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I know that the cabinet secretary is aware of the significant growth in Edinburgh’s population and of the serious issues that there have been this year, in my constituency and across the capital more widely, regarding a small minority of youths engaging in very concerning antisocial behaviour, including theft and violence. What is the Scottish Government’s response to those concerning trends and to the pressures in Edinburgh?

I absolutely agree with Alex Cole-Hamilton. The point that he makes is the reason why I felt compelled to speak in the debate. I would say that we are very lucky that something more tragic and even worse has not happened on the streets of Edinburgh in the past year. I do know that the same issue applies elsewhere—for example, Bob Doris brought up the tragic situation with one of his constituents.

This is a really serious issue. I have had emails this year, particularly in the summer, about off-road motor vehicles being driven at high speed up pavements through really dense urban areas, with people in balaclavas undertaking attacks and engaging in really serious shoplifting and violence. Last night, I had an email about a traffic warden being attacked in Leith by minors.

The issue is, as I have said, really serious, and, as colleagues have alluded to, it needs to be much further up the agenda. In Edinburgh, there is a serious operational question for Police Scotland about the deployment of resources. We have a growing population in Edinburgh, and that needs to be matched with law enforcement resources. We need to give serious consideration to what more can be done to ensure that youth work initiatives are funded and can undertake preventative work.

We must remember that most young people in Scotland, including in our capital city, are good, doing good things, helping in their community and contributing positively. However, as far as this minority is concerned—a minority which, by the looks of things, is becoming bigger, because of a growing trend that is being nurtured, in some instances, by organised crime—if we do not get on top of the situation, it will only get worse, and something bad might well happen.

The Government needs to consider more resources, more powers and what it can use under current legislation, for example, with regard to balaclavas. We need to get ahead of the issue, so the more parliamentary time that we can have on it, the better.

I commend those who have brought the issue to the chamber, and I back up what colleagues have been saying. If there is anything that I can do to support the Government to help us get on top of the issue, please let me know. Let us work together to make a difference.

How will today’s announcements help in areas of rapidly growing populations, for example here in the capital? Will they help to progress the Granton waterfront development, for example, as a strategic site? Can the minister reassure the Parliament that stopping work to introduce an infrastructure levy will not affect the provision of necessary services in those areas of rapidly growing populations, such as general practices, primary schools, secondary schools and road infrastructure?

Like others, I congratulate Alex Cole-Hamilton on securing this important debate. I appreciate that the issues that he raises about South Queensferry relate to adults, but, like other colleagues, I want to touch on the issues that we are experiencing with regard to youth crime.

As others have referenced, the issues that we face with motor vehicles and off-road bikes apply particularly to youth crime issues across the city, although I appreciate that the situation in South Queensferry is slightly different. I was glad to hear Alex Cole-Hamilton talk about the collaborative approach that we took with operation Soteria, along with Daniel Johnson, who I see is sitting next to him.

Off-road bikes were being stolen in the south of the city, then driven through the city centre in a problematic, antisocial and dangerous way, and we know what happened in the north of the city. However, thanks to a collaborative approach, youth work investment, an initiative from Police Scotland, engagement from the Scottish Government’s violence reduction unit and a whole range of other initiatives, including funding from the Robertson Trust, we have managed to make a difference in that situation.

Unfortunately, as others have articulated, we have since the pandemic seen an upward trend in problematic youth antisocial behaviour and criminality. I appreciate that the same is happening in other parts of the country, but I can speak only for Edinburgh. I do find it interesting that five Edinburgh and Lothian MSPs are speaking in this debate.

Will the minister update Parliament on the work that the task force is undertaking on the challenges that are caused by the increasing population in the east of Scotland, including in my constituency of Edinburgh Northern and Leith? Will she tell us whether, how and when public spending allocations will be adjusted to meet rapidly growing demand?

According to the Office for National Statistics, on average rates, rents for my constituents have increased by about 14 per cent in the past year, compared with an increase of 7 per cent across Scotland. That is why, particularly among young people who are renting while looking for their own home, there is notable support for effective rent controls in the capital city. However, I appreciate that there is a need to increase supply and attract investment within a UK finance market. How will today’s update help to achieve a balance by meeting both those important aims, especially in order to tackle Edinburgh’s housing emergency?

I thank the cabinet secretary for that engagement and the collaborative work that the Scottish ministers are doing across the board to support Edinburgh in its housing challenges. With a growing population and economy, demand for housing in Edinburgh is particularly acute. As ministers are aware, land in Granton in my constituency has the potential to meet a significant amount of that demand through the Granton waterfront development. Therefore, I would be grateful if the minister and officials could continue constructive dialogue with the City of Edinburgh Council and others about coming to a financial arrangement sooner rather than later to realise more of Granton’s potential for the benefit of the people of north Edinburgh and beyond, because it could be transformational.

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance secretary has had with ministerial colleagues, City of Edinburgh Council and other relevant stakeholders regarding how its financial planning can support the delivery of affordable housing in Edinburgh. (S6O-03858)

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this important debate about our collective fiscal sustainability, in which we are looking back, considering where we are and thinking about where we go from here.

When it comes to the story of the United Kingdom economy and public finances over the past few years, it is hard to feel anything but sadness and depression at the self-inflicted damage that has been done. Not only has living under the cloud of austerity been psychologically negative for the whole country; it has had real-world consequences. It has damaged our GDP and resulted in a sense of social apathy, which, arguably, has led to the making of bad decisions such as that on the Brexit vote elsewhere in the UK. There is more pressure on public services, which has just built up and up, and has made things more difficult when we have had to deal with external events such as the Covid pandemic.

The list goes on. Austerity was a choice made before the 2010 coalition Government, but it has certainly persisted since, at UK level. Combined with unnecessarily low pay in the private sector in particular, it has done a huge amount of social and economic damage in the UK and has arguably led to a sense of decline.

What it has also removed from both the public and private sectors is the capacity for flexibility. Whether in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK, our capacity for measures such as investing in more community justice and taking forward the Christie principles, has reduced because there has just not been enough flexibility in our public finances to undertake them to the extent that they would have made a meaningful difference.

When we look at other countries that did not make such choices—in particular, those across Europe—we see the difference in the damage that has been caused. We see higher GDP and less need for public spending there, because those countries have not created the social problems that we have here in the UK.

How do we move forward and find solutions? There are no easy fixes, but the Scottish Government, with its limited powers, has undoubtedly made the situation here in Scotland more positive. First, public sector wage increases have had a positive effect in the social justice outcomes that have been achieved, but they have also had an indirect effect in the private sector, because the labour market is competitive. That, combined with our approach to social security, has undoubtedly made a difference.

The reason why social security spending is where it is, not just in Scotland but in the rest of the UK, is that the cost of living is so high. Arguably, we should be talking more about the need to stabilise the cost of living, with particular regard to housing costs, before we try to address the situation through social security. Members from across the parties have said so for many years. We want people to claim the social security that they are entitled to. The Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 says that we should encourage people to do so because that is the right thing to do. As we move forward we should be careful about how we talk about social security, so that we do not unwind any of the good work that has been done on reducing the stigma around making claims.

Does Daniel Johnson agree that it is important that the Parliament remembers and recognises that most people on disability benefits get those benefits in a way that is not means tested, because of their disability, whereas a large number of people who get income-related benefits get them while still being in work, through the universal credit system? We need to look at the matter in a holistic way.