Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 09 December 2020
This is a really important debate and it is long overdue. The public health response to Covid-19 has been largely understandable, but let us be frank that the consequences of the pandemic have been extremely damaging and life changing for many people, and not in a good way. Livelihoods have been lost, the hopes and dreams of young people as they leave school or university have been put on hold or maybe dashed for ever, and people have lost careers.
All MSPs know that businesses have suffered, too. We know that there has been a colossal response from the UK Government because there had to be, and the Scottish Government, too, deserves praise for the work that it has put in. I was delighted to hear Kate Forbes announce earlier today that extra money will be dished out on a sectoral basis. However, we have not been able to help everyone, and people have fallen through the cracks.
Maurice Golden mentioned the hospitality sector, which is important not just to those who work in it but to all of us. It is been hollowed out and, to be frank, I fear for what will be left. We cannot force businesses to close and not fully reimburse them, but that is what has happened. Members will have received an email from the Scottish Beer & Pub Association, which highlights the difficulties that will be caused by Edinburgh being kept at level 3. It says that that decision could cost the sector £3.2 million between now and January and will see pubs close down. That is not good.
Too many businesses and people have struggled to get help. People such as taxi drivers, who have been mentioned in the debate, and sole traders who have not been in business for long have not received anything. Cabbies will have been pleased to hear about the £19 million from Kate Forbes to cover fixed costs, because, as we heard from Unite the Union today, many drivers are regularly working 16 to 17-hour days, with a shift being determined as having been good if £50 is cleared. The Unite survey shows that 30 per cent of drivers have been unable to access any financial help from Government support schemes. According to the Federation of Small Businesses, one in five of its members in Scotland has had no support from the Scottish Government, so it is right that we are calling for a review to see where the gaps are.
For example, the Covid-19 strategic framework business fund is, on the face of it, a good idea. It is for businesses that are required to close by law?or to significantly change their operations due to restrictions that apply from 2 November. However, in the application pages on North Lanarkshire Council’s website, if someone answers “no” to the question
“Was your business trading on the 2nd November 2020?”
they are told that they are
“not eligible”.
That is clearly a mistake—at least, I hope that it is. That sort of confusion should not be happening.
It would be easy to dismiss the idea of a coronavirus business advisory council as just another task force of the kind that Opposition parties call for—I have done that sort of thing myself. However, throughout this pandemic, Douglas Ross has been positive and his ideas have been helpful. He made that particular call in a speech to businesses, and he was right do to so, because businesses—the job creators—should be at the heart of Government decision making.
His other good ideas included a call for the SNP Government to co-operate with the UK Government to ensure parity of taxes between online and physical businesses. Mr Ross is nothing if not an optimist, and we should repay his optimism by supporting Maurice Golden’s motion.
17:11