Hansard

James Kelly Lab Chamber

24 Mar 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Hospital Waiting Times

I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer and wish her well for the future. I draw her attention to an article in this morning’s edition of The Times in which Chloe Scott, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, highlights the unprecedented levels of lengthy waiting times for sur...

6. James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

24 Mar 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Hospital Waiting Times

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to reduce hospital waiting times. (S5O-05151)

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

23 Mar 2021

Tied Pubs (Scotland) Bill

I join other members in congratulating Neil Bibby on securing the passage of his member’s bill on tied pubs later this evening. As many have recounted, it has been a long journey for Mr Bibby—a bit of a bumpy ride with regard to getting the bill through the committee and to th...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

18 Mar 2021

Drug Deaths and Harms

There can be no doubt about the devastating scale of the crisis when there were 1,264 drug deaths in the last reported year. The Government is right to acknowledge in its motion that that is a mark of shame. It is a national disgrace and a failure of the devolution era that co...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

11 Mar 2021

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill

As Neil Bibby and Liam McArthur have said, hate crime is, unfortunately, on the rise in Scotland. From that point of view, robust laws to tackle it are welcome. It is important to examine the advent of the bill, the process that it has gone through, and why we have ended up, ...

James Kelly Lab Chamber

11 Mar 2021

Portfolio Question Time · ScotRail Franchise (New Operator)

During the Abellio years of the ScotRail franchise, customers have watched on aghast as the Government has poured hundreds of millions of pounds into the company while they sit on overcrowded trains that often run on a delayed timetable. What action will the Government take to...

5. James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

11 Mar 2021

Portfolio Question Time · ScotRail Franchise (New Operator)

To ask the Scottish Government when the process will commence to appoint a new operator for the ScotRail franchise. (S5O-05110)

James Kelly Lab Committee

10 Mar 2021

Subordinate Legislation

No, that is fine.

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Committee

10 Mar 2021

Subordinate Legislation

Good morning, cabinet secretary. I want to ask about the reserve. In the Scottish Parliament information centre’s paper, the reserve is forecast at £495 million. Will you give a bit of commentary on how the reserve has been built up and the thinking on using it?

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

03 Mar 2021

Parliamentary Bureau Motions

I wish to speak in opposition to Parliamentary Bureau motion S5M-24275. The motion is titled “Campaign Recess” but its essential point is that it brings forward the closure of the office of the clerk, which restricts and inhibits members from submitting written parliamentary q...

James Kelly Lab Chamber

03 Mar 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Local Government (Support)

I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, but the needs of local government have not been helped by a decade of Scottish National Party cuts. Cumulatively, £937 million of cuts have piled agony on to local communities, which has resulted in councils having to cut services...

1. James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

03 Mar 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Local Government (Support)

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the needs of local government. (S5O-05065)

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

02 Mar 2021

Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Bill

As other members have, I thank the Justice Committee for the work that it has done on the bill. As a former member of the committee, I am very aware of the workload that it has taken on over the recent period, especially in relation to the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

02 Mar 2021

Scottish Parliamentary Elections 2021

For the election to proceed, the public will need to be confident about the safety of the polling places and the protection that will be afforded across constituencies. Will there be an open and transparent assessment of any issues that have arisen in by-elections? Will the mi...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

25 Feb 2021

Scottish Income Tax Rate Resolution 2021-22

I am pleased to close this important debate on the Scottish income tax rate resolution. As Murdo Fraser said, this year’s debate comes at an unusual time in proceedings—before stage 2 and before publication of the UK budget. Scottish Labour understands that certainty around ta...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

24 Feb 2021

Citizens Advice Scotland

I thank Christine Grahame for bringing this important debate to Parliament. As members’ contributions have shown, the debate has allowed members to pay tribute to their local citizens advice bureaux and volunteers and to highlight the tremendous work that is done across the 59...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

24 Feb 2021

Prisoner Voting

Like many other members across the chamber, every day I receive numerous emails about people’s concerns. Particularly in light of the pandemic, they are worried about their own and their families’ health, businesses, jobs, the impact of not being able to attend school in perso...

James Kelly Lab Chamber

24 Feb 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Fair Pay Practices (Promotion)

Fair pay practices are the mark of a dignified society, so it is regrettable that some care workers have been left behind. They have worked in really difficult circumstances during the pandemic to support the people whom they look after. What action is the Scottish Government ...

1. James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

24 Feb 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Fair Pay Practices (Promotion)

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote fair pay practices. (S5O-05041)

James Kelly Lab Chamber

11 Feb 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Carbon Emissions Targets

I want to raise the issue of promoting more bus journeys in order to help to fulfil the objective of reducing carbon emissions. I believe that some of the larger bus companies are more interested in profit than in serving local communities. What is being done to support commun...

