Chamber and committees

What is it proposed that unclaimed deposits will be used for if the money goes back to Scottish Government ministers?

In Edinburgh, we have a publicly owned bus company that is strategically important to the city and has been giving profits to it for the best part of 40 years, since the Transport Act 1985.

You said that the Government is not in the process of running airports, but it has 11 regional airports. Through Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, the Government has the experience to run an airport. I therefore still do not understand why you would hand Prestwick back, unless you are going to tell me that it needs substantial investment and we are not in a position to supply the necessary finance.

Thanks very much. My understanding is that VisitScotland has offered to transfer the ownership of the remaining 25 centres to local communities, if there is an interest. It says that its focus will now be on video production quality, partnering with more content creators and encouraging more user-generated content. Do you agree with that strategy, and how do you expect it to impact on visitor numbers?

Okay. I will leave it at that.

I am also interested in asking about Prestwick airport. Obviously, the committee has an interest in that. Some members visited it recently and went round the industrial estate as well as the airport. We understand that a bid is currently being considered. Can you say anything about that bid and what the timeline for consideration is?

Putting that to one side, why do we want to return the airport to the private sector? Surely, if we have an airport that is generating a profit, we could use that profitability to support the public finances rather than putting it in the hands of private investors in the form of dividends.

Good morning, cabinet secretary. I want to ask about tourism, which is obviously very important for the Scottish economy. The closure of the remaining 25 information centres has been announced recently. The previous round of closures was in 2017, when 39 information centres closed because of a 58 per cent drop in footfall over the previous 10 years. Can you update the committee on the reasons for the closure of the remaining information centres? What impact do you think that will have on the tourism sector?

You are absolutely correct, but in many of our councils the situation is politicised and polarised. Therefore, should there be some kind of appeal mechanism for opposition members who feel that they are not getting the required support that is available in other council areas? Should there be an appeal mechanism? Have you any thoughts on who would look after that? Could it be a local government ombudsman or somebody like that?

A couple of points have not been touched on. Recommendation 15 of the SLARC report talks about strengthening

“requirements on councillors to perform their duties.”

Obviously, we have touched upon the fact that there is very little support in some councils for elected members, particularly opposition elected members. Do you have a view about what the minimum level of member support services should be and what it should include?

This is my final question on this section, and then I have a couple of other follow-ups.

Recommendation 21 is about underrepresented population groups. You have said that the Scottish Government, working alongside representatives drawn from

“under-represented groups should consider how best to enhance support for councillors in these groups”.

How would you go about that?