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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 15 July 2025
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Displaying 1342 contributions

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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 12 November 2024

Kevin Stewart

Quite often, such instruments do not make much sense to the layman or woman. People might be watching this at home and listening to the complexity of your opening statement, Deputy First Minister, and of Mr Matheson’s questions and the answers to them, and thinking, “What the hell is going on here?” We need to tease out some of the key elements.

This was a power that we had before, which was taken away and which we are getting back. One of the key things that you said in your opening statement, which I will ask about again, was that our intention is to retain the “well-understood”—your term—environmental impact assessments, and that if there is to be any change and a move to EORs, that would require a huge amount of consultation. Is that fair to say?

09:45  

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Appointment of the Scottish Land Commissioners and the Tenant Farming Commissioner

Meeting date: 12 November 2024

Kevin Stewart

You talked about listening and lived experience. How do we move forward from not only listening to people and taking their views to also empowering them to do more to help shape their future?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 12 November 2024

Kevin Stewart

Thank you. That is very clear.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Appointment of the Scottish Land Commissioners and the Tenant Farming Commissioner

Meeting date: 12 November 2024

Kevin Stewart

Thank you, convener. One of the priority criteria for the role is stakeholder engagement and community empowerment. Dr MacLeod has given some commentary about stakeholder engagement, so I would like to hear from Dr Beattie and Mr Black on how they see community empowerment as part of the role.

As we have been sitting here this morning, there has been some commentary that shows that, first of all, some people are not listening and some do not want to empower people. John McTernan, a former Labour political adviser, said this morning:

“we don’t need the small farmers”,

which shows me that he has not been listening at all. It would therefore be useful to hear about the community empowerment aspect with commentary about stakeholder engagement from Dr Beattie and Mr Black. Mr Black could go first.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Appointment of the Scottish Land Commissioners and the Tenant Farming Commissioner

Meeting date: 12 November 2024

Kevin Stewart

I want to follow up on something else that you said, Dr MacLeod, before we come to Dr Beattie. You mentioned Aberdeen, which is always guaranteed to get you in my good books. However, my constituency, Aberdeen Central, is the only constituency in the north-east of Scotland that does not have a farm in it. You expressed the importance of views about land from an urban perspective as well as a rural one. How do we help folk from urban areas to understand the rural aspects? How do we get folk in rural areas to understand the urban aspects of land? How do you see your role there?

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 31 October 2024

Kevin Stewart

It is a pity that we canna broaden out some of the questions but, obviously, because of the current court situation, the sub judice rule is in play. Therefore, I will stick to the regulations that are in front of us. Cabinet secretary, I take it that you wish that you were laying different regulations in front of the committee today.

10:00  

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 31 October 2024

Kevin Stewart

The UK Government’s policy change has an impact on people who live in the real world. You spoke about some of the mitigation measures that the Scottish Government has put in place, such as through the Scottish welfare fund and discretionary housing payments. Given that eligibility now largely rests on entitlement to pension credit, what discussions have you had with the secretary of state about the UK Government running a campaign to ensure that all those folk who are entitled to pension credit get that benefit, and therefore get the winter fuel payment?

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 31 October 2024

Kevin Stewart

I want to turn to the policy decision that the UK Government made—it was a bit of a shock decision—and the removal of those moneys from the Scottish Government. I have a general question about respect. Has the Scottish Government raised the issue of the respect agenda with the UK Government when it comes to intergovernmental relations, as opposed to its taking an approach in which a change in policy is sprung upon you unawares that you then must deal with? I understand—you said this in your opening remarks—that discussions between your civil servants and UK civil servants about the transfer of the powers and resources had been going on for some time. How far in advance of the announcement did you have knowledge of what the UK Government was about to do, and do you think that it acted in a respectful way?

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 31 October 2024

Kevin Stewart

I think that it is agreed that none of us wants to be in the position of approving the regulations, but it is a necessity. We are where we are, because of the UK Government’s shock decision to end universality on winter fuel payments, which has an impact on our budget here. We can debate until the cows come home what funding might be available from other announcements and from yesterday’s budget. However, I have been sitting here in this meeting, listening to the various arguments about what will or will not be available, and I have to say that I do not envy the task of the cabinet secretary or her colleagues, particularly the finance secretary, in trying to get to grips with what the budget means for us.

From our discussions today and previously, I recognise that the cabinet secretary does not want to be in that position either, and that she wants to do better for the people of Scotland. I am quite sure that she will come back with proposals. I talked about the shock that we had—which, obviously, the Government had, too—about the changes. However, the real shock is for the folk out there whose expectation was that they would get winter fuel payments this coming year, many of whom now will not. The short-term impact of situations that happen in this country, where shock comes into play, is unacceptable, and UK Governments must take cognisance of that and not do such things in the future.

I also recognise Mr Balfour’s point about the DWP. However, those of us who have, over many years, followed the discussions about the DWP, and its lack of flexibility in its attitude to the Scottish Government in the past, will not be surprised to hear that there has been no flexibility from the DWP on this issue.

The shock scenario is the worst aspect of this policy, not only for the Scottish Government but in particular for those folks out there who expected payments this year.

10:15  

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Registers of Scotland

Meeting date: 30 October 2024

Kevin Stewart

How do you react to any allegations of fraudulent disposition? How much of a priority is it for you to find the true answer for people who are obviously in very difficult positions?