| Allan Wilson:
I am pleased
to congratulate Kenny MacAskill on securing the debate and I join colleagues
in congratulating the Scottish Youth Hostels Association on its 70th anniversary.
The SYHA is
an important player in Scottish tourism. Over the 70 years of its existence,
the association has provided affordable accommodation and facilities throughout
Scotland. The value of that to Scotland and to visitors from many nations
in both social opportunity and intercultural exchange is difficult to overestimate.
Many young people
from around the world gain their first experience of Scotland through a
youth-hostelling holiday. For many, that is an experience that leads to
many more visits here in the future. Although they might not always stay
at SYHA hostels, the Scotland experience will have been instilled in them.
As Jamie McGrigor said, it is Scottish tourism that ultimately benefits
from their experience.
Last year, more
than 540,000 bed nights were spent in SYHA hostels. The association estimates
the value of that to the Scottish economy at about £23 million. That
makes the association a major player in Scottish tourism.
One of the reasons
for the SYHA's success is that—something like the party I represent—it
has moved with the times while remaining true to its original ideals. Different
standards of comfort are sought now. When the association started, only
a basic level of accommodation was required; today, many hostellers are
looking for rather more comfort, perhaps including central heating, showers,
smaller rooms and the provision of meals. The association caters for them,
particularly at its hostels in the cities and in the main tourist centres.
The association
plays a major part in helping to achieve our aim of spreading the benefits
of tourism throughout Scotland. As Kenny MacAskill said, SYHA hostels can
be found throughout the country. There is an SYHA hostel in Ayr, for example,
and there are two in Arran, in my constituency. The first hostel was opened
in the Borders countryside and is still popular today. There is also an
SYHA hostel as far north as John o' Groats.
I am sure that
if Alasdair Morrison was here rather than in his sick bed, he would point
out that his constituency, the Western Isles, provides an excellent example.
There, the SYHA has worked closely with the Garenin Trust to restore traditional
black houses for use as hostels. I can think of no better way to introduce
visitors to the unique social history and heritage of the islands.
SYHA hostels
can be found on many other Scottish islands, including Mull, Islay, the
Shetland Islands and Orkney. As Kenny MacAskill said, visitors provide
valuable income to local communities and hostels serve as an introduction
to our diverse and wonderful culture.
The enterprise
network and visit Scotland fully support the SYHA. Hostels feature strongly
in visit Scotland advertising, particularly overseas. The SYHA is an enthusiastic
member of the visit Scotland quality grading scheme and visit Scotland is
discussing the proposals with the independent hostel sector. The scheme
is not mandatory, but I understand that the SYHA enthusiastically supports
it.
Visitors look
to hostels to provide a quality product and the association does that.
It is worth noting that the association is the largest corporate member
of the green business tourism scheme, to which Jamie McGrigor referred.
That scheme helps businesses to reduce their impact on the environment
against a range of energy, waste and water criteria. Fifty-eight SYHA hostels
have been presented for, and achieved, awards.
As its name
implies, the Scottish Youth Hostels Association has always encouraged young
people to visit its hostels. School parties and youth groups from overseas,
as well as from the UK, are regular visitors. I join with those who have
supported the motion in congratulating the association on developing educational
tours and encouraging young people to appreciate the Scottish countryside.
A few hours ago, I received the association's proposal for improving its
record in that area. Wisely, Kenny MacAskill stopped well short of endorsing
that proposal. The initial assessment suggests that it would not be appropriate
for us to support it, not just because of the provisional sum of £8
million that is attached to it, which is about a third more than the association's
annual turnover, but because there are a wide range of commercial, local
authority and voluntary sector providers in the outdoor education market.
The objection applies also to the VAT argument. It is difficult to see
the justification for funding one provider rather than another. Authorities
and schools must be free to choose where they want to go for a residential
experience in the outdoor sector.
Fergus Ewing:
We subscribe to the idea that schools should
be free to determine which hostel—whether an SYHA hostel or one in the
independent sector—provides it with accommodation, but the point is whether
the Executive will consider making any additional commitment to achieve
the aim, which I described, of allowing more children to visit the countryside
and stay in a hostel. In particular, I refer to children who, because of
geography or local factors, are excluded from such an experience at present.
Allan Wilson:
I share that worthwhile aim. Many authorities
encourage schools to provide some form of outdoor activity, but decisions
on whether to do so and on the nature of any trips are properly a matter
for the schools concerned. I do not think that Fergus Ewing expects me
to comment on the detail of a proposal that we received only a few hours
ago, particularly given the resource implications that I mentioned, but
I undertake to examine it seriously and respond in detail in due course.
The motion correctly
draws attention to the difficulties that the association is experiencing
as a result of the foot-and-mouth outbreak. I share Fergus Ewing's sentiments
on this matter. The association has been particularly badly hit as most
of its hostels are in country areas. In the immediate aftermath of the
start of the outbreak, local authorities adopted an extremely precautionary
approach to access, but we have moved on. Much of Scotland is designated
a provisionally disease-free area, where the risk of transmission of the
disease is much lower. Because of that lower risk, livestock movement restrictions
in the area have been eased, to the significant benefit of farmers and
crofters.
The restrictions
on access in the provisionally disease-free area should be seen in the
same light and there should be a greater presumption in favour of public
access. I regret the fact that some landowners, farmers and crofters remain
very precautionary in their approach. To be frank, it is unacceptable that
some refuse to co-operate with local authorities in removing unofficial
signs that say that the countryside is closed. The persistence of such
signs undermines the formal risk assessment that was put in place to protect
farmers.
Mr McGrigor:
While I agree with the minister that Scotland should be promoted as being
open for business, it would have helped if the Scottish Executive or its
rural affairs department had sent letters to farmers and landowners to
tell them that it is now safe for them to remove their signs. Initially,
the only letters that farmers and landowners received told them that they
could put up signs on their own land at their own expense, if they so wished.
They have received nothing in writing to tell them that it is safe to remove
them.
Allan Wilson:
The Executive has made a succession of statements asking farmers to do
just that. Not for the first time, I ask individuals to consider the wider
economic effect, not only in their own area but throughout Scotland. They
should remove those unofficial signs now.
I understand
that the SYHA is not waiting for others to come to its assistance and that
it is preparing a marketing and recovery plan, which it will discuss with
visit Scotland. It is also to introduce free student membership for 2001,
which will encourage more young people to go hostelling, not only this
year but in future.
The SYHA has
served the interests of Scotland's tourism industry well over the past
70 years. I am sure that it will continue to do so over the next 70 years
and beyond. I join all my colleagues in the chamber in wishing the association
well in future.
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