Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thank you, Presiding Officer.

There is no doubt that this has been a particularly difficult summer, during which it has not been easy to find any good news. The Westminster and Scottish Governments have not had their troubles to seek, and it is painfully obvious to all members that the public want their Governments to be fully focused—laser-like, as Jackie Baillie has just said—on the major challenges that we all face, and that they want both Governments to talk to each other, to co-operate and to set aside the constant bickering that does nothing to assuage their concerns about the future.

Yesterday, a constituent said to me that she did not believe that the Scottish public care terribly much about who sorts their energy bills, who picks up their bins, who is responsible for the transport that gets them to work or who sorts the deeply damaging strikes that have become too familiar across the country; they just want to get the issues sorted so that they can get on with their lives.

The First Minister is absolutely right to say that Westminster has a big role to play: it does, but so, too, does the Scottish Government, and it is important that those roles complement rather than contradict each other.

There has been consensus in the debate that it is the economy that matters most; it cannot be any other way in a time of crisis. I will concentrate on the economy, starting with this week’s stark economic analysis of where we are in terms of the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s forecasts. The SFC is a body that rightly earns considerable respect from John Swinney, who perhaps knows better than any of us about the true numbers that his department sees and, therefore, the extent of the economic problems that Scotland faces.

Professor Graeme Roy said again to the Finance and Public Administration Committee this morning that although many countries in the world face significant economic challenges, Scotland’s are particularly acute. That is pretty clear from almost every aspect of the analysis.

For many months, the Scottish Fiscal Commission has been highlighting the issue of weak productivity, which is, as Daniel Johnson highlighted in his speech and as I would argue, the main long-term problem in the economy. It is true that that is also a problem in the UK economy, but it is worse in Scotland and is putting untold pressures on gross domestic product and on our potential for economic growth. That, combined with the demographic issues that mean that the population of Scotland is likely to fall by 16 per cent in the next 50 years and an emphasis on the problems caused by a shrinking working population, suggests very difficult circumstances for us all.

The long and short of it is that much more must be done to ensure that Scotland is a much more attractive place in which to live and work. That is the strong message that is coming from business and industry. We need tax incentives, investment incentives and innovation and skills incentives. If we do not have those in place, our other endeavours to ensure that society functions well will not work and our wellbeing will not be enhanced.

So far, so good. We also need a sense of realpolitik about exactly where we are. The obituaries that followed the death last week of Mikhail Gorbachev, who was a giant of European and world history, reminded us that he not only understood, with perestroika, the need to place the economy at the heart of politics, but that he also understood, through glasnost, the importance of democracy and that, in addition to adherence to the principles that we all treasure, Governments must accept and respond to criticism.

There is a lesson here. Over the summer, the divisions within Scottish politics—and, yes, within my own party—have been stark. What alarms me, as a relative veteran—

I am finishing.

Today’s statement and debate have shown just how much there is to do. Westminster has important responsibility, but so, too, does this Parliament. Governments need to get on with the jobs that they were elected to do without any distractions or eyes off the ball. In my view, the public deserve nothing less.

I will, in a minute.

What alarms me, as a relative veteran in this Parliament, are the negativity and occasional vindictiveness that are now pervasive. Their promulgation and the response to them too often define the future of our politics.

Notwithstanding that point, the population change is not as severe in the rest of the UK as it is in Scotland. There were also issues prior to Brexit. Does Mr Swinney accept the argument that is made by a lot of economists and, to some extent, politicians that, at the moment, Scotland is not a sufficiently attractive place in which to work and live?

It is pretty clear from what I have just said that I am not going to take sides. It is very clear from what constituents have said to me—and I am sure it is the same for all members—that they want our undivided focus to be on the economy, not on other issues. That is not an argument to have now. The public deserve better. They must have that focus. I say again that it is right that both Governments take responsibility for that.

I will address the economic issues before I come to some others. As Douglas Ross rightly said in his remarks, the cost of living issue is urgent. Direct support is urgent. I hope that we will hear more about that tomorrow, but it must be accompanied by the fiscal discipline of low taxation and a small state. We have become used to the opposite, both north and south of the border, partly as a response to the Covid pandemic but also because of our expectation that it is now the state that should take responsibility for our lives. That situation cannot be allowed to last.

