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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 30 June 2025
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Displaying 671 contributions

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Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

First Minister’s Question Time

Meeting date: 5 June 2025

Ben Macpherson

As the First Minister has said, several successful and notable productions have been filmed in Scotland in recent years, and they have made a positive creative and economic impact.

As has been mentioned, Netflix’s new, gripping, fictitious drama “Dept Q” was released globally last week. Much of it was filmed at FirstStage Studios in Leith, in my constituency, in other locations around Edinburgh and elsewhere in our picturesque nation. “Dept Q” is currently one of the most viewed series on Netflix; at the moment, it is ranked number 1 in the United Kingdom. It promotes our country in various ways—even the Parliament gets a mention—and many of the very talented cast and crew are Scots. The producers, Left Bank Pictures, have stated that they had a great experience filming in Scotland, which is really uplifting.

How can we build on our recent success, continue to grow our screen industry and work together across the public sector to make Scotland an even better and more attractive place for more filming commissions, including from the BBC and Channel 4?

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

First Minister’s Question Time

Meeting date: 5 June 2025

Ben Macpherson

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is supporting film and TV production in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland. (S6F-04160)

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Empowering Entrepreneurs and Innovators

Meeting date: 4 June 2025

Ben Macpherson

Year after year, there is net migration to Scotland, and the figures for people coming to Scotland are pretty similar to the figures for people coming to the north of England, so it is unfair to characterise the Scottish migration position in the way that Stephen Kerr has done. Given that immigration policy is reserved, surely the policies of the Home Office play a role in the problem that he has identified.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 4 June 2025

Ben Macpherson

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with universities and placement schools to support the mental health and wellbeing of student teachers. (S6O-04759)

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Empowering Entrepreneurs and Innovators

Meeting date: 4 June 2025

Ben Macpherson

This is an important debate, and there is not enough time to discuss all the different ways in which a culture of creation and a mindset of entrepreneurship are thriving in Scotland. However, what could we do to continue to enhance that culture, how do we create an even better environment for sustainable growth, and how do we make our country an even better place in which to live and do business?

As has been touched on, Scotland has the talent, skills and facilities to be one of Europe’s fastest-growing start-up economies, because it starts from a position of strength. Although it is interesting to look at other nations’ models, as other members have done, we need to consider the context, which is that we are a devolved nation, while Ireland and Singapore, for example, have very different circumstances and constitutional arrangements.

It is a fact, as Willie Rennie said, that Edinburgh, and its university, is important to Scotland’s economy. As an Edinburgh MSP, that is of particular interest to me. Recently, a lot has been said—rightly—about the reindustrialisation of Leith, the massive renewable hub growth that is taking place at the port, the opportunities and innovations there, the diversity of that economy and how it has the potential to grow. The creative industries—film, television production and other aspects of that part of the economy—thrive in my constituency, and the capacity for growth is really interesting. The cabinet secretary mentioned tech and computer games. Build a Rocket Boy is based in Leith, and Skyscanner started in Leith, years ago.

My constituency highlights—other members have said this—the fact that we need to apply our attention to two things: people’s skills and place. The reason that so many people base themselves and their businesses in Edinburgh and my constituency is because of the quality of life here. A lot of that is to do with affordability, which is why the housing situation that we face is so important. People have been establishing and creating businesses in our capital city because it has been affordable and, compared with elsewhere, has provided a high quality of life and services.

That is why we need to think about issues such as housing market diversity and LBTT and why we need to give particular consideration to Edinburgh and its housing crisis. Some people champion build to rent, which has a role in our housing market, but it is a model for transient workers. We need to think about how to build capacity for those who stay for longer. Build to rent is not a panacea to solve the housing crisis, although it plays a part.

The challenges for the hospitality sector have been articulated in the chamber in a number of different ways. In Edinburgh, although there is huge demand for hospitality businesses, their costs can be higher because of property values. We cannot take the hospitality sector in our capital city for granted. For example, the shore area in Leith is thriving, but there is a vulnerability about it because of the challenges of the national insurance hike and general economic conditions. People come here to start businesses, to live well and to enjoy themselves, and that is a great place to build from.

16:30  

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 4 June 2025

Ben Macpherson

Does the cabinet secretary agree that local events, such as the Leith festival, the north Edinburgh community festival, the Newhaven gala and other, similar gatherings around the country play an important role in promoting small businesses, supporting artists and community groups, and helping to foster a sense of community cohesion and pride?

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 4 June 2025

Ben Macpherson

It is widely understood that good youth work and innovative initiatives can have a positive impact on young people who may be engaged in violence or drawn into it. Therefore, can the Scottish Government advise when the next youth violence summit will take place and say more about what urgent action will be taken to expand prevention measures and early intervention?

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 4 June 2025

Ben Macpherson

Some constituents have raised concerns with me about the treatment and experiences of trainee and newly qualified teachers, and they report a lack of support. I have been told that the GTCS does not conduct exit interviews or gather data on the reasons why teachers leave the profession. Considering all that, will the minister advise what actions universities and placement schools should be taking to support student teacher mental health and wellbeing? Can any further relevant consideration be given to supporting trainee and newly qualified teachers to help to ensure that committed, capable and passionate people remain in the profession?

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Public Participation Inquiry

Meeting date: 3 June 2025

Ben Macpherson

That is a good intervention, and I am grateful for it, because it allows me to talk about something that I wanted to mention. What does grip people? All my experience outside of this Parliament tells me that what people want from their politicians is genuine collaboration, care for those whom they represent, a sense of duty to the public interest, and for them not to play the political game of getting one over on the other party, person or idea. The issues that we face are serious, and the public know that.

The point has rightly been made about how much people see of what happens in the Parliament. Most people do not tune in for some of our best work, whether that is at committee or in certain debates in the chamber, but see only a clip on the evening news. The way that proceedings are structured, including the culture of how First Minister’s question times are organised and the routines and habits that have been set, is not representative of what most people want, which is for their politicians to be serious and constructive, work together, achieve things, determine solutions and then deliver them.

Much more could be achieved—in how we present our democracy and engage people with it—if we did things slightly differently in the proceedings that most people watch. If members want to see that people think that the way that we do things at the moment is wrong, they should just turn around to look at the young people and other folk in the public gallery. Members should speak to their constituents and ask them whether we could do the way that we debate things better. Most of the time, they will say yes, and those are the answers that we need to look for.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Public Participation Inquiry

Meeting date: 3 June 2025

Ben Macpherson

Similar to what was just said, does Maurice Golden agree that, although recommendations and formal consideration are important, a lot of the challenges that we face relate to the broader context and style of our politics, and that we need to think about how we address participation in that regard?