Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 08 May 2019
08 May 2019 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Air Departure Tax
As I have said, the environment secretary and other ministers will look at appropriate policy responses with regard to our overall suite of policies, but this is an important and significant first step.
I have seen much of Murdo Fraser’s pontification about the air departure tax and air passenger duty, and Colin Smyth is right: the position in the Tories’ manifesto was that they were not convinced about the need for a reduction in the tax. The Tories need to be careful what they wish for, because the tax cuts that they have planned now total more than three quarters of a billion pounds. If they are so concerned about APD, I should point out that the UK Government will continue those rates in the UK after failing to devolve it properly to Scotland. The evidence that we have seen has led us to conclude that such a tax cut is incompatible with our ambitious climate change targets, and it is only the Tories who are going in the opposite direction.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-17190, in the name of Colin Smyth, on Scotland’s future: scrap the cut to the air departure tax. I invite...
Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Last week, the Scottish Government made a welcome, if overdue, commitment to strengthening our emissions reduction targets and to accepting the Committee on ...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
Colin Smyth is talking about policies. Would the Labour Party be prepared to support the workplace parking levy, which might help?
Colin Smyth
Lab
The answer to that question is no. Nobody believes that Derek Mackay’s proposal for a workplace parking levy was anything other than a fig leaf to cover the ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Everything should be through the chair, please, cabinet secretary. I like to fulfil my function.
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work (Derek Mackay)
SNP
Colin Smyth has just said that, apparently, nobody in the Labour Party believes in the workplace parking levy. Does that include those who took the other pos...
Colin Smyth
Lab
The Labour Party put its policy to its conference; the SNP did not. Derek Mackay sneaked the policy through in the budget because he knows that it is a regre...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Excuse me a minute, Mr Smyth. There is a wee debate going on between the Glasgow MSPs on the back benches. I ask them to show some respect to the member who ...
Colin Smyth
Lab
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I presume that they are working out how much the SNP’s proposed workplace parking levy will be. When it comes to transport and...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
Will the member take an intervention?
Colin Smyth
Lab
Unfortunately, I do not think that I will be able to have extra time. Is that correct, Presiding Officer?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I can let you have extra time if you wish.
Colin Smyth
Lab
Thank you. In that case, I will take Patrick Harvie’s intervention.
Patrick Harvie
Green
I am very grateful for that. Colin Smyth is right to point out that other parties have changed their views. Will he remind us when Labour changed its view? I...
Colin Smyth
Lab
I can tell Mr Harvie that our manifesto commitment was very clear—and we have stuck to it, while it seems that the SNP and the Tories have been dropping thei...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Just stop for a minute, please, Mr Smyth. I am looking at the motion, and it seems that I may have been quite lax in allowing you to continue. The motion ref...
Colin Smyth
Lab
I will refrain from arguing the link between the two, Presiding Officer. Over the past 200 years, humans have shown that they can change the climate—unfortu...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I remind members to please keep to their amendments as set out in the Business Bulletin and not to drift into other areas, exciting though they might be. 15:20
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work (Derek Mackay)
SNP
To be fair, Colin Smyth has at least shown himself to be agile enough to amend his speech in the light of circumstances. We are in the midst of a climate em...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
In the light of everything that the cabinet secretary has said, is the Scottish Government still committed to supporting the third runway at Heathrow?
Derek Mackay
SNP
As I have said, the environment secretary and other ministers will look at appropriate policy responses with regard to our overall suite of policies, but thi...
Patrick Harvie
Green
Will the cabinet secretary give way?
Derek Mackay
SNP
If I have time.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
It will have to be a short intervention.
Patrick Harvie
Green
Thank you. I recognise that the Government wants to look at its wider range of policies, but is it not clear that, if a tax measure that boosts faster aviati...
Derek Mackay
SNP
Aviation emissions actually account for a relatively small amount of Scotland’s overall carbon emissions. The decision on ADT alone will have little impact i...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
The cabinet secretary does not have time.
Derek Mackay
SNP
We must take all appropriate action. On finance, we are committed to increasing the share of capital expenditure on low-carbon projects year on year to ensur...
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
This very second, I am reading straight from the Scottish National Party’s website, in a section that is ironically named “Scotland: open for business”: “We...