the clear objectives of securing the games for Glasgow.
As Glasgow moves towards the delivery phase of the games, it is important that we ensure that we retain the broad base of support across the country that was secured when the bid was launched. Bob Doris talked about the idea of a Glasgow festival, and I wish Glasgow City Council success in developing that.
However, we must ensure that we retain the important "Scotland's bid" element of the games. We do not want to find ourselves in the same situation as the organisers of the London 2012 Olympic games, whereby the games have become London-centric and have been sucking in resources from the rest of the country. We must ensure that, as the Glasgow Commonwealth games move towards the 2014 opening, they do not have an adverse effect on support for sporting organisations and facilities across the rest of the country, which will be equally important to individual local communities. I hope that the minister and the Government will do everything that they can to ensure that we retain the broad base of support that has been there since the outset.
Much of the debate so far around the games has been about their legacy. I commend the Government for moving quickly to make a considerable legacy a clear objective of the games. I believe that the games can leave such a legacy, as far as facilities and wider benefits are concerned. However, the Health and Sport Committee has received interesting evidence on the legacy of major sporting events that demonstrates that there is often a poor legacy in terms of driving up participation levels in sport. The Sydney and Athens Olympic games did not achieve greater participation levels, and neither did the Manchester Commonwealth games, although they left fantastic facilities for the benefit of communities. Similarly, I have no doubt that, with 80 per cent of the facilities for the 2014 games already in place and the additional 20 per cent to come on stream, the Glasgow games will leave fantastic facilities. I believe that a considerable amount of work must be done to ensure that we create a legacy of involving more children and adults in sporting activity. It will take a lot of work to actualise that legacy after the games end.
In that context, if we need some 15,000 volunteers to help ensure that the Glasgow games are successful, we should consider the experience of the Manchester games. The volunteers for those games tended to be self-selecting and were young kids from white, middle-class families who were engaged in sporting activity. Groups of people on the west coast of Scotland, such as young females who do not engage in sporting activity, might not volunteer for the games. I hope that the Government takes from the debate the need, if we are to harness the benefits of increasing participation in sport, to target when recruiting the 15,000 volunteers people who are not engaged in sporting activity, who live in deprived communities and who are unlikely to become involved in sporting activity. If we tackle the issue in that way, I am sure that we will provide a lasting legacy.
The bill gives the Government the power to make grants and to attach conditions to those grants. That power is crucial to the games' planning and success. It is important to set the right conditions to ensure that the games' positive impact reaches beyond Glasgow and that a legacy is available for future generations.
In setting conditions for funding, the Government needs to keep those aims at the forefront. The Government has said that it will discuss with the lottery how it can use lottery funding to encourage the achievement of those outcomes. That is welcome, but the Government needs to consider its own funding, too. If funding organisations do not work together towards joint goals, there is little hope of achieving the aims.
When the Health and Sport Committee took evidence on the Commonwealth games' lasting legacy, it became apparent that previous hosts had not achieved a lasting legacy. We have no hope of achieving what others have not if we do not have a consistent goal.
I represent the Highlands and Islands and I believe that the games can have a positive impact not only on Glasgow, but on the whole of Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. We need to develop good sporting facilities throughout Scotland so that teams can base themselves outside Glasgow to prepare for the games, and we need good transport links to ensure that more remote parts of Scotland are not excluded.
We need to work with the London Olympics organising committee to bring facilities and funding north, to capitalise on both events and to ensure the best use of public money. The Government fuelled jealousy of the funding for the London games, but we need to stop posturing and ensure that Scotland reaps the benefits of working with the London committee. Health and Sport Committee members met representatives of that committee today and had an excellent discussion in which we exchanged ideas about how to share and build on best practice. Rather than considering London only, that committee is reaching out to all the UK's nations and regions. We must learn from that.
People who live in some parts of Glasgow suffer the poorest health in Scotland, and women in west central Scotland are the least likely to participate in physical exercise. Volunteers who helped with previous hosts' games normally came from sporting backgrounds. Many people from all walks of life offered to volunteer, but it has become clear that those from sporting backgrounds tended to be chosen. We need to change that for Glasgow. If we are to make that change, we must start to work on it now. When time is short, training a volunteer who knows something of sport is easier, as they have a head start, but we need to reach out to our communities now to tell them about the opportunities to volunteer and to begin to build confidence and train them. In that way, we can attract volunteers who will gain a lasting benefit from the games for themselves and their communities.
