Hansard

The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick) NPA

The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-12670, in the name of Humza Yousaf, on Scotland’s place in Europe. 14:21

The Minister for Europe and International Development (Humza Yousaf) SNP

Scotland has been a progressive and integral part of the European Union for the past 40 years. Engagement with the EU and its institutions is a core priority...

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD) LD

The minister will be aware of the importance of structural funding to the region that I partly represent. At the back end of last year, there was some concer...

Humza Yousaf SNP

That is an issue that the member has raised previously, and I know that he has had reassurances from this Government. We share his concerns, and I am happy t...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP) SNP

On the issue of TTIP, would the minister accept that we probably have more common ground with some of our European neighbours than we do with the London Gove...

Humza Yousaf SNP

I am doing my best to be as consensual as I can in the debate. The UK Government knows our position and that we are asking for a black-and-white exemption fo...

Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP) SNP

Does the minister agree that there is still more to be done within the domestic market to encourage small and medium-sized businesses to look at the potentia...

Humza Yousaf SNP

I agree entirely. Internationalisation is one of the four priorities of Scotland’s economic strategy, which the First Minister and Deputy First Minister laun...

The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott) Con

Will you draw to a close, please?

Humza Yousaf SNP

I will end on this point. We believe that there should be a double-majority system for that referendum. We believe that Scotland and indeed other parts of th...

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Lab

I am pleased to be opening this debate for Labour. This is my first opening speech in this area of my portfolio. Previously, as a lead on rural affairs, food...

Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) SNP

Will the member take a brief intervention?

Claire Baker Lab

I ask the member to be brief as I am quite short of time.

Stewart Stevenson SNP

Does the member recall that, when the UK entered the European Union in 1973, most of the major broadcasting and print media organisations had correspondents ...

Claire Baker Lab

I am pleased to say that I do not have much recall of 1973, but the member makes a fair point. It is not just down to politicians. It is also down to our soc...

Humza Yousaf SNP

Will the member take an intervention?

Claire Baker Lab

I am in my final minute. Labour does not support a referendum as we know that it will cause uncertainty for business. A referendum is not in the interests o...

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

I welcome the debate as it gives me the chance to dispel the myths and scaremongering that are coming from members on the Government benches about Scotland’s...

Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP) SNP

Will the member take an intervention?

Jamie McGrigor Con

I have only six minutes, so I want to make progress. The SNP asserts that Scotland has no appetite for a referendum on EU membership, despite the fact that ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

Please draw to a close.

Jamie McGrigor Con

I am just going to close. For all those reasons and many more, the need for a referendum on EU membership will become more apparent in the next two years, d...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

We move to the open debate, with speeches of six minutes or thereby. 14:53

Christina McKelvie (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP) SNP

In the past four years, as convener of the European and External Relations Committee, I have learned a lot about Europe, including a lot about its strengths....

Anne McTaggart (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

I am pleased to contribute to this debate and to speak in support of Claire Baker’s amendment. At a time when countries are fighting for their right to be p...

Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP) SNP

I start my contribution to this timely and important debate with a 1736 quote that is to be found in the diaries of a French minister, René de Voyer, who was...

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD) LD

I welcome the debate and I thank Humza Yousaf—or, as I like to call him, the minister—for allowing Parliament this opportunity. The motion and the amendment...

Christian Allard SNP

Will Liam McArthur take an intervention?

Liam McArthur LD

No, thank you. It is too easy to link the SNP’s calls for a retreat from the UK to UKIP’s and the Tories’ calls for a retreat from Europe. There is a remark...

Stewart Maxwell (West Scotland) (SNP) SNP

Scotland is often described as being on the periphery of Europe. Although that may be true in a geographic sense, our strong cultural, historical and politic...