Emma Harper
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling child poverty and its investment through the whole family support third sector delivery fund. Will the cabinet secretary say more about how the delivery model will work alongside existing local partnerships?”
“Given the challenges that Christine Grahame outlined and the Scottish Government’s commitment to a just transition, how can the Government support investment in biofuels and anaerobic digestion to reduce reliance on heating oil and provide greener, more secure energy for rural industries such as those in Dumfries and Galloway and the Bord…”
“That is why there is so much emphasis placed in the action plan on whole family support. It is about giving support to families where and when they need it and delivering it in a way that is right for communities. I look forward to continuing to work with Emma Harper on how we can take that forward in the south of Scotland and elsewhere.”
“However, the barriers are not only physical, but also cultural: we heard consistent evidence of negative attitudes from boys, girls being sidelined in physical education and playgrounds being dominated by boys’ activities.”
“As a member of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, I had the privilege of contributing to our inquiry on female participation in sport and physical activity. What we heard was clear. Although the benefits of sport are universal, access to those benefits is not.”
“Her work has never been about making short-term headlines; it has been about achieving long-term change founded on compassion and justice. During this parliamentary session, Christine introduced her member’s bill, the Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Bill, which strengthened protections for animals and built on years of advocacy on issues such…”
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“Over the past couple of years, I have engaged in a lot of casework on the issue. I am grateful for the Scottish Government’s roll- out of the Scottish dental access initiative, which is delivering opportunities for investment in rural dentistry and rural practices.”
“I thank Mr Rowley for lodging the motion to allow us to debate the matter. As I represent a rural region that is affected possibly more than most areas in respect of access to NHS dentistry, I sympathise with his constituents. I agree with Mr Rowley that the decisions by privately owned dental practices to withdraw care and increase charges are hugely concerning and need exposed. In the south of Scotland, we have seen many of the same challenges affecting patients’ access to dentists, which in some cases has been hugely restricted or withdrawn completely. Over the past two years, nearly 25,000 people in Dumfries and Galloway have been deregistered from NHS dental practices. That includes 2,500 in Lochthorn, 4,000 in the DADDS practice and 1,000 people in Stranraer.”
“I move, That the Parliament agrees that the relevant provisions of the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 16 October 2024, so far as these matters fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and alter the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers, should be considered by the UK Parliament. 21:21”
“Consistent legislative measures across GB will also greatly assist when it comes to the interpretation and enforcement of new controls. A co-ordinated GB-wide approach in tackling the issues that are covered by the bill is widely supported and welcomed by many key stakeholders. The bill was amended in committee, including in relation to provisions that were contained in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, to which legislative consent was given by the Scottish Parliament in January 2022, but which the UK Government did not proceed with. I am strongly of the view that allowing the UK Parliament to legislate for all GB Administrations in this area is the most timely, efficient and effective way to achieve the important changes that are proposed.”
“Those are areas where consistent changes to the legislation in all Administrations of the United Kingdom at the same time will be beneficial. Given the freedom of movement of dogs, cats and ferrets within Great Britain, effecting the bill in Scotland will aid the enforcement of import requirements by avoiding attempts to circumvent controls in one country by utilising points of entry in another. The bill provides an opportunity to have consistent control over such imports and to assist enforcement agencies to ensure that such unnecessary movements can no longer take place. However, the Scottish Government fully recognises that, for the measures in the bill to be successful, they must be introduced consistently across Great Britain.”
“I appreciate that it is late, so I will not take up a lot of time. The minister will be aware that I have done a lot of work over the years on the issue of puppies coming through the port of Cairnryan. Will the legislative consent motion help to address that issue? We have been trying to take action on it for many years. Jim Fairlie: I will come to that issue as I go through my comments. In the interests of pragmatism, the Scottish Government is working with other UK Administrations to improve the welfare of animals in this area. The changes that are proposed in the bill address matters around animal welfare that are of significant public concern and are within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and require primary legislation in order to be given effect.”
“Does the cabinet secretary agree that home detention curfews should be used as a tool to reintegrate offenders to their communities, manage the release of individuals from short custodial sentences, and reduce the prison population and reoffending? Angela Constance: Yes. HDC provides a useful opportunity for suitable prisoners to serve the last period of their custodial sentence in the community under licence conditions, and an electronically monitored curfew is a well- established part of custodial sentences with a high level of successful completion. It can be granted only to prisoners who pass a robust risk assessment and a community assessment. Violence Against Women 2.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would have voted no. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Thank you, Ms Harper. I will make sure that that is recorded.”
