Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 09 December 2020
I look forward to the Conservatives supporting my amendment to the motion. I could not help but notice that, in yesterday’s Finance and Constitution Committee debate on parliamentary scrutiny, without equivocation or clarification, Murdo Fraser described amendments that are moved by Scottish Government ministers as “credible and capable”. Being a man of consistency—and his consistency is a matter that many of us have often had cause to reflect on—I know that he will demonstrate his continued belief in the credibility and capability of what ministers bring to the chamber for debate by supporting my amendment today. Of course, I know, too, that he will, as he always does, take his party with him.
There is no doubt that Scotland’s businesses continue to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Even with the easing of restrictions in level 4 areas such as my own at the end of this week, the circumstances, which are unprecedented in our lifetimes, remain difficult for them. I take nothing for granted and appreciate every sacrifice that is being made by individuals, organisations and businesses in every community across the country.
The vaccination programme, which is in its initial stages, offers us all hope, but we need to appreciate that we will not see its full benefits until next year. Therefore, for the time to come, we must continue to strike a balance between our health needs and our economic needs.
When the pandemic began, we moved rapidly to put in place a support package worth more than £2.3 billion to provide lifeline support to businesses. We continue to provide support through the strategic framework, and we are providing £30 million in discretionary funding for local authorities, which can be used to address the specific needs of local economies, such as support for supply chains. We are also committed to a second round of the newly self-employed hardship fund, with an additional £15 million to support those who have been overlooked by and are ineligible for the UK Government’s self-employment income support scheme.
We recognise the need to provide on-going support, and today the Cabinet Secretary for Finance has allocated additional funding of £185 million to help build resilience for our businesses throughout the winter. The package includes support for hospitality businesses, taxi drivers, arts venues and travel agents. That is action by this Government in response to the real challenges that businesses in those sectors across the country face at this time.