Rob Gibson: Will Gavin Brown give way?
Rob Gibson: I support the motion on support for business, infrastructure investment, innovation and internationalisation, and on promoting and expanding fair work. In my constituency we see major developments in renewable energy—for example, at Wick harbour, which the Beatrice offshore wind project is going to use for its base, where it will develop major infrastructure and jobs. Offshore wind is only...
Rob Gibson: 6. To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Highland regarding staff shortages and hard-to-fill posts. (S4O-04543)
Rob Gibson: Will the cabinet secretary ensure that, in the public interest of my constituents and many others, placements are created for trainee doctors in rural and urban Scotland, rather than doctors just being trained in one or two large urban centres? That will offer trainees insights into working in smaller and more remote centres as part of their potential career choices for future work.
Rob Gibson: We are debating an exciting programme for government today, in the final year of this parliamentary session. Regarding my responsibilities, I see that land reform is central to the quest for fairness and equality and that building a sustainable Scotland is one of our core purposes. In “Small Is Beautiful”, Eric Schumacher said: “Among material resources, the greatest, unquestionably, is...
Rob Gibson: Targets are one thing, but the trajectory of change towards achieving our goals is on target. The First Minister and Fergus Ewing, the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism, have pointed out that it is anti-business to stop us developing one of the things—renewable energy—that most helps us to achieve our climate change targets, as the Conservatives are doing to us at the moment. They...
Rob Gibson: No, thank you. I do not want interventions from people who have only just found out that climate change exists. Last June, the UK Committee on Climate Change published a sobering report that warned of the realities that climate change will bring. [Interruption.]
Rob Gibson: Those realities include increases in flooding and rising temperatures. They would cause dangers to our way of life and the loss of some of our best farmland. We are up against an attack on renewable energy and we have to fight against it. This December, delegates at the climate change summit in Paris will wonder why the British Government is going there and arguing exactly the opposite, and...
Rob Gibson: 7. To ask the Scottish Government what impact the use of videoconferencing and other remote learning facilities can have in helping smaller secondary schools broaden the range of subjects offered at all levels. (S4O-04494)
Rob Gibson: I have heard of parents moving their children from Farr secondary in Bettyhill to Thurso in order to access a greater number of subjects. The issue does not apply only to Farr secondary; the high schools in Kinlochbervie, Ullapool and Gairloch in my constituency all need to make curriculum for excellence available in a larger range of subjects but have constraints on their teacher numbers....
Rob Gibson: I represent areas in the north where the human communities are the most endangered species. They fully support onshore wind. They know that Scotland’s renewable electricity displaced 11.9 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2013. Will the minister offer any further information on the impact of the decision to end onshore wind farm subsidies on Scotland’s ability to meet its climate change...
Rob Gibson: 7. To ask the Scottish Government how much land and forest has been bought and sold by Forestry Commission Scotland since 2010 and at what cost. (S4O-04484)
Rob Gibson: I have constituents who are concerned about the transfer and sale of land. At what size, in terms of acreage, can Forestry Commission Scotland sell a plot of land without consulting the local community?
Rob Gibson: When I looked on Google for definitions of the word “environment”, I found two related ones: “the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates” and “the natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity”. It is therefore entirely possible for the term “environmental” to encapsulate human...
Rob Gibson: It is a pleasure to reach this stage in the passage of the bill, given the huge amount of ground that Kevin Stewart’s committee and my committee have covered. I know that the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee came into the process somewhat later to deal with part 4 and the land reform aspects, but I will also comment on one or two other matters. A really important...
Rob Gibson: I welcome this positive programme. Will the minister confirm that the high percentage reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2012-13 is not just methodological? What specific actions has the Scottish Government taken to achieve such a high percentage reduction?
Rob Gibson: 6. To ask the Scottish Government what impact it expects replacing the ScotRail club 55 scheme with club 50 will have on the number of older travellers from the Highlands using services. (S4O-04389)
Rob Gibson: Speaking on behalf of older travellers, I point out that, under the club 55 scheme, in the months for which the scheme ran, people could walk up, show proof of age and get on an off-peak train. Club 50 has annual membership fees, and all tickets have to be reserved in advance and online and are subject to availability. That seems to me to be a very different level of service that...
Rob Gibson: Peatlands are a vital part of Scotland’s natural capital and provide some of our best open landscapes. They are important for biodiversity, carbon and water, for our cultural identity, and as historical archives. Globally and nationally, there are major commitments to the conservation and restoration of peatlands. As species champion for the rusty bog moss, which is one of the emblems of...
Rob Gibson: In this debate, I wanted to focus on horticultural peat and not the extraction of peat for heating homes, because that is a small part of the picture, while extraction for horticulture is a very large industry.