Chamber and committees

I thank my colleague Ivan McKee for securing this debate to celebrate Scotland’s iconic Scotch whisky industry—an internationally renowned success story that is deeply rooted in our Scottish heritage and communities. I am proud to contribute to the debate.

The very meaning of whisky—water of life—not only encapsulates those cherished moments when we raise our whisky glasses and cheer “slàinte mhath”, marking celebrations and milestones in our life, but serves as a reminder of the authenticity and years of delicate craftsmanship that define our cherished Scotch whisky industry. With more than 500 years of production history, Scottish whisky has rightfully claimed its place as the world’s foremost internationally traded spirit, boasting an export value of more than £6 billion in 2023 alone—a statistic that is well worth repeating.

As we have heard, the Scottish Whisky Association has found that, on average, 43 bottles are exported every second, which means that if Ivan McKee is keeping a running total he can add another 10,000 bottles to it by the end of my speech. That figure is truly impressive in such a volatile environment.

Although my constituency of Uddingston and Bellshill may not be renowned for its prominence in the whisky industry, we harbour success stories that I am proud to share—or to brag about. For instance, we have William Grant & Sons, the largest independently owned Scotch whisky company, which originated in the Highlands and established its state-of-the-art bottling and packaging facility—which marked its 30th anniversary last year—in Bellshill’s Strathclyde business park. That is where you will find iconic Scotch whisky brands such as Glenfiddich, the Balvenie, Grant’s and Monkey Shoulder being meticulously bottled.

The bottling plant boasts significant employment opportunities, with around 750 workers on site. Furthermore, William Grant & Sons plays a key role in equipping students to be the next generation of leaders in the industry, offering an exceptional 12-week summer internship programme and a three-year graduate development programme. I was thrilled to hear about the experiences that Robyn, one of the students, had in those programmes. She said:

“I’m having the most amazing experience and I’ve been given opportunities to make a real difference in the business.”

I encourage students in my constituency who may share a passion for whisky to look out for upcoming opportunities at Grant’s Bellshill site.

As we have heard today, the whisky industry is a cornerstone of Scotland’s economy. Production on that scale comes with significant responsibility for tackling climate change. The very essence of whisky is heavily reliant on preservation of the environment, with factors such as water and peat quality influencing its distinct flavour, so it is really encouraging to see the whisky industry committing to decarbonising its operations by 2040. I hope that the minister will be able to outline how the Scottish Government is supporting the sector to successfully meet that critical target.

We are seeing bold initiatives unfold on that journey to decarbonisation. In central Scotland, Falkirk distillery has partnered with the biotechnology company MiAlgae to repurpose whisky byproducts for animal feed, which is an example of furthering the circular economy. At a local level, the Artisanal Spirits Company opened its Masterton Bond bottling plant in Uddingston in March last year. That facility has eliminated the group’s reliance on third-party bottling, substantially reducing its road miles and carbon footprint. Those local initiatives play a pivotal role in the industry’s journey to decarbonisation, which is immensely gratifying and worth celebrating.

I continue to be struck by the resilience and innovation demonstrated by our whisky industry. It is impossible to overstate the industry’s profound impact on our economy, employment and growth. I truly believe that there are absolutely no limits to what our whisky sector can achieve. After all, who disnae like a wee dram?

Good morning, minister. There is, understandably, a backlog in essential maintenance across housing tenures. I have two questions. First, how can that maintenance be paid for, and secondly, what role do you see for national and local government in supporting that work?

Thank you very much for allowing me to come back in, convener.

I have a short question. Minister, in your answer to Pam Gosal, you mentioned the importance of data. Can you say a little more about that? Local authorities often measure slightly different things in slightly different ways. Do you have any reflections on current monitoring? Is the data from across local authorities directly comparable?

Thank you; that is helpful.

Can you say any more about outcomes in that respect? Would outcomes be part of a framework?

I have one more question, for clarity. It sounds very much like you are talking about local authorities taking quite a joined-up approach, as well as getting support at the national level, across maintenance, repairs, adaptations, retrofitting and so on. Are you seeing that approach across local authorities?

It is good to hear that, because I have seen the positive influence that has come from community consultation, the changes that have been made and the impact that that has had, and things have been much better as a result.

I appreciate that you have already touched on this with Ariane, minister, but I would like to ask a bit more about tenants and residents. It was really good to hear Joe Brown mention the start of the external phase, and that you are planning to visit lots of communities directly. I think that we can all agree that it is vital that tenants and residents inform and influence matters, because people’s homes have such a huge impact on their wellbeing and health. How will the Scottish Government seek to involve local communities, tenants and residents in delivering the ambitions in “Housing to 2040”? How will you know whether outcomes have improved for communities on the ground and how will you embed that work?

I mean outcomes in relation to improvement for communities, individuals and residents, as we move forward.

I want to touch on Pam Gosal’s comments about the length of time that is taken to deal with planning applications. As a former councillor, I have seen the interactions that are carried out on these matters, and I note the numbers of visits and discussions that council planning staff and so on are involved in to ensure that they get the detail right. I am looking for a bit of reassurance that that work is recognised and will not be compromised, and that the statutory pre-application consultations with residents and communities with regard to major housing developments will not be compromised either.