“The regulations later this year will provide the full details, but at the centre of those regulations, we will set out where products can be located, how they can be promoted and to whom. As I said to Carol Mochan, we will also be aligning ourselves with the regulations that are in place in England and Wales, to ensure that there is consistency across these isles for those who are selling such products.”
“My question is in a similar vein, with regard to high-fat, high-sugar and high-salt foods. The cabinet secretary will be aware of the work of Henry Dimbleby, Dr Tim Spector and Dr Chris Van Tulleken on ultra-high-processed foods and ultra- processed foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt, and their connection to poorer health, as well as of my interest in the subject. Will the cabinet secretary say a bit more about the actions that will be taken regarding the promotion of healthier foods and the restriction of less healthy foods in our supermarkets? Neil Gray: I recognise Emma Harper’s long- standing interest in this area and the work that she has done, as well as the work of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, which she sits on, to advance things in that area.”
“The level of poverty, particularly among larger families, is absolutely related to the impact of the two-child cap. That is why campaigners have been campaigning for change, why they are disappointed that the UK Government has refused to come forward with that policy and why we will deliver it on 2”
“Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am having an iPad issue—thank you for bearing with me. It has previously been reported that the rate of child poverty among rural Dumfries and Galloway communities has hit a record high and that Dumfries and Galloway had a child poverty rate of 26.9 per cent in 2022-23. Given the clear link between Labour’s policy of the two-child cap and child poverty, will the cabinet secretary update us again on the Scottish Government’s plans to end the impact of the two-child cap in Scotland? Shirley-Anne Somerville: As I have confirmed, the payment will open for applications on 2 March. That is earlier than we had planned, which shows our determination to move as quickly as possible on the issue. Emma Harper is right to point to the challenge of poverty in rural areas and in other communities across Scotland.”
“We must challenge the lie that migrants take more than they give, and we must root our response in solidarity, not suspicion. Our future is multicultural, it is interconnected and it is built on the principle that everyone who chooses to call this place home—regardless of where they come from—belongs. Let us say that clearly, proudly and without apology. 16:38”
“I have witnessed people with exactly the same colour of passport as me, with exactly the same visa as me, in the same immigration queue as me, being treated with suspicion and disrespect. The only difference was the colour of their skin. We can do so much better, and we must do so much better in Scotland. I say again that we need a system that is based on justice, dignity and care—a system that recognises people as whole and valuable human beings, not as statistics or threats. That is why we support a differentiated migration system for Scotland, and one that looks to the opportunities of the connections that we make when we travel beyond these borders, too. It goes beyond policy; it is about how we talk, how we lead and how we imagine the kind of country that we want to be. We must reject the language of illegality.”
“We opened our borders, our homes and our hearts to Ukrainians—rightly so—but when bombs rain down on Gaza or Yemen, where are the compassion and love? Where are the processes to get people here safely, rather than people risking their lives by crossing the Channel in dinghies? Where are the systems and structures of support into employment, housing and community? There are none. We have become inured to the racism that is embedded in our systems, but that is not new. I do not often speak of my experience of being an immigrant—a foreigner—here, but I have witnessed at first hand the prejudice and xenophobia of the UK immigration system because of the colour of my passport. However, because I am white and sound like I do, I am still immensely privileged.”
“That narrative also ignores Britain’s imperial past—a past that drove global displacement and bound us to the world. People are not strangers here; they are already part of our schools, hospitals and communities. The real question is not whether they belong—they do—but whether we are ready to embrace that truth and build a future that is rooted in justice, solidarity and shared humanity. The second point to challenge—again—is the notion of illegal immigrants. I would challenge those who have said that we need to tackle illegal immigration to describe the legal routes for those who are fleeing from war and persecution. What is at the heart of that? We need look only at the difference in approach that is taken to those who are fleeing from the illegal invasion of Ukraine compared with those who are fleeing form other conflicts.”
“Of course, immigrants keep many of our public services going, and I am grateful to Karen Adam for her very clear description of the damage to our north-east communities that will ensue if we allow the xenophobic populism that is all too often promoted by politicians and the media to continue. I want to pick up on two points. The first is the awful phrase that Keir Starmer used not long ago when he said that we are “an island of strangers”. That claim is both false and harmful. It feeds the myth that migration weakens us, when, in truth, Scotland has always been shaped by movement and cultural exchange. From Norse and Gaelic roots to newer communities from south Asia and beyond, our history is one of connection, not isolation.”
