5. To ask the Scottish Government how it works collaboratively to tackle depopulation in rural areas of the Highlands and Islands region. (S6O-02700)

Our “Building a New Scotland” paper on migration in an independent Scotland sets out how migration is vital to the future of our rural and island communities. On Monday, I heard that at first hand in Fort Augustus from hospitality and seafood sector representatives, as we discussed the importance of attracting and retaining people in order to support rural and island areas to thrive.

In the meantime, our action plan for addressing depopulation will build on existing collaboration with Highlands and Islands local authorities through a population round table, jointly chaired by the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, and through our support for the Convention of the Highlands and Islands’s population working group and its oversight of community settlement officers, who deliver place-based interventions that support population attraction and retention.

The Minister will be aware of the redundancies being made by BT and its subcontractor Blue Arrow in Alness. The only option open to BT staff is to relocate to Dundee or Manchester, causing rural depopulation. BT Group has been the benefactor of hundreds of millions of pounds of Government money through its partners Openreach and EE, yet it thumbs its nose at and undermines Government policy. Has the minister met BT to discuss the issue? If so, what response has she had? What interventions have been made by the Government and its agencies and what action are they taking to protect BT’s loyal workforce in Alness?

Having grown up in Alness,

I am aware of the issue that the member raises, and I am more than happy to speak with my colleagues in the fair work portfolio and provide the member with any further information on conversations with BT about the planned closure.