It is also the case that business must have as much certainty as possible in these difficult times. That is one reason why I have been asking the Scottish Government to match the UK Government’s pledge to reduce the income tax rate from 20p to 19p in 2024. The SNP knows that if it does not commit to that, there will be a lower block grant adjustment. That will create many issues, given the declining tax base in relation to what is happening in the UK. The SFC’s forecasts on that are particularly grim.

We also want to avoid any increase in the business rate, which, incidentally, is hinted at in the medium-term financial strategy, but we want it to be set in stone—and, in the future, we want to move to reduce the rate.

At the same time, given the worrying trend of weak productivity in Scotland, we need to do much more to support businesses on upskilling and reskilling. We need to be on their side, addressing the barriers in the private and public sectors that restrict modernisation and supporting them on employment policy and entrepreneurship. The issue of developing more flexibility in the labour market, which has also been highlighted by the SFC, is a huge one.

The SNP has presided over years of labour market structural imbalances. That is why it is so important that we talk meaningfully about and deliver upskilling, reskilling, entrepreneurship and flexible working. If we do not, we will be in a very difficult place, because we will reduce the attraction of investment.

The accompanying aspect is the importance of improving the delivery of the public services that are so crucial to our communities and our wellbeing. The delivery of education, health, transport, housing and criminal justice services is all devolved. My colleagues and other members across the chamber have set out the long list of failings that have all occurred within the devolved area of competence and spending and within the context of a block grant that, in both cash and real terms—yes, minus the Covid spend—was the highest on record.

There is also a long list of examples of waste. Millions of pounds of public money—Anas Sarwar mentioned this—have been squandered by the Government on the delays to the ferries, which are on-going, it seems; on BiFab; on Prestwick airport; on the malicious prosecution of the Rangers FC administrators; and so the list continues. That is why the Scottish Conservatives believe that this Parliament needs to do something to address Audit Scotland’s concerns and improve scrutiny and accountability. For me, that includes a finance bill procedure. Not only is waste on that scale inexcusable, but there is a huge opportunity cost attached to it, given where that money could have been spent.

Rachael Hamilton rightly spoke about the support that is desperately needed to address our fragile rural communities. She highlighted the urgent need for a sustainable future farm policy following the protracted consultation period. Support is needed for our islands, which have in some cases been completely isolated this year when it comes to food supplies, transport to the mainland and broadband connectivity.

Jamie Greene highlighted the significant problems in the justice portfolio, most especially those that reflect the increases in serious crime and those that hitherto have undermined the rights of victims, as opposed to criminals. I wish Mr Greene well for his member’s bill.

It is my great privilege to lead this members’ business debate, especially at the end of a summer when it has not been easy to be optimistic about anything. Our extraordinary athletes lifted the gloom, however, with their sheer determination, professionalism and strong sense of national pride, and they are to be warmly congratulated, as are the many thousands of coaches and support teams, who do so much hard work behind the scenes, often without the public accolades.

At the start of recess, I was part of the cross-party group that went to Munich, a city that I last visited way back in 1972, when, as a very young child, I was taken by my parents to two events at the Olympic games. Driving past the Olympic park, with its remarkable, groundbreaking architecture, reminded me of just how special it was to be at the games and of the inspiration that I derived from them at a very young age.

The same was true for many of us eight years ago, when we attended several events at the Commonwealth games in Glasgow. There are other members speaking in the debate this evening, most notably my colleague Brian Whittle, who knows better than any of us what it means to compete on the world stage. However, I know what it feels like to be selected to represent your country—seven times, in my case—and about all the hard work, commitment, team spirit and athletic ability that are the essential ingredients for success.

For 10 years now, I have had the privilege of chairing the Parliament’s cross-party group on sport, which brings all our members into close association with the sporting bodies across Scotland and with the Scottish Sports Association, which is so ably looked after by Kim Atkinson and her colleagues. It is evident to all that the passion in Scottish sport is as strong as ever, and the success that we have just witnessed in Birmingham should reflect on those administrators as well as on our athletes.