“As a nurse in the operating theatre I worked as part of a multicultural team, and we all benefited from the ideas and innovation of that multicultural experience. That has been the case every day in my job, both here and in Los Angeles. It is high time that the UK Government stopped being the problem and got behind the migration policies that recognise Scotland’s specific needs, history and potential, rather than hiding behind its copies of the Daily Mail. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to closing speeches. 16:34 Maggie Chapman: It has been interesting to listen to the various contributions this afternoon. I am grateful to those who have recognised and celebrated the many and varied contributions that migrants make to our lives.”
“Again, I thank the cabinet secretary for taking my intervention about our dairy industry in the south-west. Those people who throw out rhetoric and policies that aim to block migration to Scotland need to answer for the consequences that their ideology is having for rural Scotland. The SNP has been criticised for talking up Farage’s Reform agenda, but we certainly need to talk about Farage’s policy proposals and about how the xenophobic policies would utterly decimate our rural economies and leave communities such as the ones that I represent economically shattered. We need to talk about how the policies would strip our national health service of the skills and talent that migration has brought to it, because those people are saving lives and improving our health every day.”
“He is an immigrant from the USA who owns a business, pays his taxes and employs people. Today, as the cabinet secretary mentioned in her opening speech, my part of the world is going through demographic challenges. Dumfries and Galloway has the oldest age profile of any local authority area and the lowest proportion of working-age population. There is also a continued sharp decline in D and G’s overall population, while the rest of Scotland’s is increasing, unlike what members have said across the chamber. People are moving to Scotland. Without families and workers coming to our communities, our schools will close, our health service will contract, our community facilities will dry up, and rural communities, not just in the south but across Scotland, will wither on the vine. Our agricultural sector continues to struggle with employment.”
“Thank you, Presiding Officer. I will see how far I get with my notes in three minutes. My South Scotland region has seen centuries of migration to and from our shores. In past centuries, boats would depart the ports of Galloway for North America, carrying thousands of souls across the Atlantic in search of a new life. More recently, many people from across Europe have been welcomed into our communities. Despite the impact of Brexit, many of them have stayed and are a fundamental part of our society. Meanwhile, our country has exported people all over the world. I was an economic migrant, too. I moved to California in 1990 and spent 14 years working in Los Angeles. Scotland has also received people who are looking for a better life in our communities, and my husband is one of them.”
“I move, That the Parliament recognises the contribution to Scotland’s communities, public services and economy by those who have chosen to migrate to Scotland and build their lives here; notes that stakeholders from multiple sectors across Scotland have expressed significant concerns with the UK Government’s immigration white paper, and that proposals submitted by the Scottish Government to the Home Office were not included in the published paper; further notes that the Parliament has previously endorsed a motion calling for the development of a differentiated, more flexible migration policy, tailored to meet Scotland’s specific needs; calls on the UK Government to engage with Scottish Government officials urgently to ensure that the needs of Scotland’s businesses, public services and communities are supported, rather than harmed, by the reforms outlined in the UK immigration white paper, and further calls on the UK Government to ensure that a new youth mobility scheme is designed, with engagement from young people across the UK nations, to be as broad and inclusive as possible, restoring the greatest freedom of movement for young people as can be agreed with the EU.”
“Migration enriches our society and makes a net contribution to our economy, our public services and our public finances. It is the fertiliser that helps us to thrive, innovate and grow in the face of demographic challenges. We cannot wish those challenges away, but there are things that we can do within our devolved powers. However, we cannot expand the workforce completely without control over migration, so I invite members from across the chamber to join us in making this call.”
“We proposed a Scottish graduate visa, which would allow international graduates from Scottish universities to stay in Scotland for two years to gain work experience before transitioning to a skilled-worker visa. When I was first elected, I was often struck by the fact that there was cross-party support for the post-graduate visa from both the Conservatives and Labour. It was a tailored, nuanced approach that enjoyed cross-party support, and we want to see that again. UK ministers could choose to support us on that. We had the fresh talent working in Scotland scheme between 2005 and 2008, which I am very happy to say was a Labour Party initiative. The point is that I think we can still speak with one voice on the importance of migration to Scotland and of working collaboratively to have a tailored approach for Scotland.”
