Chamber and committees

The cabinet secretary may be aware that I am holding a members’ business debate next week to highlight the importance of access to defibrillators in communities across Scotland. Access to defibrillators could play a significant role in improving outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests across Scotland, but, for some communities, the cost of purchasing them and on-going materials continues to be a barrier. Although VAT on defibrillators continues to be a matter that is reserved to the United Kingdom Government, does the cabinet secretary agree that that would be one area in which the Scottish budget could go further if we had the full fiscal levers at our disposal to support community access to that life-saving equipment?

Transport links are integral to rural, disparate communities. The island of Jura, in my constituency, has had a 40 per cent population increase in the past 10 years, but their transport links need some improvement. What plans does the Scottish Government have to engage with island residents regarding their connectivity needs as it progresses its commitment to deliver the islands connectivity plan, to ensure that our island communities flourish?

A key part of working towards a just transition will mean encouraging growth opportunities in new sectors, particularly in green growth sectors that will require new skills. Will the minister provide an update on the steps that the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that people across Scotland are equipped with the necessary skills for the jobs of the future?

Can the cabinet secretary provide any further information about how the deal will help to support the transition to a low-carbon economy in Argyll and Bute?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Argyll and Bute rural growth deal. (S6O-00464)

I agree. As I have said, lamb is one of my favourite dishes. Indeed, we have lamb rather than turkey on Christmas day, so there you go.

Let us make Scotch lamb one of the celebret—I knew that I was going to get that wrong—celly—I cannot even say it—celebratory dishes of the Scottish calendar, let us support our farmers, crofters and butchers by cooking lamb for St Andrew’s day, and let us celebrate the tradition of Scottish thriftiness by making heartwarming stovies from the leftovers on 1 December.

I wish everyone a very happy St Andrew’s day, and I also thank Jim Fairlie for bringing this debate to the chamber. I know how personal this campaign is to him, and his well-cultivated speech—not to mention his lamb—is testament to that.

Today we celebrate Scotland’s patron saint, and what better way of celebrating him than with one of Scotland’s tastiest red meats—lamb? I agree with Rachael Hamilton that there is nothing better than roast lamb with garlic and rosemary.

I congratulate Quality Meat Scotland on its decade-long Scotland’s lamb for St Andrew’s day project. Last year, chef Tony Singh supported the campaign by creating a Scottish lamb curry infused with Tomatin cask-strength malt whisky. The dish is a combination of two of Scotland’s finest ingredients with a Indian-inspired twist—though, living on Islay, I would suggest a Kilchoman malt from Islay’s farm distillery.

As Colin Smyth and Emma Harper have said, a lot of creativity is happening in a lot of our schools, with pupils serving Scotch lamb street-cafe style and others using it in their home economics classes. Indeed, Perthshire scouts have been using their campfire skills to serve up Scotch lamb. What fantastic ways of introducing our kids to culinary skills, an understanding of where our food comes from and a bit of history, too.

Growing up in St Andrews, I was told how the town came to be. According to legend, St Rule was instructed by an angel to take as many of St Andrew’s bones as he could from Greece to the far western ends of the earth to protect them from the Roman emperor, Constantine the Great. Rule and his followers set sail for the west, eventually finding themselves off Scotland, where they were shipwrecked in 347. The story goes that Rule was welcomed by the Pictish king and established in what is now St Andrews a church that was dedicated to St Andrew and which housed his relics.

St Andrew is the patron saint not only of Scotland but of several countries including Barbados, Romania and Ukraine and of cities in Italy, Portugal, Malta, the Philippines and Greece. I therefore propose that on St Andrew’s day we celebrate our patron saint with our home-produced lamb and Scotland’s spirit of internationalism with dishes from around the world that are connected to St Andrew. I will list a few to tempt members’ tastebuds—although I have to say that I am starving, so my stomach will probably start rumbling as I say this. There is traditional Romanian lamb stufat, marinated in Feteasca wine; hearty lamb dushenina, an age-old Ukrainian national dish; the rustic traditional Greek recipe, lamb kleftiko; and the Portuguese lamb stew, chanfana de borrego, to which piri-piri gives a slight spicy kick.

Today’s Guardian podcast, “Barbados becomes a republic—and Britain faces a reckoning”, is a powerful listen that traces Barbados’s journey through colonialism, slavery, liberation and emancipation to independence on 30 November 55 years ago. Today, it becomes a republic, and no doubt Bajan lamb stew will be part of the celebrations in many Barbadian homes.

Due to the Covid pandemic, the pressure on housing stock in many rural and island areas, such as Argyll and Bute, appears to be increasing property prices. Last week, on Mull, I met the Mull and Iona Community Trust, which expressed concern about the lack of support that is available for local people who want to use the scheme. Will the cabinet secretary provide an update on whether the thresholds in the scheme will be reviewed to take account of inflated property prices in communities such as Mull?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the impact of the open market shared equity scheme in Argyll and Bute. (S6O-00432)

The Scottish Government’s world-leading climate change legislation sets a target date for net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2045. Could the cabinet secretary outline how the recently announced national test programme will lay the groundwork for Scotland’s agriculture sector to be global leaders in sustainable agriculture?