Alasdair Allan: I hear the member's argument that Scotland punches above its weight by being part of a larger country. Can he list any countries in Europe that are keen to give up their place on the Council of Ministers to benefit from such a situation? Are there any analogous situations around Europe?
Alasdair Allan: The First Minister and the cabinet secretary have set out the priority of tackling climate change and introducing a greener Scotland culture. Will the cabinet secretary elaborate on those aims that are represented in the budget and say which specific measures will be taken to promote sustainability in Scotland? Does he agree that a sustainable environment goes hand in hand with sustainable...
Alasdair Allan: Tourist centres throughout Scotland report an increasing interest from Scotland's diaspora in genealogical tourism. With 2009 the planned year of homecoming, what plans does the minister have to involve tourist centres in that year of events and in genealogical tourism more widely, not least in the islands, which played such a disproportionate role in Scotland's story of emigration?
Alasdair Allan: To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) new central heating systems in houses with no previous central heating and (b) replacement central heating systems have been installed under the central heating programme in each year since 2002.
Alasdair Allan: To ask the Scottish Executive, according to the Scottish House Condition Survey, how many households would have been in fuel poverty in each year since 2002 if the average council tax bill used in the calculations had remained at 2002 levels.
Alasdair Allan: To ask the Scottish Executive, under the Scottish House Condition Survey, how many households would have been in fuel poverty if the average council tax bill used in the calculations had remained at 2002 levels, broken down by household type.
Alasdair Allan: Fisheries are a crucial part of the local economy and way of life in my constituency of the Western Isles. The shellfish sector is particularly important. Shellfish landings make up 16 per cent of the total landings by weight, but 38 per cent by value, which makes shellfish, for the first time, the sector that is most valuable to the Scottish fleet. The value of shellfish landings increased...
Alasdair Allan: Members may say "nonsense", but it could be said that the previous Executive created a desert and called it "partnership". I am sorry to be partisan, but is it any wonder that most of Scotland's fishing communities are now represented by the SNP? Those fishing communities, which are awaiting the European negotiations, recognise that the cabinet secretary cannot deliver everything that they...
Alasdair Allan: The full input of a Scottish minister under the previous regime usually consisted of the word "yes". As commendable as the member's interest in this subject is, and as commendable as his attitude on many aspects of it is, I want to know how he can reconcile his position with the comments made by his Liberal colleague Chris Davies in the European Parliament. On 5 September, Chris Davies said:...
Alasdair Allan: I have already taken one. Scotland has 25 per cent of European Union waters and 62 per cent of UK landings, yet it has no direct say in European fisheries talks. As we go into the next round of negotiations, let us hear why the mighty European sea fishing powers of Luxembourg, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary all have a direct vote on what happens to Scotland's fishing...
Alasdair Allan: To ask the Scottish Executive what descriptor it uses to establish the adequacy of medical staffing levels in GP practices in remote and rural settings, in light of the new contracts for such practices.
Alasdair Allan: To ask the Scottish Executive whether a question on the Scots language will be included in the 2011 census in Scotland, in the same way that a question on the Gaelic language is asked.
Alasdair Allan: To ask the Scottish Executive what constitutes "eligible forage areas" in relation to sea-girt holdings, such as exist on the eastern shores of the Hebrides.
Alasdair Allan: You have not changed.
Alasdair Allan: As many members have said in the debate, there can be no doubt about the importance of tourism to Scotland. That much is obvious in a constituency such as mine. Given the six-minute limit for my speech, I will not try to list the many appeals of the Western Isles, between Vattersay and Ness. Tourism is increasingly a genuinely national industry that contributes significantly not only to...
Alasdair Allan: I accept entirely that the island groups have a distinct market and play a distinct role with regard to tourism. However, where I differ from the member is that I do not think it necessary for those areas to have all the bureaucracy that is associated with the different organisations. Instead, it is important that we maintain service quality and the network of tourist information offices, and...
Alasdair Allan: I think that one intervention is probably enough. I am just about to conclude. The Government has made tourism one of six key sectors with potential for high growth, which reflects its importance to the economy. Tourism proves that Scotland can aim higher than being merely the best small country in the world—and that, I believe, is the nearest that I have come to straying from the spirit of...
Alasdair Allan: Does the Government see NHS Western Isles continuing to be a statutory national health service authority that is independent of any other equivalent authority elsewhere in Scotland?
Alasdair Allan: Will the minister confirm that one of the key issues that the BBC Trust might be considering at present is the potential appeal of any such channel beyond Gaelic speakers in Scotland? In light of that—which the minister has touched on—will the Government take the opportunity of the forthcoming official visit to the Parliament by representatives of the Isle of Man's Parliament to inform...
Alasdair Allan: To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for legislation on the marine historic environment.