“It failed to take on board our proposals for action that meets our needs. The plans are likely to have a severe impact on migration to rural areas of Scotland that already face significant demographic and economic challenges. I strongly believe that we need an immigration system that reflects our distinct demographic, economic and social needs. For example, the hospitality sector was very reliant on workers from the EU before Brexit, and, in 2019, 20 per cent of hospitality workers were non-UK nationals compared with 8 per cent in the wider Scottish economy. In spite of concerted efforts to retain workers, however, there are still 30,000 fewer people working in the sector today than there were pre-Brexit. There is a case to be made for tailored migration routes for Scotland.”
“Research that was commissioned by the Federation of Small Businesses in 2019 found that immigrant-led small and medium-sized enterprises generated £13 billion in revenues and 107,000 jobs. We want to attract more entrepreneurs to Scotland, in line with our long-term vision. Using existing devolved powers, we launched Scotland’s migration service in 2024 to support migrants and Scottish-based employers in navigating the UK immigration system to meet their relocation and business needs. Through it, we are always looking at ways in which we can support businesses, short of having control over immigration. It will come as no surprise that, like many sectors and industries, we are deeply concerned about some of the policy approaches that are contained in the UK Government’s recently published immigration white paper.”
“Regarding the rural pilot schemes for visas, 48 per cent of Scotland’s dairy herd is in the south-west of Scotland, and a lot of the cows are milked by persons from Europe. Does the cabinet secretary agree that we need to recognise how important it would be to support the south-west economy with a rural visa pilot scheme? Kate Forbes: I do, and anecdotes like that could be replicated in many different parts of Scotland. Employers frequently put it to me that migration is an area where they want to see progress, because they see it as an effective solution to the challenges that they face. We have data that demonstrates the huge impact that immigrants have on our economy.”
“We are pleased that we have been able to invest in projects such as the one at Crofthead farm via our Scottish industrial energy transformation fund, and we note the continued entrepreneurial development beyond the initial innovation. Our enterprise agencies provide Scottish businesses with specialist advice, funding and knowledge exchange opportunities to drive up productivity and innovation through net zero initiatives.”
“It is crucial that we continue to support climate innovation, which is supporting new jobs across our rural communities, where employment can be more precarious than elsewhere. For example, there are initiatives that are creating employment in anaerobic digestion and biogas, such as the project at Crofthead farm in Crocketford, which has biogas and carbon removers and which the First Minister visited just before Christmas. Can the minister outline how the Scottish Government is working to support emerging technologies and climate entrepreneurs across Scotland? Alasdair Allan: Climate innovation and entrepreneurship are not just good for the planet; as other members have talked about, the economic opportunities are enormous, and we want to help Scottish businesses innovate at home and export their solutions to the rest of the world.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: Question 2 has been withdrawn. Seafield Waste Water Treatment Works (Investment) 3.”
“As SWestrans and Dumfries and Galloway Council have responsibility for local bus services, the scope for the Government to directly intervene is clearly limited, particularly given that a tender process is on-going. However, will the Scottish Government consider providing local transport authorities with technical and professional support to equip them with the capacity to ensure that areas such as Dumfries and Galloway have a vibrant and sustainable bus network, regardless of the commercial decisions that are taken elsewhere? Jim Fairlie: Emma Harper is absolutely right to point out that the Scottish Government cannot directly intervene, but my officials in Transport Scotland are there to give the technical support that the local authority might need in order to progress things.”
“It is for Labour members to explain why their health secretary down south has taken more than £370,000 in donations from profit-making private health businesses over the past decade. We are clear that our NHS will remain publicly owned and publicly accountable. I do not doubt that Labour members are genuine about wanting a better national health service—I doubt that there are many people in the country who do not want that—but their words are not matched by deeds. Their attempt to weaponise the multiplicity of challenges that our NHS faces for electoral ends is an attempt to pull the wool over Scotland’s eyes. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to closing speeches. I am disappointed to note that Mr Cole-Hamilton is not in his seat; I expect an explanation and an apology. 15:41”
“That is why the uniquely Scottish ScotGEM—Scottish graduate entry medicine—programme is particularly welcome. It brings graduate training up to postgraduate medical degree level to NHS Dumfries and Galloway, to help to provide care in our part of Scotland. I always find it interesting that I am the only person to big up ScotGEM and its success, and that the Opposition doesnae want to tell the good- news stories. The cabinet secretary and I have talked about that. Again, the SNP is putting resources and money where it is needed, with bursaries funded for those who come to work in our rural communities. That is a Government that is acting when action is needed. What is more, we are committed to a public health service that remains free and in which medical need is the most important thing.”