We can learn another lesson about that from the London committee, which is targeting the long-term unemployed through its volunteering programme—at least 10 per cent of volunteers are to be people who have never been employed. That will ensure that a lasting benefit is reaped from the Olympics.
Glasgow has shown that it can host international events and has used those successes to provide a lasting legacy. Glaswegians are known for their hospitality—that alone gives us a head start. We must ensure that the communities in Glasgow and throughout Scotland that need to benefit most from the games achieve that benefit.
The debate has been high quality and many relevant speeches have been made. I hope that we will continue in the spirit of the Commonwealth games as we progress with the bill, which is the technical enabling mechanism for the games.
The bill deals with several important issues. It sets the framework and provides the necessary powers to ensure that the games run smoothly and to make the Glasgow games the best ever and the most memorable for all who take part in or engage with them.
My speech will echo what one or two members have said. I emphasise the importance of those who engage with the games and who are not athletes or sportspeople or who are not particularly skilled or talented at running, swimming or other sports—people like me, like most of us, like most people in Glasgow and like most people in Scotland.
Many ordinary people—not least young people—will engage with the Commonwealth games. Michael Matheson made a point, as did Rhoda Grant and other members, about the need to ensure that a broad range of volunteers participates in the games. However, getting people to participate does not apply only to volunteers. Shop workers, transport workers and hotel workers will provide services to celebrity visitors from across the globe. Partisan supporters will cheer on not only Scottish competitors, but athletes and sportspeople from the many countries across the globe from which Scotland's foreign-born residents hail in our increasingly multinational country. People will meet the cream of the world's sporting talent or see them on television in familiar local settings, which is important.
We all like to see our competitors performing well and winning medals, but the opportunity—which no Scottish Government could afford to buy—to make a step change in popular attitudes and participation in athletic pursuits is much more important. Michael Matheson was right to warn that such a change has not always followed previous games, which shows the challenge that is involved. We have a long way to go. Indeed, there was a record of failure in building on the opportunities provided by the Commonwealth games that were held in Scotland in 1970 and 1986.
This week's Audit Scotland report, which Frank McAveety mentioned, is a wake-up call. It identifies the lack of council sports strategies and the high level of investment—£110 million a year for 25 years, if we accept what it says—that is needed to bring sports facilities across the nation up to scratch. It also says that, despite the significant efforts of many people, the level of participation in sport is declining while the challenges of obesity and underactivity are getting greater.
The minister made an important and valuable point about lottery funding, but that must not be an excuse. It must be considered in the context of what we are trying to do.
The Government is, of course, rightly consulting on the games' legacy. I do not know what the bulk of responses to that consultation will say, but I hope that they will identify the need for a framework of timely progress and risk reporting to ensure that key objectives are met and vital projects are delivered. I also hope that they will mark the need to support community businesses and social enterprises. Above all, I hope that the Government will make some specific commitments. First, I hope that it will commit to supporting the expansion of local sports clubs of all kinds—I have touched on that before in debates at which the minister and I have been present. Secondly, I hope that it will commit to helping to build the capacity and expertise of those clubs. Thirdly, I hope that it will commit to linking clubs with the development of modern, purpose-built facilities that have vital links to schools and with the effective recruitment of young people, so that they do not miss out on life-enhancing activities when they leave school.
The Scottish Government could not pay for the wall-to-wall media coverage that the Commonwealth games and the London Olympics will bring. That those events will happen within two years of each other is important; there can be a build-up from one to the other, with other events to come. There will be personal engagement with the events and participants in those games.
It is entirely good that the Commonwealth games will take place in the city that has Britain's worst health, mortality, morbidity, poverty and deprivation statistics. It is not too much to say that the games could play a significant part in changing and banishing those things for ever. There is amazing potential that the Government and its successors up to and beyond 2014 must not lose sight of. If I may coin a phrase, we must not drop the baton.
I welcome the passage of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill and, as we move towards 2014, wish the games success.
As my party's spokesman on sport, I am pleased to sum up for it in the debate, which represents another significant milestone as we prepare for the games in 2014 by fulfilling one of the key conditions of the host city contract. Since it was introduced in the Parliament on 9 November last year, the bill has made rapid progress. Credit should be given to everybody in the bill team.
I thank the minister again for responding to the amendments that I lodged on behalf of a number of business interests in Scotland. From the outset, the Scottish Conservatives said that we would work closely and constructively with the Government on the bill, but that we would raise concerns that had been put to us. I am pleased that we have followed that approach and that we have a bill that has been improved and which now genuinely enjoys widespread support.
