As I travel around Ross, Skye and Lochaber and indeed around much of the Highlands and islands, I am encouraged to meet many businesses, large and small, which are investing for the future.
My burning ambition is to see an even greater number of opportunities for investment and job creation fulfilling the area’s potential by forging an industrial renaissance in the Highlands.
There has been much excitement surrounding the acquisition of the Rio Tinto assets in Lochaber by GFG Alliance, not only in securing the jobs which currently exist, but also in their recognition of growth opportunities.
Here is a business prepared to invest up to £120million to expand operations in Lochaber with production of aluminium not only secured, but also proposing further investment in making automotive parts, such as alloy wheels.
This in turn will lead to the generation of hundreds of additional jobs and there is the prospect of an extension to the production of steel over the coming years.
Another vote of confidence is the Marine Harvest investment in a feed production facility in Skye that will bring much welcome jobs to the island.
Tales of the jobs bonanza at the Port of Kishorn in the 1970s are legendary, with the facility at its peak employing as many as 3,000 workers.
Today, the owners of Kishorn Port are promoting the site for, amongst other uses, a potential destination for the decommissioning of redundant assets from the North Sea oil industry.
This unique facility in the north-west is ideally placed to become a destination of choice for this type of work and it does not take a leap of imagination to foresee a time where the steel from the decommissioning of oil rigs and other equipment can be taken by sea to Fort William as a source of raw material for a new steel production facility.
There are also many other companies which have a strong focus on growth opportunities. I am optimistic that these can lead to jobs which will allow people to continue living and working in the Highlands, while presenting the chance for others to relocate to this beautiful area that so many of us call home.
The Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) are both performing a key role in supporting the investment plans of those who want to create these opportunities and it is against this backdrop that the debate on the future of HIE must be seen.
The single most important issue is whether the government and its enterprise agencies can deliver for communities throughout the Highlands and islands.
Over 51 years, HIE and its predecessor HIDB have delivered for the Highlands, with the region outperforming in job creation, leading in many parts of the Highlands and islands to the reversal of population decline.
The question today is how do we enhance the capabilities of HIE to strengthen its capabilities of delivering sustainable economic growth?
The creation of a strategic board where HIE can work collaboratively with the likes of Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International and Skills Development Scotland enhances the skill set of HIE.
It must not and will not be about centralisation.
The Scottish Government published its report on phase one of the enterprise review in October 2016, phase two will be published in March of this year.
What I believe will be set out at that point are the details of the inter-relationship between the new strategic board and the operating agencies such as HIE.
It is the case that HIE is firmly rooted in all our communities and its success is very much built upon its understanding of the interests of our communities.
The institution is rightly much respected.
What I believe will be delivered is a conclusion that sees HIE continuing to operate, serving the needs of the Highlands and Islands, while remaining accountable as an institution in the region, but benefiting from the new relationship with the strategic board.
It is much to look forward to, it is an opportunity for HIE to go from strength to strength and play its part in participating in a new industrial renaissance for the Highlands and islands.
Farmers and crofters are quite rightly expressing concern as to what support will be available to them if the UK leaves the EU.
This is a very important matter and I have asked the UK Government to guarantee funding support to farmers and crofters who need the security of knowing that financial support will remain in place.
In the meantime, I have been pressing the UK Government to review the delivery of the so-called convergence uplift funds which are being given to the UK on the premise that these funds will support farmers and crofters in less favoured areas.
In other words, this money was primarily meant to be coming to Scotland.
Europe granted 223 million euros of extra funding starting in 2016.
The UK farming minister took the view that Scotland should only get 16% of this funding.
Put simply, Scottish farmers and crofters are being done out of funds by a UK Government which has failed to pass on the grants in the way that the EU had intended.
Europe wanted to help Scottish crofters and farmers but the UK Government short-changed us.
We were promised a review in 2016 and it has not happened. I recently brought this up in the House and am demanding the UK Government delivers on this.
The judgment from the Supreme Court this week on forcing a parliamentary vote on triggering Article 50 saw the UK Government making the statement that: “This government is determined to deliver on the decision taken by the people of the United Kingdom.”
I pointed out to the government that 62% of those who voted in Scotland chose to remain and that we cannot be driven out of the single market against our will.
We know that removal of the single market will be disastrous for jobs and wages in Scotland, which is why the Scottish Government is determined to do what it can to protect our position.
The UK Government tells us that it is a partnership between London and Edinburgh and yet on this issue which is so important for our future it does not want to know.
The UK Government cannot treat our government with contempt.
We are prepared to work with the UK Government to achieve a settlement, they are not listening.
If they do not do so, an independence referendum may become inevitable.