“Scotland offers the highest nursing, midwifery and paramedic bursaries anywhere on these isles: a non-means-tested £10,000 a year here, whereas England offers just half that. Our NHS provides the highest pay out of all four UK systems—a state of affairs that was reflected in the vote to accept the agenda for change pay deal earlier this year. Scotland has also led the way in the training of physician associates and anaesthesia associates in our NHS, which has increased assessment and treatment capacity. We have worked with medical schools to ensure that the training and education are in place to continue that programme in the future. As an MSP for South Scotland, I am acutely aware of the particular challenges that our health service faces in rural areas.”
“If they cannae even get their attack lines right, why would we trust their word on our health services? No one in our national Parliament has denied the scale of the challenges facing our national health service. I know about those challenges, given my background as an NHS nurse and a former employee of NHS Dumfries and Galloway, with friends and connections who tell me what is going on on the ground. I thank everyone who commits their time and effort to the amazing professional care that they provide to patients every day. I believe that the Scottish Government has taken step after step, not just in our post-Covid world, with all the additional challenges that have been added to our health systems, but in the years before that, to get our NHS working at full efficiency.”
“Mr Sarwar and his allies in the other parties were caught out on that last year, when the Full Fact organisation said of his misuse of statistics: “Politicians and the media must take care to use the best evidence available and describe it accurately, so people are not misled about the state of public services.” I could not agree more. If they cannot even get the basic facts of their attack lines right, why would anyone trust a word that they have to say about our health service? Neil Gray: It is misleading—[Interruption.] The Deputy Presiding Officer: Ms Harper, I ask you to resume your seat. Can members please spare me the back and forth—and not just those on the front benches, as they have encouraged back-bench members to join in. I can give you the time back, Ms Harper. Emma Harper: Thank you, Presiding Officer.”
“The group leader of the Labour Party told the Parliament two weeks ago that “There are now 860,925 people on an NHS waiting list”.— [Official Report, 29 May 2025; c 12.] Jackie Baillie repeated that in her opening speech. However, Public Health Scotland—which, as I assume the Opposition parties understand, does not work for the SNP and is utterly politically impartial—has said that “figures for the number of ongoing waits of patients waiting ... should not be added together to determine the proportion of the total population waiting”.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to modernise family law and ensure the efficient functioning of the civil court system. (S6O-04745)”
“We have listened to the responses to the consultation and we want to take time to make sure that we get the next steps right.”
“It was remiss of me earlier not to thank Lorna Slater for all that she did in her role as minister in taking forward the work and ensuring that there was very much a bottom-up approach, in contrast to some of the accusations that have flown round the chamber this afternoon. We want to hear what people in Galloway and Ayrshire have to say about this and how they want to move forward. The recent consultation flagged a number of issues, as I touched on in my statement. They vary from concerns about the climate and biodiversity to a strong interest in transport and improving roads, and from issues around economic development more broadly to affordable housing and trying to secure opportunities for young people so that they stay in the area and it thrives and flourishes. As I have outlined, we see that information as really important.”
“It is clear that there is no current consensus from the local communities in Galloway and Ayrshire about the way forward. That is exactly why the Scottish Government’s consultation was so important— because it established what the views are. The cabinet secretary has intimated this already, but I ask her to say more about how the communities can be supported to engage with one another on what is next. Will she also say more about plans for the future with regard to what is in the best interests of Galloway and Ayrshire? Mairi Gougeon: First and foremost in all this are the people who live in Galloway and Ayrshire and their views. That is why the extensive engagement that has been undertaken in relation to the proposal was so important.”
“Save the Children has warned that delay in the UK Government’s publishing its child poverty strategy means that “20,000 more children will be dragged into poverty.” Does the First Minister share my concern that, yet again, Westminster’s inaction is getting in the way of the Scottish Government’s work to eradicate child poverty in South Scotland and across the rest of our country?”
