Hansard

The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick) NPA

The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-01773, in the name of John Swinney, on stage 1 of the Budget (Scotland) Bill. Will members who wish to ta...

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth (John Swinney) SNP

Last week, I introduced the Budget (Scotland) Bill for 2012-13, which will implement the draft budget that I set out in September last year. I thank all thos...

Gavin Brown (Lothian) (Con) Con

I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for giving way so early in his speech. Does he accept that this year’s budget is a cash-terms increase?

John Swinney SNP

The words that I have used in my speech are:“another real-terms reduction to our total departmental expenditure limit”.That is what the Government faces. We ...

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab) Lab

Further to that, does the cabinet secretary believe that plan MacB is making a difference to the Scottish economy?

John Swinney SNP

Yes I do, because the Scottish Government has, since 2008, used a set of measures and interventions to try to offset the difficulties and serious consequence...

Ken Macintosh Lab

It is good to hear the minister’s words about his commitment to tackling youth unemployment, but how will cutting the colleges budget by 20 per cent, followi...

John Swinney SNP

The Government is ensuring that it supports the further and higher education sectors effectively. I have recounted the resources that we are applying in the ...

Gavin Brown Con

Some of that capital transfer comes from savings from the Forth crossing. For about the fifth time in the chamber, I ask the cabinet secretary whether he wil...

John Swinney SNP

For about the fifth time, I say that I have explained to Mr Brown the basis of what is happening. Savings in the Forth replacement crossing budget have been ...

Ken Macintosh Lab

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

John Swinney SNP

I need to bring my remarks to a close.Our recently published infrastructure investment plan secures the project pipeline, thereby bringing stability and pred...

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab) Lab

None of us can be in any doubt about the seriousness of the economic difficulties that we face. Last week’s unemployment figures simply confirmed the damage ...

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

In addressing the underlying problems, will Ken Macintosh acknowledge that 43 per cent of people on benefits in Scotland have an underlying mental health pro...

Ken Macintosh Lab

I welcome Ms Scanlon’s question. It is important that the welfare system be sustained and that we all feel that we are part of it. It should be there for eve...

John Swinney SNP

Before Mr Macintosh moves on from capital spending, will he accept that the size of the capital DEL budget that the Scottish Government has at its disposal i...

Ken Macintosh Lab

I am arguing first that the budget is not radical enough overall and secondly, that the budget does not deliver on the claims that the minister makes for it....

The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott) Con

I remind members to speak through the chair, please.

John Swinney SNP

Those are Mr Macintosh’s opinions; of course, we can trade opinions. However, on the factual point that I made, I want Mr Macintosh to consider whether the c...

Ken Macintosh Lab

Mr Swinney seems to be avoiding the key point that I am making about his claims for the budget. He can excuse himself and say that plan MacB is working, but ...

Ken Macintosh Lab

SNP members’ approval is interesting, so I ask them what levers of economic power they have in mind. Perhaps they mean control over currency—the pound or the...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP) SNP

The member has been talking about capital expenditure. Does he accept that one power that we do not currently have but which we could have is borrowing power...

Ken Macintosh Lab

We will get more borrowing powers if the SNP supports the Scotland Bill. It will be interesting to see whether that happens.As I understand it, the First Min...

Gavin Brown (Lothian) (Con) Con

Prior to the publication of the draft budget and every day since then, the Scottish Conservatives have said that the budget must focus on jobs and the econom...

Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP) SNP

Does Mr Brown accept that, when the SNP drew up its manifesto, we did not anticipate an inflation rate of 5.2 per cent? He talks about cash terms, but the re...

Gavin Brown Con

If the SNP Government had read the Bank of England’s inflation reports prior to the election, it would have anticipated sharp increases in inflation for 2011...

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP

Given that the cabinet secretary has had to make cuts, is it not reasonable and realistic to make the cuts in the areas where other methods of finance can be...

Gavin Brown Con

I think that we got a bit of policy on the hoof there; I am not sure whether that has been cleared by the SNP front bench. If we follow that argument to its ...

John Swinney SNP

Will the member give way?

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

The member is in his last minute.