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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 11 May 2025
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Displaying 3016 contributions

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Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

General Question Time

Meeting date: 8 May 2025

Shona Robison

On 27 February, the Scottish Government commenced a consultation on the potential to give local authorities the power to introduce a cruise ship levy. That consultation closes on 30 May and we will consider next steps in due course, after the responses have been analysed.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

General Question Time

Meeting date: 8 May 2025

Shona Robison

There is some uncertainty about how much passengers and crews spend onshore per day. In the published business and regulatory impact assessment, the Scottish Government presents estimates of the overall passenger and crew spending onshore in Scotland in 2024, which range from £55 million to £102 million. The spending will generally be concentrated around the port where the cruise ship is docked, although passengers may travel further from some ports than from others. The BRIA highlights some local surveys that have identified benefits from increased visitor spending at local attractions, increased footfall in town centres and new employment opportunities.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

General Question Time

Meeting date: 8 May 2025

Shona Robison

I reassure Liam McArthur that the consultation provides a suitable opportunity to offer views on the idea of a point-of-entry levy, which has been raised with Scottish ministers. Further, detailed consideration of the potential impacts on local authorities, tourism bodies and visitors will be required before any decisions are made on whether to move ahead with any point-of-entry levy.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 30 April 2025

Shona Robison

I say to Sarah Boyack that, of course, we understand the pressures on public services, which are felt across these islands because of the demographic challenges that we all understand. However, the Government has given record levels of investment—more than £15 billion—to local government and £21 billion to the national health service and social care. Those are record levels of funding. We expect councils and the health service to ensure that they are adequately funding local services and third sector organisations, which do a very important job.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 30 April 2025

Shona Robison

As other local authorities have done, the City of Edinburgh Council has received an extra £60 million, or an additional 5.9 per cent of funding, compared to 2024-25, and it will receive £73.9 million—an extra £8.1 million—in capital funding.

Sue Webber, in many ways, answered the question herself, because she described the funding formula as being COSLA based. That funding formula is a needs-based formula that is agreed with COSLA on behalf of 32 local authorities each year. If I were to step in and disregard the COSLA agreement, which it arrived at on behalf of 32 local authorities, people would be popping up across the chamber to criticise me for doing so.

I point out to Sue Webber that she cannot support £1 billion of unfunded tax cuts at the same time as calling for more money for the City of Edinburgh Council or anyone else.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 30 April 2025

Shona Robison

Ministers and officials regularly meet the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and individual local authorities to ensure that local government has the capacity and resources that are required to continue to provide communities across Scotland with the high-quality front-line services that they expect and deserve.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 30 April 2025

Shona Robison

I first say that I understand Maggie Chapman’s concern and appreciate the value of day centres and other services for disabled people. Those are proposals by Aberdeenshire Council, but I urge it to listen to the representations that Maggie Chapman has described. We have ensured that Aberdeenshire Council is receiving an extra £42 million, or an additional 7.2 per cent, compared with 2024-25. Taken together with its increase in council tax, that is an additional £58.1 million to support front-line services in 2025-26. I therefore certainly hope that, as Maggie Chapman has alluded to, the council will listen to those local representations.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 30 April 2025

Shona Robison

Absolutely. In recognition of the damaging implications of that increase for businesses, public services and communities, the Scottish Government has called on the UK Government to reverse it. The increase will, of course, lead to opportunity costs in terms of money that could otherwise have provided the additional funding that Sarah Boyack was calling for, or additional funding for local authorities or the health service. Those opportunity costs are resulting in money for public services going straight back to the Treasury, and that is totally unacceptable.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 30 April 2025

Shona Robison

The Scottish Government routinely engages with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and individual local authorities to cover a range of topics, including current and future budgets.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 30 April 2025

Shona Robison

Councils and their employees play a vital role in communities across Scotland, which is why the Scottish Government has made available record funding this year. Although I recognise that significant challenges remain across the public sector, I expect that the additional funding will allow Aberdeenshire Council and other councils to invest in effective, efficient and sustainable local services.