I take the opportunity to put on record how pleased our party is with the recent appointment of John Scott—not John Scott, our famous MSP—as the chief executive of the Glasgow Commonwealth games organising company. His experience in the 1994 Victoria and 2002 Manchester Commonwealth games, as well as his experience in the London 2012 Olympics bid, will prove invaluable to Glasgow. With that appointment, and with Sir Robert Smith as chairman of the organising company, we have a strong and tested leadership right at the top of the project.
The Scottish Conservatives look forward to seeing the results of the consultation on the games' legacy, which we hope will guide ministers, local authorities, sportscotland and other bodies as we move on to 2014.
We all hope that having the games in Glasgow will boost participation in sport among people of all ages in that city and across Scotland. The games are a massive opportunity to raise the profile of sport. This week, Audit Scotland released figures on the number of adults who take part in sport at least once a week, which show a drop of 7 per cent from the 2001 figure to 42 per cent in 2006. That shows just what a challenge we face in getting more people to become actively involved in sport. Robert Brown made an important point when he said that to have two events so close together is a big thing for Great Britain.
I recently visited some schools in my region, in Grantown-on-Spey, Fort William and Lochgilphead. The excitement among the young people and children there is mounting. If it can be felt in those places, it must be mounting even more in Glasgow. Athletes and would-be young athletes in Scotland should be setting their sights on representing their country in the games. Scottish athletes did so well in Melbourne; let us do even better in Glasgow.
On the subject of great athletes, I remind members that we will be visited by Lord Sebastian Coe this evening in committee room 1 at 5.30—my colleague, Bill Aitken, is hosting a reception for the London 2012 organising committee. Lord Coe will address the meeting along with the First Minister. Sebastian Coe is someone who really made me proud to be British.
I welcome the bill and look forward to enormous Scottish achievements in the Commonwealth games.
Jamie McGrigor ended with a reference to a great middle distance runner, Seb Coe. I, too, was a middle distance runner—contrary to the public perception of me now. The key issue for middle distance runners is that they have to put in the necessary training early doors to get the benefit later, in competition. If there is a metaphor for the way in which we want the Government to approach the 2014 games, it is that it should put the building blocks in place now to get the maximum opportunities from the big event. That requires it to address the many issues that members have raised in the debate in a genuinely constructive way to get a unified view on sport in Scotland.
We may have different views about how we represent Scotland or the UK in sporting activities, but the critical issue is how we can inspire our youngsters such as those whom Jamie McGrigor spoke about visiting in his part of Scotland and the youngsters whom I met at an event yesterday evening at Hampden Park, who were genuinely enthused about all the things that were happening at that event. The greatest cheer came for a reference to Glasgow having won the right to stage the 2014 Commonwealth games, which gives those youngsters something to look forward to. They are also able to look forward because of the commitment that the Labour-led local authority has made to use apprenticeships and the opportunities presented by regeneration to provide them with genuinely life-changing opportunities in the future, which addresses some of the issues that have been raised by members.
To paraphrase Mario Cuomo, we have had the poetry of the Commonwealth games campaign; the prose is turning that into the delivery mechanisms in terms of the chief executive's role and the role of the Commonwealth games 2014 committee, while putting in place the kind of measures that will genuinely make a difference.
There are a number of issues in relation to the games that I think the minister is conscious of and which, as minister for sport, he will have a central role in addressing. One of those is the need to ensure that there are no hurdles in our way as we travel towards the fixed deadline. Secondly, are we getting the right governance and delivery mechanisms in place? I believe that that has been happening over the past few months. Thirdly, there are serious procurement issues to discuss primarily with the major local authority, as the co-sponsor of the games. There is an opportunity to shift the dynamic of the opportunities that arise from the games in favour of companies at both city and Scottish level.
From the games comes a legacy, and not just in infrastructure. I concede the intellectual point that members have rightly raised about how to break the trend of having big events but not necessarily getting from them the participation that was hoped for. I return to the issue of commitment at local and national levels, through leadership at council and national Government levels. I hope that we can focus on that aspect much more effectively.
I noted Bob Doris's speech with interest. In terms of a cultural contribution, perhaps we could have an honorary Bud Neill championship for the champion windae hinger in Glasgow. Perhaps we could find a winner for the Glasgow banter championship—from which we would exclude MSPs.
