Chamber and committees

I, too, would like to thank those who took part in our round-table discussions and submitted evidence, the clerks for their diligent work and my fellow committee members for leaving party allegiances at the committee room door to allow us to scrutinise the important subject of the impact of Brexit on devolution. As Sarah Boyack said, we really did not want to be here.

I am going to stray slightly into the committee’s evidence session last week on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. I asked about the practical impact of that legislation on the normal person in the street—how would they be affected? Perhaps Mr Rennie would like to listen to what Dr Kirsty Hood KC said. She noted that, over the past 47 years, EU legislation

“has become woven into so much of our law ... It is difficult to imagine a sector or area of the law in which there has not been an impact of some kind. Although that impact might not always be obvious to people during their daily life or daily business”.—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 10 November 2022; c 23.]

I believe that the same can be said for the impact of Brexit on our devolved settlement. Each decision around Brexit is related and each piece of legislation is related, and they have impacted or will impact on our devolution settlement.

As our committee’s convener laid out in her introduction, we gathered evidence on legislative consent, the implementation of the TCA and the Northern Ireland protocol, retained EU law and intergovernmental relationships.

During our evidence session on the TCA, I was struck by a response from Professor Ian Forrester to a question about collaboration and co-ordination between the Parliaments and Governments of the four nations of the UK. He took a slightly different view from that of Maurice Golden when he said that there was perhaps an elephant in the room, suggesting that there is a difficulty in

“the UK Government’s approach to relationships with other countries”,

which

“hinders the resolution of the daily problems that neighbours have to confront”.—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 26 May 2022; c 24.]

Reading the report and reviewing some of the evidence that we heard, I reflected on the fact that setting the right tone and building constructive relationships—whether between the EU and the UK, or across the devolved nations—is key to making the best of a bad situation. Perhaps we need to confront that elephant in the room. That is true for both economic and political reasons.

To ask the Scottish Government how many children in Argyll and Bute are currently receiving funded early learning and childcare. (S6O-01563)

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the local government minister has had with local authorities regarding running effective consultations on the delivery of front-line public services. (S6O-01531)

I thank the minister for his helpful response. As he will know, Argyll and Bute is a hugely diverse area with no two communities the same, and consultations can be held on topics as diverse as education change and the improvement of pier infrastructure, so, when it comes to consulting on local services, one size does not fit all. What guidance would the Scottish Government offer to local authorities to ensure that consultations get the responses that best reflect communities’ needs?

It gives me great pleasure to speak in favour of the Government’s motion, which underlines the essential contribution to reaching net zero that trees, woods and forests make in tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Forests and woodland cover nearly a third of Argyll and Bute, and they are wonderful places to explore. I am afraid that I had a picture there of Willie Rennie dressed as Tarzan, flying through the trees. Established in 1935, the Argyll forest park, as Forestry and Land Scotland says, has it all. It has craggy peaks, hidden glens, peaceful sea lochs and rushing rivers, as well as an abundance of diverse wildlife including red squirrels, sea eagles and beaver.

Argyll and Bute is also home to some of the world’s most significant ancient oakwoods and temperate rainforests, where almost every surface is covered with lichens, fungi, mosses, liverworts and ferns.

Almost exactly a year ago, at COP26, I travelled to Cormonachan community woodland, in Argyll and Bute. I was there to attend a blessing of Scotland’s Celtic rainforest by five indigenous leaders from the Amazonian rainforest. The community event that followed was a blend of Gaelic cèilidh and traditional songs from the Amazon. It was truly international and inspirational.

As the species champion for the Celtic rainforest, I am pleased to be able to promote and support, in the chamber and outwith it, the amazing work that communities and organisations across the west coast of Scotland are doing to encourage the regeneration of our rainforests. The April 2019 report on the state of Scotland’s rainforests notes that

“With just over 30,000 hectares remaining, there is very little rainforest left in Scotland.”

The report identified that overgrazing, invasive species, mismanagement and neglect, as well as pests, disease and climate change, are threatening the rainforest’s survival. However, with the creation of the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, Scottish Government support and passionate communities, things are beginning to improve. The Scottish Government’s £65 million nature restoration fund is there to support projects that address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, and I suggest that the Celtic rainforest is a fantastic match.