During the past 10 years—at Glasgow 2014, Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022—Scotland’s athletes have been outstanding, and it is right that the Parliament pays tribute to them. That brings me to the Birmingham games, which took place between 28 July and 8 August this year. After the extraordinary successes of the previous Commonwealth games, in which 53 and 44 medals respectively were won, team Scotland was widely presumed by many to be on course for more modest success in comparison. The team was certainly not expected to top the extraordinary performance in Australia four years previously. However, a total of 13 gold medals, 11 silver medals and 27 bronze medals, plus sixth place overall, tells its own story.

I do not have time this evening to pay individual tribute to all our medallists, but I will say something about some of the highlights. The tense final lap of Eilish McColgan’s gold medal race in the 10,000m is every bit as hair-raising when watching it on repeat as it was when watching it live. That is not to mention that it came 36 years after her mother, Liz McColgan, achieved the first of her 10,000m Commonwealth gold medals in Edinburgh, which was followed by her performance in Auckland. Those are fairytale endings indeed.

Another particularly historic highlight was Laura Muir winning Scotland’s first-ever 1,500m gold medal at the Commonwealth games, only to replicate that victory a few weeks later by retaining her European title in Munich. Laura grew up in Milnathort in Kinross-shire, in the region that I have the privilege to represent in Parliament. Another athlete from Mid Scotland and Fife brought back two gold medals to Scotland: Duncan Scott, who grew up in Alloa. He has become a familiar name in recent years, thanks to his outstanding versatility in swimming events. Scott won the men’s 200m freestyle and the men’s 200m individual medley, as well as winning two bronze medals. I thank him for coming to the Parliament some years ago to inspire others with his story.

Major sporting events are a time not only to celebrate the achievements of those who are participating but to take stock and look forward. We all know that sport and physical activity matter, but they are also—or they should be—the golden thread that connects health, communities and opportunities. They also have a positive effect on our economy, on educational attainment and employability and on community cohesion—and, my goodness, we need that more than ever these days.

There are, however, considerable challenges out there that it is vital to address if we are to continue Scotland’s upward path in athletic success. We need to pay attention to the resources that underpin our sport: access to playing fields and indoor centres; the financial structures that help our governing bodies to put in place the appropriate support and training facilities; and the collaborative projects that help local authorities, central Government and the sporting agencies to work together on the same page. In addition, we need to deal honestly and openly with the issues of discrimination and racism.

In my own sport of cricket, no one could fail to be deeply concerned by the recent findings of the independent report into institutional failings at Cricket Scotland. I thank Malcolm Dingwall-Smith for offering MSPs the opportunity yesterday to hear about the measures that are being put in place. Tomorrow evening, in Kaukab Stewart’s members’ business debate, we will have the opportunity to debate some of those issues in greater detail. However, I commend sportscotland for helping us all to understand the extent of the challenge that we face.

We often talk about the legacy of international games. Munich is rightly proud of the fact that every single facility that was built for the Olympics in 1972 is still in good working order and is booked up daily. Barcelona is proud of the new infrastructure and the investment that came to the city. Glasgow is proud of the regeneration of many of its derelict lands, and in Birmingham, Sir Chris Hoy heralded fellow cyclist Laura Kenny as the perfect role model to get young people active, despite what had been a very tough year for her.

I would like to see one other thing as the lasting legacy of Birmingham, and in Scotland, we are well on the way there. In recent years, we have seen an increase in the number of sporting volunteers, to 200,000. To young people especially, those volunteers are the lifeline into sport. They are our unsung heroes and heroines, and they matter a lot. For every medal that is won in elite sport, there have been thousands of volunteers. I thank them all for what they do for Scottish sport, and say to them: Birmingham’s success was partly yours. [Applause.]

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the role that the Covid-19 booster vaccination programme will play in its Covid recovery strategy. (S6O-01291)

I thank John Mason for bringing what is an important debate to the chamber. It should go without saying that all of us in this place, irrespective of our political views, are rightly very proud of our Scottish companies and their Scottish heritage. Mr Mason has spoken about several key companies that have a very distinguished and long-standing Scottish heritage, and whose names are renowned around the world.

Sometimes there are sound economic reasons, which are often related to economies of scale, as to why some Scottish companies may wish to give up some control of their assets. However, there are clear trends in which companies in Scotland are giving up significant control of their businesses to foreign firms, and I understand why Mr Mason has concerns about that. It is, therefore, of the utmost important importance that we in the chamber work together to provide support where it is needed and to ensure that as many companies as possible are able to remain independently competitive.

