Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 13 January 2016
13 Jan 2016 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Social and Economic Success
I welcome the opportunity to debate the issue today. I share many of Mr Rowley’s hopes and wishes. It is rather frustrating to see that the gap between the haves and the have-nots has increased over the past number of years and continues to increase.
As somebody who lives in an area of deprivation and represents areas where people struggle from day to day, the years under the Liberal-Tory Government—and we now have a Tory Government—have been extremely frustrating, to say the least.
I too want to see people reach their full potential. I wish that we had all the levers of power to ensure that we could create more jobs and sustain existing jobs.
I cannot stand here today without talking about the difficulties in the oil and gas industry in the north-east of Scotland and beyond. Really, I would have expected the Chancellor of the Exchequer to come up with a package of measures to ensure job security in the industry, so that we retain skills and ensure the future of that industry. Unfortunately, that has not happened. I believe that if the Scottish Government had those powers we would be acting somewhat differently from George Osborne and Amber Rudd.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-15290, in the name of Alex Rowley, on achieving social and economic success for all of Scotland. I will a...
Alex Rowley (Cowdenbeath) (Lab)
Lab
As the first member to speak after Lesley Brennan being sworn in, I welcome her to the chamber. Up to now, I was the newest member in the chamber, but it is ...
Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
As I will say in my speech, the Scottish Government’s poverty and income publications state that poverty levels are at a historic low.
Alex Rowley
Lab
The member need only look around Scotland, at the increase in the food banks and at the Cottage Family Centre, for example, to see that poverty is not at a h...
Mark McDonald (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
SNP
The member says that we need more houses than those that are planned. Given that the Scottish Government said that it would deliver 30,000 affordable homes a...
Alex Rowley
Lab
I wrote to the Minister for Housing and Welfare, who is in the chamber, back in December and welcomed the First Minister’s announcement at that point that th...
Mike MacKenzie (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
SNP
Does the member accept that this Government was the first to show the political leadership necessary to end right to buy, which the previous Administration f...
Alex Rowley
Lab
As the member knows, the problem with right to buy was that there was no replacement of the houses that were sold. That is why we have the crisis, and why th...
Bruce Crawford (Stirling) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
The member is in his last minute.
Alex Rowley
Lab
Homeless children in temporary accommodation missed, on average, 55 school days, which is equivalent to a quarter of the school year. We can see that poor ho...
The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners’ Rights (Alex Neil)
SNP
I welcome the new member before she leaves the chamber. We look forward to debating with her in the next 10 weeks or so. There was very little that I disagr...
Willie Rennie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD)
LD
I take the minister back to the GDP figures. I was a bit surprised that he claimed them as a success story, because Scotland is lagging behind the rest of th...
Alex Neil
SNP
I said that the GDP figures were a success given the state of the oil industry, the impact of the austerity measures that were implemented by the Government ...
Willie Rennie
LD
Will the minister give way?
Alex Neil
SNP
No. That construction growth is coming from our investment in a new bridge over the Forth, in the central Scotland motorway network, in 30,000 new houses an...
Willie Rennie
LD
Will the minister give way?
Alex Neil
SNP
I am sorry, but no. We are taking specific measures within our limited powers at the moment over social security and other types of benefit, and we are look...
Hugh Henry (Renfrewshire South) (Lab)
Lab
The cabinet secretary indicated that he would support using full powers and that it was in his and his party’s DNA to act accordingly. Will that include tax ...
Alex Neil
SNP
As John Swinney has outlined, we have used the major taxes that we have control over, such as the new land and buildings transaction tax, to raise the upper ...
Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I welcome the new Labour member to the Parliament and wish her well. We have been presented with a motion about poverty and the Parliament’s powers to promo...
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
Will Dr Milne give way?
Nanette Milne
Con
I have only six minutes, so I will not give way to Mr Stewart. I recognise the impact of changes to the income tax personal allowance, which will take hundr...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
We turn to the open debate. Because of the late withdrawal of speakers who had intimated that they were going to speak, there is a little time in hand and I ...
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to debate the issue today. I share many of Mr Rowley’s hopes and wishes. It is rather frustrating to see that the gap between the h...
Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Will the member give way?
Kevin Stewart
SNP
Yes.
Claudia Beamish
Lab
I thank the member. Does he agree that it is very important that the Scottish Government and the range of agencies, universities, colleges and businesses pla...
Kevin Stewart
SNP
If the member was as aware as some of us in the north-east of Scotland are of the activity that goes on there, she would know that many companies are doing t...
Nanette Milne
Con
The member may be interested to know that I joined the Conservative Party because I believe in helping those who cannot help themselves. That is why I am a f...