5. James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

11 Feb 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Carbon Emissions Targets

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action it is taking to meet its carbon emissions targets. (S5O-05005)

James Kelly Lab Committee

10 Feb 2021

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

Thank you, convener—apologies for that. Cabinet secretary, we are talking about the Scottish Government budget, and it is for the Scottish Government to make decisions on budget allocations for housing. I highlight one specific consequence of those decisions. Homes for Scotl...

James Kelly Lab Committee

10 Feb 2021

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

Inaudible.

James Kelly Lab Committee

10 Feb 2021

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

Housing is obviously an important part of the budget when it comes to addressing the housing shortage and supporting the construction sector. It was therefore a surprise to see that the more homes budget has been reduced by £268 million. Given the backdrop to housing and the i...

James Kelly Lab Committee

10 Feb 2021

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

Thank you. We would welcome that. Up-to-date information is obviously crucial in this situation.

James Kelly Lab Committee

10 Feb 2021

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

You pull in all that data and run it through your models, which updates the results that you have. The situation is likely to change at a fast pace. If your models start to produce results that are materially different from what you forecast previously, will you speed up the t...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Committee

10 Feb 2021

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

Over recent years, forecasting has been a challenge for the commission—and for the committee, as members have tried to get their heads around the issue—and it has become more difficult because of the pandemic. The use of data is key to forecasting. Professor Smith, you talked ...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

10 Feb 2021

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (Malicious Prosecutions)

The Conservatives have called an important debate, because the circumstances surrounding it are a scandal. It is not just that David Whitehouse and Paul Clark have been found to have been maliciously prosecuted; it is about the issues that flow from that. There are clear qu...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

09 Feb 2021

Malicious Prosecutions

The decisions that were made in this case might predate the current Lord Advocate, but they raise serious questions about decision making and accountability within the Crown Office. Serious errors were made. The system failed, and we have been told that the cost to the public ...

James Kelly Lab Committee

03 Feb 2021

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

Those points are well made. I want to ask Gail Macgregor about housing. In the previous session, we heard concerns about cuts to the housing budget. Given what you said at the start about your worries about the overall local government settlement, what does that mean for hous...

James Kelly Lab Committee

03 Feb 2021

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

You just about renamed me, convener. I have two questions, the first of which is for Rozanne Foyer. In your submission, you make the case that the £500 that will be paid to NHS staff should be extended to all key public sector workers. Will you give the committee a flavour of...

James Kelly Lab Committee

03 Feb 2021

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

Liz Cameron, in response to Murdo Fraser, you discussed the need for a proper economic plan. In your submission, you gave some commentary on the sectors affected. Can you tell us what sectors are most under threat in terms of loss of employment? What should the key factors in ...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Committee

03 Feb 2021

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

I want to turn to employment. There is no doubt that we are in the middle of a jobs crisis and that that will deteriorate further. Commentary has indicated the potential for serious job losses in the spring and that the effects of the pandemic will be with us until at least 20...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

03 Feb 2021

Brexit

Mr Russell makes valid criticisms of the UK Government’s handling of Brexit. However, turning to areas in which the Scottish Government has responsibility, in light of the fact that, over the period since 2013, local government is £937 million short of funding, what action wil...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

28 Jan 2021

Budget 2021-22

Citizens Advice Scotland has recently highlighted rising levels of council tax debt. In recent cases that it has dealt with, there has been a debt level of £3,000 per case. That causes great anxiety and stress for people who are struggling to pay those bills. What action will...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

26 Jan 2021

Post-mortem Examinations (Defence Time Limit) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

I pay tribute to Gil Paterson for the amount of work that he has put into pursing the bill and into an issue that he has raised consistently in Parliament. The objective of the proposed legislation is to provide an appropriate time limit in which defence agents can request a p...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

21 Jan 2021

Culpable Homicide (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

I pay tribute to Claire Baker for the work that she has put into a member’s bill that deals with an important issue and means so much to families who are affected. It is not the statistics that Claire quoted about increasing numbers of deaths in the past decade that affect us...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

19 Jan 2021

Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Thank you for making time to allow me a brief contribution, Presiding Officer. The point of Parliament is to make a difference. Shortly, in passing Daniel Johnson’s bill, Parliament will make a great deal of difference to retail workers throughout the country who have, as oth...

James Kelly Lab Chamber

14 Jan 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Older People (Impact of Covid-19)

I am very concerned about the loneliness situation among pensioners in Glasgow. Many pensioners are cut off from their families and are unable to leave their homes, and they do not have access to their normal support networks, such as local pensioners clubs. For some pensioner...

2. James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

14 Jan 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Older People (Impact of Covid-19)

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect older people in Glasgow from the impact of Covid-19. (S5O-04898)

James Kelly Lab Chamber

23 Dec 2020

Portfolio Question Time · School Exams Cancellation (Pupils in Socially Deprived Areas)

In considering the alternative certification model, it is important that there is no repeat of the debacle of earlier this year, when, despite assurances from Mr Swinney on the initial awarding of grades, pupils in areas of social deprivation were unfairly affected. What ste...