In my 15 years as an MSP, I have worked closely on a range of issues with companies such as Stagecoach in my Perth region. Most of my interactions with Stagecoach representatives have been entirely productive, and their willingness to engage constructively with me and other representatives, and with my constituents, has always been greatly appreciated.

Moreover, I was relieved to hear that—as Mr Mason mentioned—the new deal between DWS and Stagecoach means that the headquarters will now remain in Perth, which would not have been the case if the previous National Express merger had taken place. Many of the services that Stagecoach runs across Mid Scotland and Fife are absolute lifelines for elderly constituents attending medical appointments, for example, and for students attending their educational establishments. It is important, therefore, that we continue to support a company like Stagecoach through that transition so that those lifeline services continue to operate as frequently as possible.

Similarly, I commend the work of John Menzies most especially, as it has had to deal with the exigencies of the pandemic. Around the world, the aviation sector bore the brunt of Government policies—I am speaking of all Governments, not any specific Government—to stop the spread of the virus. It is obviously very worrying, although somewhat unsurprising, that companies in that sector will have to make significant compromises that would not have been the case in normal circumstances.

A year ago, I was one of the members of this Parliament—some of the others are in the chamber this evening—who stood outside the Parliament when various representatives from the aviation sector came to tell us exactly what their plight involved. It was not funny to listen to some of their stories about their experiences, and I was not surprised when the news came through of the full takeover of the business by Kuwait’s National Aviation Services.

Although it should go without saying that the examples of the loss of independent control of Scottish businesses are disappointing and, in some cases, very worrying, we have to ask ourselves—Mr Mason asked us to ask these questions—why it is that Scottish businesses feel the need to relocate and, in some cases, to forfeit considerable control to foreign investors.

Like other colleagues, I have had many meetings with business leaders throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and I have attended several round-table events with key businesses, including one just this morning. It is clear that business confidence in many sectors is weak: some businesses even feel that policymakers do not see them as a priority, and they worry about the future of the Scottish economy.

Like me, Mr Mason and Daniel Johnson sit on the Finance and Public Administration Committee, and we know only too well what the in-depth analysis of the main forecasters is showing. It is not a happy picture—let us be honest about that. Businesses are facing rising costs, serious recruitment issues and rising debt, but there are also longer-term structural problems in the labour market, serious productivity issues and skills shortages. Businesses want as much stability and certainty as possible, as the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy herself said two budgets ago. At the moment, however, they have neither, and they now have another referendum threat, with the turmoil that that will create.

None of those things is helpful to Scottish business in enabling it to retain not only its discrete heritage, as we all want to see, but its economic viability. We should worry about that.

Given the recent increase in cases, I am sure that I will not be the only member of the Scottish Parliament receiving inquiries from constituents asking for information about when the fourth Covid vaccine booster will be available to those not in the three categories that are currently able to get it. I raise this matter following information provided to me that at St John’s centre in Perth, with which the Deputy First Minister will be very familiar, staff were very free to offer vaccinations because of the low number of patients who were attending.

Can the cabinet secretary tell me when the information about further groups will be available?

I thank the minister for prior sight of his statement. There is absolutely no doubt that this remains a very challenging fiscal environment, in which many factors are combining to make the path to recovery uncertain.

It is perfectly true, as the minister said, that the Scottish Government cannot overspend on its budget, but the whole of Scotland wants to know why ministers have not acted on the demands that they themselves have repeatedly made to ensure that both businesses and the public receive financial support as quickly as possible. That is exactly what the cabinet secretary demanded of the UK Government just a few weeks ago, yet, today, we learn that there is a large underspend of £650 million and, yesterday, we learned that the Scottish Government has still not decided, a month on, what to do with the £41 million that it received in Barnett consequentials from the household support fund.

I will ask the minister two questions. First, why, when we have businesses that are collectively struggling with debt, the recruitment crisis and rising costs, and many families are really struggling with the cost of living, is the Scottish National Party not releasing more money now so that it can deal with the current financial constraints?

Secondly, will the minister confirm to Parliament that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy will make a statement prior to recess to announce how the Scottish Government will spend the £41 million of Barnett consequentials to help low-income families, which she has been sitting on for a month?