Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 16 June 2015
16 Jun 2015 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Harbours (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I assure you, Deputy Presiding Officer, that this will be a short speech, because there is not much left to say on the bill.
It has been an interesting debate, but I must emphasise one thing, which is that I believe that the bill is not about the anti-privatisation agenda, however well it might achieve that objective by other means. This is the result of the fact that a quirk of previous legislation means that the minister has the power to require ports to prepare a plan for privatisation and brings into question whether they are outside or inside the control of the minister. The bill will clarify that misunderstanding or doubt to ensure that we do not have a situation in which, as a result of the ONS’s decision, the ports fall within the responsibility of the minister, and their borrowing falls within the responsibility of the Government.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-13511, in the name of Derek Mackay, on stage 1 of the Harbours (Scotland) Bill. I will give everyone a fe...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
If you are all sitting comfortably, we will begin. 14:51
The Minister for Transport and Islands (Derek Mackay)
SNP
I am pleased to open the debate on the Harbours (Scotland) Bill. I thank those who submitted evidence, and the convener and members of the Infrastructure and...
Jim Eadie (Edinburgh Southern) (SNP)
SNP
I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee, which was the lead committee in the scrutiny of ...
Jim Eadie
SNP
Moving on to the key issues, the committee welcomes the aims of the bill, which the Scottish Government states are “to provide an improved legislative frame...
Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I confirm that Scottish Labour will support the Government throughout the passage of the Harbours (Scotland) Bill, and I am happy to work with the minister i...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
It gives me great pleasure to stand up time and again in the chamber to accuse the Government of being the most centralising and authoritarian Government tha...
Chic Brodie (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to support the bill’s principles. Harbours and ports are indeed the pores through which part of Scotland’s economy breathes. More i...
Alex Johnstone
Con
My memory of history is that Margaret Thatcher was long gone by 1991.
Chic Brodie
SNP
I think that if the member looks, Margaret Thatcher is still with us today—but he is absolutely right. The compulsory privatisation powers under the 1991 ac...
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I would like to start by outlining the theory behind the Harbours (Scotland) Bill, which is a concise and necessary piece of legislation. The main purpose o...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We come to closing speeches. I call Alex Johnstone to wind up on behalf of the Conservatives. You have four minutes or thereby, Mr Johnstone. 15:25
Alex Johnstone
Con
I assure you, Deputy Presiding Officer, that this will be a short speech, because there is not much left to say on the bill. It has been an interesting deba...
David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
Is Alex Johnstone aware that the same problem occurs in other sectors that are the Scottish Government’s responsibility, including the college sector? Many c...
Alex Johnstone
Con
There are some areas of the Government’s responsibility in which, I am sure, that is an advantage rather than a disadvantage, but in this case it is very imp...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
I call David Stewart. You have six minutes or thereby, Mr Stewart. 15:28
David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
You are very kind, Presiding Officer. Thank you for your generous allocation of time. This has been a short, sharp debate on what is, as we have all heard, ...
Alex Johnstone
Con
Does David Stewart care to remember the opportunity that he had to take the wheel of the pilot boat and run up and down the various docks in Aberdeen—at grea...
David Stewart
Lab
I am glad that Alex Johnstone raised that point: I am sure that I broke several local byelaws. He will know that I was piloting the boat to look for floating...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
Mr Stewart—I can give you the time back for the intervention that you took.
David Stewart
Lab
Thank you. Laughter. You are very kind, Presiding Officer. I really appreciate that extra time. I have visited several trust ports including those in Aberde...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I call Derek Mackay to wind up the debate. Minister—you have eight minutes or so. 15:34
Derek Mackay
SNP
Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Your generosity knows no bounds. I thought that it was particularly gracious to give David Stewart time back for the ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
There is also time for interventions if you wish, minister.
Derek Mackay
SNP
Thank you very much for that guidance, Presiding Officer. We have been able to showcase how Parliament can work together using the functions in its committe...
David Stewart
Lab
Will the minister give way?
Derek Mackay
SNP
I certainly will.
David Stewart
Lab
How confident is the minister that the ONS will change its classification once the bill becomes law?
Derek Mackay
SNP
Having considered the advice that we have been given on the reason for potential classification, I am fairly confident that our clarification through the bil...
Alex Johnstone
Con
I must intervene because I have always been the first in the chamber to make it clear that the concept of public service is not unique to the public sector; ...