Hansard

The result of the division is: For 63, Against 53, Abstentions 0.

Motion, as amended, agreed to,

That the Parliament agrees that the UK Government’s austerity drive has resulted in key opportunities for growth being missed; notes that the Office for Budget Responsibility now expects the UK economy to be 5.9% smaller in 2015 than forecast in 2010 and that, as a result, UK Government borrowing will be £197 billion higher by March 2016 than expected in June 2010; notes that the price of the UK Government’s failure to deliver sustainable growth is being paid by households facing rising costs of living at the same time that wages have fallen in real terms; recognises the steps taken by the Scottish Government to reduce the cost of living through the council tax freeze and the social wage, to support the economy through the most competitive business rates regime in the UK and to help people back into employment; notes that Scotland’s economy has grown by 1.8% during the last year, which is faster than the UK as a whole; further notes that Scotland’s performance in employment, unemployment and inactivity rates are the strongest of the four nations of the UK, and welcomes the publication of Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland, which sets out the only detailed vision for Scotland’s future and the steps that the Scottish Government would take with the powers of independence to increase productivity, participation and growth levels, to tackle inequality and to improve living standards across Scotland.