Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 04 June 2019
04 Jun 2019 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Realising Scotland’s Potential
The Scottish Conservatives will use our time today to set out a new direction in economic policy and a comprehensive new approach to skills and training.
The need for a new economic model has never been greater. Last week, the Scottish Fiscal Commission forecast that Scotland’s economy will continue to underperform for the next four years. As a result, income tax revenues are forecast to be £1 billion lower than expected. Although there is no doubt that the outcome of Brexit is creating uncertainty, the economic underperformance stretches back 12 years.
According to the Scottish Parliament information centre, had growth in Scotland kept pace with the rest of the United Kingdom over the past 12 years, our economy would be £7 billion larger. We agree with the recent comments of the Fraser of Allander institute, which said:
“Brexit should not be the only focus of attention”
and that there has been
“little ... discussion of the ... structural challenges and opportunities”
that Scotland’s economy is facing.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-17504, in the name of Dean Lockhart, on realising Scotland’s potential. 15:41
Dean Lockhart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
The Scottish Conservatives will use our time today to set out a new direction in economic policy and a comprehensive new approach to skills and training. Th...
The Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy (Kate Forbes)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Dean Lockhart
Con
I will later. That is why we will set out measures to address those challenges and opportunities. With regard to Scotland’s trade, more than 60 per cent of ...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I will intervene on a different point. In the spirit of gaining consensus, on the point around attracting skills, one of the biggest threats to that—particul...
Dean Lockhart
Con
Immigration will continue to play an important part in Scotland’s economy, but it is a derogation of duty for any Government to ignore the training needs of ...
Tom Arthur (Renfrewshire South) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member give way?
Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Dean Lockhart
Con
I will in a second Our skills participation policy, which will focus on those who leave school without going into education or formal training, will be targ...
Clare Adamson
SNP
Given your commitment to keeping people in education and training, can you explain why the United Kingdom Government did away with the education maintenance ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Members should always speak through the chair, please.
Dean Lockhart
Con
I will come to that point later. Today we are announcing a comprehensive set of new proposals that will address the skills gap that the Scottish National Par...
The Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills (Jamie Hepburn)
SNP
I welcome the opportunity that the debate provides to outline the strength of Scotland’s economy and labour market. I also welcome the opportunity to recogni...
Dean Lockhart
Con
Last week, the Fraser of Allander institute highlighted that Brexit is a UK-wide issue. Why is Scotland’s economy forecast to continue to underperform the re...
Jamie Hepburn
SNP
Mr Lockhart says that Scotland underperforms the rest of the UK. However, I was just about to set out the strengths of the Scottish economy. I noticed that t...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
Will the minister reflect on what has been done in New Zealand, which has proposed budgets based on wellbeing rather than the continued pursuit of economic g...
Jamie Hepburn
SNP
I do not concur that it contradicts sustainability principles. The record on our ambitions with regard to a sustainable and inclusive form of economic growth...
Richard Leonard (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
The Scottish Labour Party is always happy to take any opportunity to make our case for real and radical economic change, for more investment and less austeri...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I do not doubt the seriousness of the member’s comments, but does he realise that economic growth is paramount to address those concerns and that Labour’s po...
Richard Leonard
Lab
The critical issue is the distribution of economic benefit from economic growth, which is one of the fault lines in our society. We say to the Scottish Gove...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
What are the timings for speeches, Presiding Officer?
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame)
SNP
I am sorry, Mr Harvie, I thought that you knew. Mr Harvie and Mr Rennie, you have four minutes, but there is time for interventions.
Patrick Harvie
Green
Thank you, Presiding Officer. On one level, I welcome the fact that the debate is beginning to include a wider range of views on the wider question of econo...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I was pleased with Richard Leonard’s speech, because he gave an unequivocal position on Europe. That is to be welcomed. I waited for the caveat that I though...
Neil Findlay
Lab
Will the member take an intervention on that point?
Willie Rennie
LD
Certainly.
Neil Findlay
Lab
What influence did Mr Rennie have over the coalition Government, of which his party was a member, which cut budgets in all those sectors across the UK?
Willie Rennie
LD
That was a nice try from Neil Findlay, but this is a debate about the economy and the future of this country. We can have another debate about the matter tha...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
I am pleased to take part in this Conservative debate on the economy. I will first focus on the part of the motion that talks about “the need to address the...
Dean Lockhart
Con
I would like to bring John Mason into the 21st century by referring to last week’s Scottish Fiscal Commission report, which blamed the £1 billion black hole ...