Petitions 966, 990 and 1041 concern the provision of swimming pools and other community sports facilities. I invite members to consider whether they wish to close the petitions on the basis that the committee considered these issues as part of its inquiry into pathways into sport, or, in the spirit of alternative approaches, whether they wish to propose and agree an alternative approach.
I read PE966 from Robert Lambert and PE1041 from Leslie James Trotter. I appreciate that, given our financial constraints, we cannot provide everything to everyone, but asking for community-based sports clubs of a standard befitting a leading European nation is not unreasonable. Given the strength of feeling in the petitions, if I were the petitioners, I might be a bit disappointed with the Government’s response, which says merely that “sportscotland is committed to the provision of outdoor sports” and“strives to negotiate high quality replacement provision for pitches”,and that the Government “will encourage Local Authorities to consider the importance of the availability of playing and training surfaces”.I do not know what more we can do; I just wanted to express that point.
Are you suggesting that we should find some way of opening up all the private finance initiative playgrounds to which communities are denied access in the evenings and at the weekends?
In fairness to the Government—Interruption. Excuse me. I do not know what has got into you today, children, but we are all talking amongst ourselves and teacher is not happy.Earlier, we were trying to cut back on one letter being sent for the sake of efficiencies. In fairness to the Government, I do not know where the money will come from to make improvements to swimming facilities in the coming few years. Everyone around the table is aware of the difficulties. Whoever is in Government in Edinburgh or London will have to deal with the fact of the current financial situation. Because of that, it might be realistic simply to close the petitions.
I am talking about the report; that is what it says. Around 80 or 90 per cent of the facilities are provided by local authorities, and it is difficult to understand how local authorities will find the resources to plough into them, given that there has been a lack of adequate investment in the facilities for three decades, as the “Ticking Time Bomb” report highlights.
We can look back or we can look forward, but we can also look to our report, “Pathways into sport and physical activity”, which said:“The Committee reiterates its earlier recommendation that each community planning partnership should have a sports strategy, which includes an implementation plan.”I would have hoped that, at the very least, the Government would be working with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to ensure that there is some sort of commitment among local authorities to a sports strategy and an implementation plan, rather than what we have got. We can look back over the past 30 years, but that will gain us nothing. It would be much more positive and constructive to look forward.
Your comments are on the record. The Scottish Government’s response to the committee says:“The Scottish Government supports the committee’s conclusion and in working with Local Authorities and sportscotland in the development of sports strategies will encourage that these take cognisance of the availability of quality playing and training surfaces.”That means that the Government is doing what you suggest that it should do, Mary.I would like to move on. Members’ comments and dissatisfactions with some matters are on the record. Can we close these petitions?
I do not want anyone to go away thinking that the Parliament does not recognise the importance of these facilities. As Mary Scanlon says, irrespective of what has happened in the past and how challenging the future might be, we all need to do what we can in the interests of swimming pools and so on. We must keep in mind the massive number of people who are disabled and need hydrotherapy and all the rest of it.
I was making the point that, in the current economic climate, we cannot raise false hopes. However, I am sure that every member around this table has campaigned and will continue to campaign for sports and swimming facilities, particularly for disabled people, in their constituencies. Given that the views that have been expressed are on the record, do we agree to close the petitions?Members indicated agreement.
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