George Lyon: Will the minister confirm that he has definitely not ruled out the need for a minimum-term tenancy, which is fundamental to the review process and to the announcements made today? Without a minimum-term tenancy, the proposals could be flawed.
George Lyon: I welcome the Scottish Executive's decision to have this debate today, to draw attention to the serious challenges that face the city of Glasgow. It is appropriate that, on our first day in Glasgow, we are discussing some of the real problems that face the city. Members may accuse me of west coast bias, or it may be that I am weary from constant travelling between Bute and Edinburgh, but as...
George Lyon: I could ask the SNP the same question about Argyll and Bute Council. Solutions require positive action and joined-up ideas. That is why the Executive's manufacturing strategy, "Created in Scotland", put our money where our priorities are. The strategy will ensure that the expertise and cutting edge of the research that is taking place in Glasgow's universities will mean jobs for the city...
George Lyon: If we were to look back before 1997, we would remember the deepest recession the UK has experienced, which took place in 1992; we would remember that the Tory Government spent some £10 billion to £15 billion trying to defend the pound before it was ejected from the European exchange rate mechanism. Those are memories that linger in the minds of the Scottish people. We welcome the work of...
George Lyon: No, I am just about to finish. Today, one fact remains true: a successful Glasgow means a successful Scotland. If the Executive can make it for Glasgow, it will make it for the whole of Scotland. I support the motion.
George Lyon: To ask the Scottish Executive whether utilities such as West of Scotland Water can erect road signs without the requirement for advertisement consent under the deemed consent categories contained within the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1994.
George Lyon: I would like to begin by congratulating Fergus Ewing on his speech. Oh! He is leaving. I ask him please not to—I am about to congratulate him. [Laughter.] We in the Liberal Democrats had a small wager on whether Fergus Ewing would complete his speech without mentioning fuel tax. It must be a first for the Parliament—he made a speech in which the price of fuel was not a major component.
George Lyon: No, no. I have faith in Fergus—he is very non-partisan. John Swinney touched on most of the issues and recommendations that came forward from the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee, but there are two others that I would like to deal with in more detail. The first is the need for an economic development strategy for Scotland. Those who gave evidence to the committee were almost...
George Lyon: I agree. Most witnesses at the committee said that we need a coherent economic strategy that brings everything together so that everybody understands where the Scottish economy is going in the long term. A strengths-and-weaknesses analysis is a crucial part of that. We need to assess Scotland's economic and competitive position in relation to other countries because that is fundamental to...
George Lyon: I accept that there are various strands of opinion. Indeed, Murray Tosh expressed a very strong opinion at that meeting, demonstrating that he is very much in favour of examining entry into the single currency. There are many strands of opinion in all organisations and, indeed, parties. Jeremy Peat also said that our lack of involvement in the single currency meant that our inward investment...
George Lyon: I have taken a number of interventions. I will push on and deal with other issues. The fundamental issue that the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee dealt with related to the duplication, overlap and outright competition in the provision of economic services in Scotland. It is recognised at the highest level that that takes place. Mr Alan Sim, the managing director of local enterprise...
George Lyon: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to allow white-fronted goose numbers to be controlled by shooting in line with present policy in England and Wales.
George Lyon: As the National Audit Office report published in 1999 revealed, ambulance response times are a problem in sparsely populated areas such as my constituency of Argyll and Bute, where 10 per cent of ambulances failed to arrive in the target time. What action is being taken to target that low success rate?
George Lyon: I also support Duncan McNeil's motion in favour of Greenock Morton supporters. Today, I had the pleasure of welcoming to the Parliament Argyll and Bute youth forum, which included three young Greenock Morton Football Club supporters who are based in Dunoon. Those supporters are desperately worried about the future of the club and asked me to highlight their concerns in the debate. The issue...
George Lyon: To ask the Scottish Executive what action will be taken to ensure that the Board of Caledonian MacBrayne accurately reflects the communities that it serves.
George Lyon: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give details of the financial package outlined in the National Goose Forum report.
George Lyon: To ask the Scottish Executive why the University of the Highlands and Islands has not been designated by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council as an institution of higher education.
George Lyon: To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the chief executive of the University of the Highlands and Islands project concerning designation as an institution of higher education.
George Lyon: To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council concerning designation of the University of the Highlands and Islands as an institution of higher education.
George Lyon: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any conditions which the University of the Highlands and Islands has to meet prior to designation as an institution of higher education.