Chamber and committees

Catches in Argyll show a slight increase over the last 10 years, while the increase in Lochaber is more marked. Whilst these trends in the Lochaber figures are similar to both those of the west coast of Scotland and Scotland although recent catches in the west coast are not at the historically high levels seen for the aggregate Scottish data.

The Scottish Government recognises the unique challenges that face Scotland''s rural communities and is firmly committed to maintaining the supportive business environment necessary to secure existing jobs while creating new employment and investment opportunities in Campbeltown and the rest of Kintyre. We continue to work with our partners - Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Scottish Development International (SDI), Argyll and Bute Council and others in the public, private and third sectors - towards that end.

Campbeltown and Machrihanish are identified in the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan, as key sites for offshore wind manufacturing, operations and maintenance. The Scottish Government, HIE and SDI have been working closely with the administrators at Skykon, Ernst & Young, and with Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE). This has resulted in Wind Towers Ltd, a joint venture between SSE and Marsh Wind Technology, securing preferred bidder status for the site. HIE will continue to work with the joint venture partners over the coming weeks as the details of the bid are finalised.

Amongst the other projects HIE is supporting in the area is a major tourism and leisure project, which is expected to create 67 direct full-time equivalents (FTEs), gross employment impacts of 131 FTEs and GVA of £3.39 million.

Investment support is also available through the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP). The LEADER scheme is one part of the SRDP and its aim is to increase the capacity of the local rural community and business networks to build knowledge and skills, and encourage innovation and co-operation in order to tackle local development objectives. In Argyll and the Islands, which includes Campbeltown and Kintyre, £8,890,000 million is available to support investment and jobs over the 2007-13 rural development programme period.

Government collects data on the number of salmon caught throughout Scotland. This broad scale information is supplemented with in depth information on the salmon numbers from monitored sites on the North Esk and two tributaries of the Aberdeenshire Dee. In addition numbers of juvenile salmon are regularly monitored at a number of sites throughout Scotland.

In addition to this general overview of wild salmon numbers much of the detailed work on local numbers, including in the Lochaber and South Argyll areas, is undertaken by the Fishery Trusts which receive financial support from the Government''s strategic partnership with the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland and its member trusts in support of modern fisheries management.

We will continue to work with local managers in District Salmon Fishery Boards and local Fisheries Trusts to maintain and improve the fisheries in these areas.

We welcome proposed reforms to Air Travel Organisers'' Licensing which will ensure that those booking holidays abroad will benefit from a clearer and more extensive protection scheme.

The First Minister welcomed the announcement on 9 March 2011 that Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and Marsh Wind Technology have established a joint venture, Wind Towers Ltd, which has submitted a bid to acquire the Skykon Facility and has secured preferred bidder status from administrators, Ernst and Young.

The Scottish Government, Scottish Development International and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have worked closely with SSE and Ernst and Young in order to reach this position

The joint venture partners will now work through details of their bid.

Scottish Ministers keep the trunk road network under continual review. There are no plans to trunk the A83 road between Kennacraig and Campbeltown.

Until an outline and full business case have been approved for this project, firm dates cannot be given on when construction work will commence on the Oban Dental Project and when it will come into use. However, NHS Highland has earmarked £2.8 million of public funding for this project under the previously announced Primary and Community Care Premises Modernisation Programme.

Acting on behalf of Scottish Ministers, Transport Scotland contracts Operating Companies to carry out management, maintenance and repairs to the trunk road network, with routine day-to-day inspections to establish sections most in need of repair. Any remedial action required in respect of the trunk road section of the A83 within Kintyre will be addressed as part of those existing procedures.

The non trunk road section of the A83 in Kintyre from Kennacraig to Campbeltown is the responsibility of Argyll and Bute Council.

Following the collapse of Flyglobespan, we wrote to the former Secretary of State for Transport about Air Travel Organisers'' Licensing (ATOL). We stressed the need for more formal arrangements to ensure that all passengers should be adequately protected against airline failure and that provision should be made for repatriation in such circumstances.