Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott) Con

The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-06153, in the name of Maureen Watt, on behalf of the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee, on ...

Gordon MacDonald (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) SNP

It is a pleasure to open this debate on public procurement on behalf of the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee. As members know, the Scottish Go...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP) SNP

We sometimes hear criticism of the EU, for a variety of reasons. Will the member confirm what I think that he just said, which is that the EU gives Scottish ...

Gordon MacDonald SNP

I agree on that point. The EU-wide framework opens up opportunities for Scottish companies, because the scale of procurement by the public sector across the ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

We are extraordinarily tight for time today. I call on Nicola Sturgeon, who has up to 10 minutes.14:50

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities (Nicola Sturgeon) SNP

As Gordon MacDonald has just said, Scottish public bodies spend more than £9 billion of taxpayers’ money every year, so it stands to reason that the decision...

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green) Green

On a question of timing, does the minister intend to wait until the EU process of reform is further down the line before introducing a bill here, or does she...

Nicola Sturgeon SNP

We hope to introduce the procurement reform bill before the summer recess. We require to give ourselves comfort that what we propose in that bill will be wit...

Elaine Murray (Dumfriesshire) (Lab) Lab

I suspect that procurement as a topic for debate may not have set many members’ pulses racing, but I am encouraged to hear that the debate is tightly subscri...

John Mason SNP

Will Elaine Murray give way on that point?

Elaine Murray Lab

Sorry, I have only 10 seconds.We should not subsidise low pay in other sectors. I know that my colleague Kezia Dugdale is considering taking forward John Par...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

You must close, please.

Elaine Murray Lab

Workers’ rights must be respected. The cabinet secretary also made some good points about the use of community benefit clauses.I look forward to the introduc...

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

The Conservatives, too, welcome today’s debate, which provides an opportunity to bring forward some ideas.The motion in the name of Maureen Watt states that ...

John Mason SNP

Does Mary Scanlon accept that one reason why we have limited resources is that we have tied up funds in private finance initiative projects, which have ended...

Mary Scanlon Con

I am not sure that that was a positive contribution, which I am hoping to make.More recently, we received the report “Improving community planning in Scotlan...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

That is much appreciated. We move to the open debate.15:13

Chic Brodie (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP

I am delighted to speak in the debate, and my speech is built on the foundations that were laid by the Christie commission report to which Mary Scanlon has j...

Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) SNP

I agree that there should be encouragement, but currently, the European Union legislation and a test case—Dirk Rüffert v Land Niedersachsen—show that we cann...

Chic Brodie SNP

Of course, I agree with the latter point. I will come to the former in a minute.On the living wage and public sector contracts, it is anathema to me that we ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

The member’s keeping to time is much appreciated.15:19

Margaret McCulloch (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lab

I welcome the opportunity to debate the proposed procurement reform bill and the wider procurement agenda, which is—I am glad to say—at last being given the ...

Linda Fabiani (East Kilbride) (SNP) SNP

I thank the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee for holding this debate. It is an excellent idea to ask—as the motion states—for“members’ views o...

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith) Lab

Thank you. Before I call John Mason, I just want to say that the building work is not supposed to be taking place while Parliament is sitting, so we are havi...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP) SNP

Thank you for that reassurance, Presiding Officer.I welcome the fact that procurement is on the agenda. Although we all accept that there is definitely room ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab

We are very tight for time.15:37

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD

I, too, declare an interest as an honorary fellow of RIAS. I very much agree with Linda Fabiani’s point that the Deputy First Minister’s bill should not be s...

Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) SNP

I thank the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee for giving us this opportunity to debate this important issue today. For many, this issue is not ...

Anne McTaggart (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

In these tough economic circumstances, it is right that the Parliament takes time to scrutinise how Scotland uses its buying power to promote social and econ...

Nicola Sturgeon SNP

In the interests of fairness, will the member acknowledge that it is not that we do not support legislation for a living wage but that EU legislation does no...