On the island of Seil, the community met to hear about a project that proposes to reconnect fragments of Argyll and Bute’s rainforest. Seil has one of Scotland’s finest examples of ancient Atlantic hazelwood, and islanders are sharing their skills—from collecting seeds to tree planting, and from fencing to deer management—to protect and expand it. The project is being led by Seil Biodiversity Community Interest Company, which is already working hard to clear the island of invasive rhododendron ponticum, with the Argyll and the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust. The idea of becoming part of an international restoration project is still in its early days, but mapping has been done to pinpoint areas of interest, which include Knapdale woods, Taynish nature reserve and parts of Mull and Islay.

The aim of creating a bigger and better-connected Celtic rainforest will ensure more resilience to threats and environmental changes, helping it to survive and thrive. It will also contribute to sustainable development and economic growth. However, Argyll and Bute’s treescape is not only Celtic rainforest—Argyll and Bute has almost twice the Scottish average of its land under woodland cover. The forestry industry, through planning, harvesting, management and maintenance activities, and timber transport, makes a major contribution to Argyll and Bute’s economy and employs a relatively large number of people, particularly in the rural areas.

Foresters in Argyll and Bute have been very innovative in adapting to the market and economic conditions, which, given the terrain and distances from markets, has always been challenging. We hear a lot about upskilling for green jobs in oil and gas, but I wonder whether that could apply to forestry, too, particularly—as we heard earlier—with the emphasis on more home-grown wood materials and less reliance on imported materials. We need to have the skills for that and should perhaps even re-establish local sawmills.

When I am travelling around my constituency, it is rare for me not to see a timber lorry full of felled trees. To enable that important industry to remain, the Scottish Government has, as the minister has referenced, invested in and improved strategic timber routes. Timber is one of the many reasons why the transport minister announced in August an acceleration of the work to achieve a safe and timely solution to the problems at the Rest and Be Thankful.

Over the past six years, an average of 40 per cent of all the new planting in Scotland has been non-native species, with the rest being production conifers. Although farming and forestry can co-exist, farmers have raised concerns with me about productive land being bought and forested, which impacts on their livestock and productivity. One described their farm as becoming the only restaurant in town for foxes and sea eagles. We need to listen to such concerns, and finding a balance is important.

However, we also need to listen to those who are diversifying and planting on areas that are less productive for livestock. The Government supports a farmer and crofter-led initiative that has a network of farm woodland demonstration sites across Scotland. Together, Woodland Trust Scotland and Soil Association Scotland have produced a report on integrating trees on farms and crofts in Scotland.

The Baleveolan croft, on Lismore, is a thriving and diversified business. It even has a tea plantation, as well as an orchard and 5,000 trees. The Baleveolan croft and other crofts and farms across Argyll and Bute show that trees that complement farming and crofting systems can be successfully incorporated into the farmed landscape.

I recently spent an energetic Saturday working with friends on Islay, removing the plastic cones that were protecting the trees that we had planted—there were almost 4,000 of them—in 2017 to commemorate the first world war. We were supported by Woodland Trust Scotland.

In “The Cone-Gatherers”, the great Argyll novelist Robin Jenkins writes about two brothers who are tasked with collecting seeds from cones to replant a forest that is felled for the war effort. Now, replacing our forests is even more important. By planting the right trees in the right place, we can soak up more emissions while providing a boost to our environment, our economy and people’s lives.

I represent Argyll and Bute, and it is important to recognise that Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s business panel survey noted that 53 per cent of businesses feel that workforce challenges are a perceived risk to their viability. Migration has a critical role to play in tackling population workforce challenges and, sadly, Labour is now actively engaging in a race to the bottom on immigration. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the need has never been clearer for Scotland to have its own immigration system to meet the needs of rural and island communities, including Argyll and Bute, to reflect our values and to repair the damage of Brexit?

Thank you, Presiding Officer—I will try to be brief, or I will speak quickly.

To ask the Scottish Government how peatland restoration will be measured as a component of the proposed land management plans in the forthcoming land reform bill. (S6O-01499)

Peatland restoration is fundamentally about restoring the habitat to its best possible condition. That can be tied into land rights and responsibilities where the Scottish Government wants to restore a community’s relationship with the land, while also ensuring that the community has certainty about its social and economic future.