The fundamental issue is to use the games, not just for Glasgow but for Scotland. When we go abroad and when we meet folk from elsewhere, we all hear that friendliness is perceived to be a key defining characteristic of Glasgow and Scotland. We need to utilise the people skills that are available and we should ensure that, through volunteering, all the diverse voices of Glasgow—those of the people who have been there for a long time and those of newcomers to Glasgow—can share in that pride about the city. We should realise that we can genuinely make a difference through the games.
The commitment to the 2014 Commonwealth games was made by a prior Executive. Jack McConnell saw the opportunity and made a commitment in 2002, following the Manchester experience. His commitment to the bid, which has resulted in Scotland winning the 2014 Commonwealth games, needs to be put on record.
The aspiration and the commitment, which we have heard about from members both here and in committee, is to make the games genuinely different, with infrastructure investment to transform some of our most blighted communities. More important, every citizen, young and old, will have a sense of pride, and people will also have the opportunity to change their lifestyles. If we can get those things right, we will end up with a much better, more confident Scotland, and we will presumably be able to meet some of the objectives of the new Scottish Government.
This afternoon's debate has been interesting and stimulating. I have been encouraged to hear such enthusiasm for the Glasgow Commonwealth games from all sides of the Parliament and, as many members said, from all parts of the country. That augurs well for a successful games, which will be a credit to, and leave a lasting legacy for, the people of Scotland. As many members have said, this is fundamentally why we want to hold the games. It is not just for the games themselves but for the impact that they will have for young people throughout the country.
I will try to address the specific points that members have made. There have, unfortunately, been a number of clichés, including dropping the baton, clearing the hurdles, running middle distance races and even a mention of the marathon. That was inevitable, I suppose, given the subject of the debate.
I will start with Frank McAveety's contributions. He was one of the few members who touched on the regeneration opportunities that the games bring to the east end of Glasgow. That is a very important point. The debate is not just about the sports facilities and the cultural events around the games; it is also about the opportunity to turn a particularly blighted bit of Glasgow into a stunning area of the city. Many members who come from Glasgow, like me, know the area well. I am looking forward to the changes that will take place there—the new industrial developments, the new games facilities and the new housing that will be part of the games village before becoming available to the people of Glasgow, especially the east end of Glasgow.
Frank McAveety started his speech by talking about the willingness of members from all parties to work together to ensure the success of the 2014 games. That has been evident today and throughout both the bid process and the bill process. Many members talked about the legacy of the games. The Scottish legacy board has now been established and it has had its first meeting in the past week. The board includes members from a range of sectors and will be vital in pushing forward the legacy that we all seek.
The appointment of the new chair of sportscotland will be announced very soon.
That is progress.
That is the word that I was thinking of. Members are right to regard the appointment as critical, because the person concerned will have an important role in increasing the professionalism of many governing bodies over the next six years, in preparation for the 2014 games.
A number of members mentioned the Audit Scotland report on sport in Scotland, which highlighted many major challenges that we face. It also highlighted the fact that our elite athletes have been doing well, but clearly there are great difficulties relating to participation rates and some of our facilities. The Government intends to address those problems as quickly as possible, but I am sure that members from all parties accept that it will take us many years to do so.
The minister mentioned elite athletes. Does he accept that such athletes, especially the elite swimmers who did so well for Scotland at the Melbourne games, owed a tremendous amount to the Scottish Institute of Sport? Will he acknowledge that fact, given that the institute has now amalgamated with sportscotland?
Absolutely. At the time of the announcement of the merger, I praised the work of the institute, and I have done so again since. The institute's staff have done a tremendous job in a range of sports. Linking the institute and sportscotland gives us the opportunity to establish a clear pathway from the top to the bottom of sport, which is important. I know that the institute is keen to get on with the work of developing our athletes for the 2012 and 2014 games.
A couple of members mentioned outcome agreements. We have engaged with COSLA on the issue. I have not yet met COSLA representatives specifically to discuss sport, but such a meeting has been set up and will take place in the near future. In the meantime, officials have met COSLA on a regular basis to discuss a number of issues. I have also met the education ministers to ensure that we work together across the Government to make sport happen.