“That support is also part of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill that I mentioned earlier and which, if passed, will modernise deer management by implementing many of the deer working group’s recommendations on deer culling at a local and national level. Again, getting the various stakeholders around the table to work together on the issue will be key to striking a balance and ensuring that we promote biodiversity and the natural environment to its fullest extent. I again thank Elena Whitham for lodging her motion and I commend the work being done in this area by the Common Ground Forum. 17:51”
“It is yet another string to the south’s bow with regard to its reputation for world- leading food and drink, and I want such projects to be extended further across the south. I therefore urge estates and anyone else involved in deer management to get the ball rolling by getting in their applications, so that we can see the innovation deployed on Jura being rolled out to our school students in places such as Dumfries and Galloway. Capital funding for most pilot projects is aimed at developing the infrastructure for venison processing, storage and support, which is what we need for our local communities to turn deer management from a challenge into an opportunity.”
“One example of joined-up working is happening on Jura and Islay, in Jenni Minto’s constituency, where locally sourced venison is now on the dinner menu at six schools. It is an excellent way of reducing food miles and providing healthy, protein-rich meals, as has already been mentioned. Of course, school meals are free to all students in primary 1 to 5, thanks to the Scottish Government. This is exactly why the Scottish Government is funding projects such as the larder and chill facility at Barwhillanty near Castle Douglas. The costs to the Government are relatively small—in this case, around £20,000—but the potential benefits to the local community can be huge, including reducing the dependence on meat from further afield, reducing waste and keeping spending power in local communities.”
“The local deer group brings together a variety of stakeholders, with the aim of ensuring the safe and sustainable management of our different species of deer to help address overgrazing and to promote biodiversity and a healthy natural environment. People often cite conflict over how we best use and manage the finite resource of land, but when we think about the interests of conservationists, rewilders and the agricultural sector, the fact is that conflict is not always inevitable. We need to find a way of managing and resolving any conflicts that arise and bringing together everyone with an interest in this issue, and the work of local deer management groups and the national Common Ground Forum that Elena Whitham has praised in her motion and speech is crucial to that holistic approach.”
“In my South Scotland region, as in other rural areas, we have a specific deer management group; in my case, it is the Galloway and Dumfriesshire deer group. I spoke to the chair of the group yesterday and will be meeting him and the vice-chair on Friday to discuss deer management issues, specifically lowland management needs and the differences with highland or upland needs. I agree with the deer group chair that deer management is not just a rural issue. We have witnessed more deer in peri-urban and even urban areas, causing damage in residential areas and to gardens. Of course, there are issues on our local roads, too, with larger fallow deer colliding with vehicles, causing severe accidents and damage to those vehicles—or even writing them off.”
“I thank Elena Whitham for securing the debate. She has outlined well how the Common Ground Forum was set up and how it is working. The debate is also very timely, given that the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, of which Ms Whitham and I are members, is scrutinising the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, part of which focuses on updating the deer management legislation. Deer are a keystone species and help shape our ecosystems. Light grazing can keep in check competitive plant species, allowing plant diversity to thrive. In addition, microhabitats are created when deer disturb ground with their hooves and fertilise the soil with their dung. However, a high density of deer causes problems; indeed, the Wildlife Scotland Trust has said that these “gentle gardeners” can become “metaphorical bulldozers”.”
“Dumfries and Galloway has 47 community or locally owned projects funded under the community and renewable energy scheme. Those are not only wind farms but projects that are harnessing the potential technology of anaerobic digestion and biogas from the agricultural sector, creating the potential to hook up households off the gas grid or to create district heating systems. I am interested in how we can pursue anaerobic digestion to support our dairy farmers across the South Scotland region. I hope that the £8 million fund established by the Government will grow over the years, empowering communities across the south and the whole of Scotland, and building a future that ensures that our communities and the people of Scotland have a direct stake in, and get a direct benefit from, the net zero society that we are bringing to fruition. 16:08”
“Getting the balance between having a national or international focus and hearing the very real concerns of local communities is, at times, a thankless task. That is why I think that community ownership of wind power, and across all renewables, has to be a top priority. I do not want people to feel that they have lost control of their land and their economic and sustainable development future to corporations from other places that are just greenwashing and providing less than a potential community benefit fund while extracting the maximum profit possible. Community ownership means the full involvement of the entire community from the beginning of the process: from conception to planning to development. It means the full financial benefit of renewables development flowing to local communities, rather than just a small portion of the income.”