James Kelly Lab Chamber

17 Dec 2020

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 Pandemic (Support for Businesses)

The reality is that the hospitality industry in Glasgow is on its knees and is suffering from the impact of the pandemic. Some businesses have not been open since March. The reality is that jobs will be lost and businesses will close. What direct discussions have taken place w...

6. James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

17 Dec 2020

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 Pandemic (Support for Businesses)

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support businesses that are struggling to operate during the Covid-19 pandemic. (S5O-04870)

James Kelly Lab Chamber

15 Dec 2020

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

I take that point, and I will come on to the Law Society’s substantive written submission for this debate. The bill as published clearly had issues and was flawed. In that regard, the committee has done an excellent job in interrogating the bill. The committee has also done t...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

15 Dec 2020

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

First, I pay tribute to the Justice Committee, and particularly the clerks, who have done an outstanding job in getting the evidence considered by the committee, bearing in mind the huge volume of written submissions and the fact that we were dealing with a complicated bill in...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

09 Dec 2020

Economy

This is an important debate. There are two central issues: how we support jobs in the economy, and how we ensure that money that has become available is distributed fairly throughout the country and to businesses and individuals who need it. We all know that, throughout our c...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

09 Dec 2020

Budget Update

The Institute for Public Policy Research forecast that youth unemployment could rise to 140,000. What portion of the £570 million business support moneys will be available to cities including Glasgow, where, sadly, many face the prospect of being blighted by youth unemployment?

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

08 Dec 2020

Parliament’s Evolving Scrutiny Function

The issue that has been brought before us by the Finance and Constitution Committee is that of scrutiny for devolution powers post-Brexit, and there can be no doubt that the massive transfer of powers that will take place is going to transform the devolution landscape. In that...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

01 Dec 2020

Carers (Support After Bereavement)

I congratulate Mark Griffin on securing this important debate. I also congratulate him on highlighting the role of unpaid carers, the difficult issue of what happens to them when they suffer bereavement and the impact on them when the person they have cared for is no longer pa...

James Kelly Lab Chamber

01 Dec 2020

Valuing the Third Sector

I accept that, but I point the member to the fact that Covid has presented significant challenges for areas of South Lanarkshire such as Cambuslang, Rutherglen, Hamilton and Clydesdale; the area is in a level 4 lockdown, so the third sector will face much more demand than othe...

James Kelly Lab Chamber

01 Dec 2020

Valuing the Third Sector

I will take the intervention.

James Kelly Lab Chamber

01 Dec 2020

Valuing the Third Sector

Is there time, Presiding Officer?

James Kelly Lab Chamber

01 Dec 2020

Valuing the Third Sector

I am looking at the terms of this debate. We are looking at support for the third sector, and it concerns me that Highland Council is getting nearly £1 million more than South Lanarkshire Council. The front-bench ministerial team well understands South Lanarkshire and the dema...

James Kelly Lab Chamber

01 Dec 2020

Valuing the Third Sector

Do I have time, Presiding Officer?

James Kelly Lab Chamber

01 Dec 2020

Valuing the Third Sector

To answer directly, I am quoting from appendix 1 of the analysis paper on the Scottish Government’s website. I also point to the fact that Highland Council was paid £1.273 million from the resilience fund and South Lanarkshire got only £337,000.

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

01 Dec 2020

Valuing the Third Sector

This is a timely debate, and it gives Parliament an opportunity to thank those in the third sector who have made such a tremendous contribution during the pandemic. As a Glasgow region MSP, I thank the many citizens advice bureaux throughout Glasgow that have stepped in and do...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

26 Nov 2020

Tied Pubs (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

There has been a lot of huffing and puffing in the debate. Some people have been sitting on the fence so long that they are likely to have splinters in sensitive parts of their anatomy. However, let us hope that we can move the bill through stage 1 tonight. I begin by paying ...

James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

26 Nov 2020

Portfolio Question Time · Amateur Football (Covid-19 Restrictions)

The minister is aware of the mental health benefits of the return to amateur football, as we have seen in the submissions from clubs including Rutherglen Glencairn. In light of the fact that amateur football is returning in England, when will that decision be reviewed? There i...

James Kelly Lab Chamber

26 Nov 2020

First Minister’s Question Time · Covid-19 (Infection Rates in Areas of Greater Poverty and Deprivation)

Yesterday’s Daily Record devoted substantial coverage to the scandal of poverty in Scotland. In particular, it highlighted that a quarter of kids will grow up hungry. In addition, a recent survey found that nearly half of people run out of money before they get to their next...

7. James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

26 Nov 2020

First Minister’s Question Time · Covid-19 (Infection Rates in Areas of Greater Poverty and Deprivation)

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to address concerns that Covid-19 rates are higher in areas with greater poverty and deprivation. (S5F-04597)