In the past couple of weeks, the First Minister has made it clear that there is no change to the target of providing two hours of physical education a week in schools. It is clear that we are determined to increase the level of physical activity in schools. Soon we will launch the obesity action plan, which will cover issues such as physical activity and healthy eating. The national and regional facilities strategy has been mentioned. Not only is the strategy still in place, but we have made the first announcements concerning the legacy of the 2014 Commonwealth games for other parts of Scotland. We have announced £5 million to assist the development of a 50m pool in Aberdeen and an additional £1 million for the refurbishment of the royal Commonwealth pool in Edinburgh. Many further announcements will be made in the coming years.
Bill Aitken asked specifically about the budget. The big difference between the situation in Glasgow and the situation in London, where the 2012 Olympics will be held, is that less than 20 per cent of the budget for the 2014 Commonwealth games is for capital expenditure. The budget is robust, has been developed over time and includes a substantial contingency element, so spending is on target. The chamber, parliamentary committees and others will be kept informed as we progress. The organising committee of the games, which has been formed as a company, is responsible for reporting annually, at least, to the Parliament on its activities and progress.
Bill Aitken and other members mentioned ticket touting. The UK Government has only just made public how it intends to deal with that issue; we will respond to its announcement shortly. The point that the member made about other sports was important. A number of sports besides football are important to a large number of people. I am particularly pleased that rugby sevens will play a part in the 2014 Commonwealth games and look forward to attending that event.
The only discordant note this afternoon was struck by Jim Tolson, who I thought would never get to the bill in his speech. He hit a sour note when he talked about so-called cuts in local government budgets. Let us go over the figures. The fact is that local government has secured not only an increased amount of money but an increased share of the Government budget during the next few years—its share is going up, whereas it had been going down during the past few years. Jim Tolson's remarks were unfortunate and inaccurate.
The total relocation costs for sportscotland are £7.9 million. I gently point out to Jim Tolson that if his party had still been in power along with the Labour Party, Lib-Lab plans for the relocation of sportscotland would have cost £15 million, which would have come out of money for sport. The £7.9 million costs represent a huge saving for sport in Scotland.
The minister said that he is keen to talk about the bill and not other issues. I encourage him to do so by asking for a point of clarification. In the section of the policy memorandum that deals with restrictions on advertising, there is a reference to
"branding, signage, advertising, commercial and/or other propaganda".
Can the minister reassure us that legitimate restraints on commercial advertising will have no impact on ethical or political messages that are appropriately put out, such as messages from organisations that are campaigning for a boycott of a company that is involved in the games, or messages that highlight the human rights record of a participating country? I am sure that none of us wants freedom of speech to be undermined by legitimate restraints on commercial advertising.
I thank Patrick Harvie for his helpful intervention. We will publish draft regulations, on which there will be full consultation. I am sure that Patrick Harvie and others will submit their views and that the points that he made will be taken into account when the regulations are developed.
Bob Doris made an interesting suggestion about a festival for Glasgow, which I am sure he will pursue with his usual vigour. I hope that Glasgow City Council takes up the idea and I look forward to hearing more about it.
Patricia Ferguson asked that the Parliament be kept informed. As I said, the Parliament will be kept informed, in particular by the organising company, but also by me, to ensure that not only parliamentary committees but the Parliament as a whole are aware of progress.
I join Patricia Ferguson in paying tribute to the people whom she mentioned, including Louise Martin and the former First Minister, Jack McConnell, for their efforts in bringing the games to Scotland. I also pay tribute to Patricia Ferguson's work to bring the games to Glasgow when she was Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport—I do not think that any other member mentioned that.
Patricia Ferguson made an important point about the need to learn lessons from previous games. The idea of schools being twinned with particular countries is interesting and well worth consideration.
Michael Matheson made a good speech about the importance of securing a broad base of support in the country, to ensure that we have a fantastic games in 2014. He was right to point out that participation levels were not raised after a number of games, and I do not underestimate the challenge that we face in that regard. He also made an important point about how volunteers are self-selecting. He was right to say that we must target many individuals who would not obviously be volunteers.
If members pass the bill today, our next steps will be to work with the UK Parliament to ensure that the ticket touting provisions extend to the whole of the UK. That will be done through an order made under section 104 of the Scotland Act 1998.
I thank members for their speeches, for their work throughout the passage of the bill and for their work to secure the games for Scotland. As I said, that shows what we can achieve in Scotland when we come together behind a common purpose. The countries of the Commonwealth placed a great deal of trust in us to deliver on the commitments that we gave in our bid for the games. The bill is the first instalment in repaying that trust; there will be others.
I urge members to come together to pass the bill and pave the way for a Commonwealth games in Glasgow that will be worthy of remembrance.