Chamber and committees

On a point of order, Presiding Officer.

I seek your guidance. When a member stands up in the chamber and misquotes what another member has said, for instance in committee, what measures could a member take?

Does the First Minister share my concern about the news that Brymor, the owner of the uniquely Dumfries and Galloway brand, Cream o’ Galloway, is planning to move manufacturing of the brand from Galloway to North Yorkshire? It is a huge letdown for local people and will be of considerable concern to my constituents. Can the First Minister provide an assurance that the Scottish Government’s PACE—partnership action for continuing employment—will support anyone who has lost a job?

Before I ask my question about agri-environment schemes, it occurs to me that we were briefly talking about multi-annual funding. If the UK Government committed to multi-annual funding, which is what we had before our unfortunate exit from the European Union, would that make it easier for you to commit to it?

Thank you for clarifying that. I am interested in exploring the budget lines on agri-environment schemes. I think that I am correct in saying that the Government wants to support active farming, sustainable food production and the promotion of food security. Will you tell me about the budget allocation plans to support farmers, crofters and land managers with regard to agri-environment schemes?

I know that there are a lot of different schemes out there. You have just talked about soil sampling, so I would be interested in hearing about the budget for that.

Cabinet secretary, the submission from Fisheries Management Scotland says:

“The River Annan is one of only two rivers in Schedule 1 in which there is not a set period in the early part of the year (during the annual close time) in which fishing by rod and line is permitted.”

I know that it is important to support the conservation of wild salmon, but the Fisheries Management Scotland submission says:

“If the instrument is annulled, this would mean that the fishery on the River Annan would not be permitted to operate between 25 February and 31 March. This would have a significant impact on the local economy.”

We know that it is important to conserve wild salmon—we have heard a lot about that in recent months—but I am interested in what the wider impact on the local economy would be if the instrument was annulled.

My understanding is that some of the fishermen and fisherwomen—fisherpeople—fish only on the River Annan, which means that they would not be able to catch and release at all, anywhere, if the motion was annulled—is that correct?

I have a final quick question. You have described lots of different schemes. I assume that some schemes might end and others might come on board because of innovation and farming practices that are wide ranging—applying to beef, sheep and dairy, for instance, as well as arable. Is there a schematic of what is out there that we could see? That would help us to understand the diversity of the schemes that are available.

We know that more than 17,000 NHS dental patients across Dumfries and Galloway have been deregistered. Last week, I met with a retired dentist who suggested that mobile dental units could be a solution. Could the minister consider raising that with NHS D and G to ensure that people in Dumfries and Galloway have access to an NHS dentist?

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Dumfries and Galloway regarding the provision of dentistry. (S6O-04230)

I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate, and I congratulate Oliver Mundell on securing it.

I have been involved in the world of Robert Burns for 25 years, and I enjoy Burns season very much. I am privileged to be a past president of Dumfries ladies Burns club number 1.

I join Oliver Mundell in highlighting the many events, projects and initiatives that are taking place across Dumfriesshire and Galloway. He mentioned the schools competition, to which I will turn in a moment; the Big Burns Supper; and the collaboration between Annandale Distillery and the Globe Inn. He also highlighted the excellent work done by the team behind securing Robert Burns’s farm at Ellisland.

In the schools competition that is organised by Dumfries and Galloway Burns Association, the number of entrants has increased year on year—there are more than 200 this year. The performances of poetry, song and music demonstrate the talent of the young people and the great effort that they and their teachers put in through their rehearsal time. The competition went online during the Covid pandemic, which has proved to be pretty successful. My husband was involved in that, because he has really useful digital skills. The people involved are dedicated to keeping the memory of Robert Burns alive for future generations.

I, too, want to mention the work of the centre for Robert Burns studies at the University of Glasgow. I agree with Mr Mundell that the centre has been crucial in highlighting Burns’s economic, social and cultural contributions to Scotland. Its projects promote Scotland and our culture at home and internationally, and they include so much information. I explored the interactive map of Burns suppers, which was funded by US donors. It is a thorough repository of excellent information.

I have spoken about the US connection to Robert Burns in my own immortal memories at Burns suppers. I encourage members to delve into the words that the USA’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, used about the inspiration that he gained from reading the ploughman poet’s work. President Lincoln certainly had a fondness for Burns and Scottish culture, and he asked for a passage to Scotland to be booked so that he could visit our precious country, but he was assassinated before he could travel to Scotland. However, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, visited Scotland in 1869, and she said:

“Beautiful, glorious Scotland has spoiled me for every other country”.

Those are fabulous words.

One festival that promotes Burns is the Big Burns Supper—I will elaborate on that a wee bit. It is the United Kingdom’s largest celebration of Burns and involves a jam-packed schedule of events spanning from 17 January to 2 February. The Big Burns Supper is supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council, the Holywood Trust, the National Lottery Community Fund, EventScotland and others. This year, Eddi Reader and Wet Wet Wet are performing, and a big Burns supper on a bus—and even an underwater Burns supper—are just a few of the events that are happening.

Along with colleagues across the parties, I hosted meetings with the Big Burns Supper and partners to ensure that the festival could go ahead this year. I appreciate the time that Colin Smyth and Oliver Mundell gave to support that cross-party approach. It is great, therefore, to see the return of the Big Burns Supper, and I thank the trustees and the team for their work. I remind members that my husband is one of the volunteer trustees.

I finish with some words from our national bard, which are written on the foundations of our Parliament—his words hold up our Parliament. Given the current struggles that people around the globe are facing, these words are pretty powerful and worth repeating:

“Then let us pray that come it may,
As come it will for a’ that,
That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an’ a’ that
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
It’s coming yet for a’ that,
That Man to Man the world o’er,
Shall brithers be for a’ that.”