I thank Joan McAlpine for and congratulate her on lodging a worthy motion on the economic impact of Robert Burns.

It is quite difficult to establish the continuing economic impact of Burns on local or even Scottish economies, but the value of the ever-present and diverse books, translations, suppers, memorabilia, whisky, tourist facilities and visits to Ayrshire and beyond, not to discount the international dimension, which Joan McAlpine mentioned, is substantial and still growing after 259 years. If we had a line in the Scottish budget every year for revenue attributed to Robert Burns, I am certain that it would be significant enough to justify its inclusion in Mr Mackay’s annual statement to Parliament.

In east Ayrshire, we know that there are about a million tourist visits each year, which generate around £90 million and support more than 1,600 jobs. Burns will be a major contributor to those figures, although of course they do not include all the associated Burns activities that go unrecorded.

Each year, there are around 5,000 visits to the Mauchline museum, which is free to get into. There are also a number of other locations in and around the area, including the Burns monument and the genealogy centre in Kilmarnock, and Mossgiel farm, where Burns lived for about four years. The Robert Burns World Federation will soon move into its new premises in Kilmarnock town centre, which will be not too far away from where it all started with the publication of his Kilmarnock edition in July 1786. The federation, if it does not directly promote itself as a visitor attraction, might well find that there is a demand for all things relating to Burns in that very central and attractive location in the town.

The jewel in the crown is, of course, the magnificent Burns national heritage park in Alloway, whose stunning location attracts well over 300,000 visitors each year. The cottage, the kirk and Tam’s brig are set in beautiful gardens adjacent to the Brig o’ Doon house hotel and show what is possible with significant investment, in delivering the quality visitor experience that local and international visitors expect.

Burns continues to make us money; indeed, he is even on our money—he is on our Clydesdale Bank and Bank of Scotland notes. His work has been translated into more than 40 languages, including Faroese and Esperanto, and he is celebrated in every corner of the world.

However, we might have a wee bit of work to do to improve his standing in Japan. Some of the translations might explain why our Japanese friends are a little bemused at times—we know that when we see them translated back into English. Apparently, the immortal lines from “Address to a Haggis”

“Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,

Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race!” have emerged as

“Good luck to your honest friendly face,

Great King of the sausages.”

That has left our Japanese friends wondering what the fuss is all about, so we might have a little way to go to improve our offering to them.

It is a pleasure to speak again in a Robert Burns debate in this wonderful Parliament of ours, and I thank my colleague, Joan McAlpine, for giving us the opportunity. I wonder what the bard would make of it all, some 259 years after that “blast o’ Janwar’ win’” brought him into this world and into all our lives.