What plans does the Scottish Government have to ensure that communities that get their land get full support and technical assistance to undertake peatland restoration?

I congratulate Murdo Fraser on securing the debate. His motion recognises the importance of the Royal National Mòd and Gaelic to Scotland’s economy and culture.

I, too, congratulate An Comunn Gàidhealach for its fantastic work to support and promote the Scottish Gaelic language and culture at local, national and international levels. Gaelic language and culture are at the heart of Scotland, and the Mòd exemplifies that. It mixes song, music, poetry, art and storytelling—there is something for everyone. It provides a place for folk to meet and compete, learn and teach, laugh and cry and, perhaps, even put the world to rights over a wee dram. It is about people making connections through culture.

I have been to many Mòds. I have never been a competitor, unlike my colleague Dr Allan. I was always very much behind the scenes, working for BBC Scotland’s Gaelic department, which provides comprehensive television and radio coverage of the festival. The 1994 Mòd in Dunoon, which is in my constituency, was my first. At the eight or so other Mòds that I have been to, I have driven winners to locations to be filmed for “Dè a-nis?”, sat in numerous competitions from choir competitions to Bible reading ones, laughed at action songs and perhaps even put the world to rights over a couple of drams.

I will share the Mòd memories of a good friend of mine, Jake McMillan. We were reminiscing and sharing Perth Mòd memories when we met on Islay 10 days ago. Jake grew up on Islay and was a member of the Ardbeg junior choir. The Mòd was always looked on as a big adventure. That was possibly more to do with the chance of exploring the local Woolworths than showing off his singing skills.

At the Perth Mòd in 1963, the Ardbeg junior choir entered the action song, which was a pretty new concept at that time. The choir had much fun raiding their parents’ clothes for bodach hats and scarves and cailleach shawls. Everyone was given specific parts in the wee play that coloured the Gaelic song “Buain na Rainich” or “Cutting the Bracken”.

Jake does not remember much about the competition apart from winning, which he says was despite their Islay Gaelic. His one vivid memory is of the evening children’s concert at the old Perth city hall, which was televised. Jake was fascinated by the large television camera with a wire coming out of it being wheeled in and out in front of the stage. Who could have predicted back then that the wee Lagavulin balach would end up back in that hall 41 years later, in 2004, as the BBC engineering manager in charge of all the technical aspects of getting on air the Gaelic transmissions for that year’s Mòd?

As I mentioned, in 1963, the Ardbeg junior choir won. I am very pleased to say that, this year, Argyll and Bute’s performers have done well, too. The Oban Gaelic Choir won the prestigious Lovat and Tullibardine shield, and I note the achievements of the Gaelic learners from Argyll and Bute in Monday’s competitions. In the inaugural year of the Highland art prize, which was judged by BBC Alba presenter and Islay’s own Heather Dewar, David Page of Mull won with his artwork “Drift”. However the Mòd is so much more than winning: it is a celebration of culture and language that is at the heart of Scotland.

I am pleased that the Scottish Government continues its support for the Gaelic language and culture. I take the opportunity to add my support to the calls of parents in my constituency for a Gaelic-medium school in Oban. The numbers exist for that and a public study shows that there is great community support. I ask the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture if he could speak with his colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and get her to agree in principle that Bòrd na Gàidhlig and Argyll and Bute Council should work together to produce a plan for a school in the lifetime of the council’s Gaelic plan.

As I have previously said in the chamber, children are our future, but they are also our here and now. They are integral to Gaelic language and culture. There is nothing more thrilling and emotional than hearing the Gaelic anthem “Cànan nan Gàidheal”—“The Language of the Gaels”—sung by the Gaelic choirs of the Mòd. We must continue to celebrate and support the language.

Island and rural communities are among the most vibrant, but the cost of living crisis poses a threat to many of them. It has been reported that households in Argyll and Bute will need to earn more than £72,000 per year to avoid fuel poverty this winter.

The key levers to address the crisis rest with the United Kingdom Government. Does the cabinet secretary share my view that the best way to ensure the resilience of island and rural communities is for them to be rid of the chaos of Westminster and the callous politics of the Tories?