Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 08 September 2015
08 Sep 2015 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Scottish Economy (Progress)
Patrick Harvie will recognise that I was illustrating the point that there are future jobs in engineering, which was once considered to be an industry in decline, and we should encourage those jobs. I hope that, as a former pupil of Dumbarton academy, he would want to join me in seeking a reversal of West College’s short-sighted decision to cancel a pathway to engineering course.
Employers complain about the lack of a pipeline of skilled people. That is borne out by the FSB survey. The jobs of the future need investment now, particularly in the STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We also need to invest in basic literacy and numeracy in the classroom. There is little to celebrate when the attainment gap is 12 per cent in reading, 21 per cent in writing and 24 per cent in maths. That fundamentally harms our economy.
The attainment fund that the SNP has announced is therefore welcome, but the issue needs to be made a budget priority as well as a political priority. Contrast the SNP’s approach when it says that it will cancel £250 million of air passenger duty in a year while investing just £25 million in closing the attainment gap. That is 10 times more on cutting taxes than on investing in our children and the future.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-14156, in the name of John Swinney, on progress in the Scottish economy. I point out to members that time...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy (John Swinney)
SNP
Today’s debate provides an opportunity to reflect on the current strength of Scotland’s economy. I would also like to use the debate to outline the approach ...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
Does the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy agree that, with Scotland being one of the most successful exporti...
John Swinney
SNP
Mr Stevenson will be familiar with the Scottish Government’s commitment to continued membership of the European Union, which we believe is an essential part ...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
Given all the good news that the cabinet secretary has referred to, why does he believe that such a large gap has opened up over the past year, with business...
John Swinney
SNP
There is a range of surveys on business confidence. One of the surveys that I look at most closely is the Bank of Scotland purchasing managers index, which h...
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
I am grateful to the Deputy First Minister for giving way on that point about income inequality. He represents a rural constituency, as I do, and he will und...
John Swinney
SNP
Mr Scott makes a very substantial point. I have visited Orkney and I was in the Western Isles just this weekend, and I have received representations about th...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I welcome the fact that John Swinney has acknowledged the disparity in productivity. Will the first priority in the investment strategy—the long-term inves...
John Swinney
SNP
There are two points in Mrs Scanlon’s intervention. The first relates to college places. The Government has taken a conscious decision to deepen the skills t...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Lab
When we debated the Scottish Government’s economic strategy in March, I described it as a glossy and colourful publication that had lots of pictures but was ...
Mike MacKenzie (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
SNP
Does Jackie Baillie agree with me and with Sir Ian Wood—a friend of the union—who said in his report on oil and gas that the fiscal regime and the regulatory...
Jackie Baillie
Lab
I always pay careful attention to what Sir Ian Wood says. The Scottish Government and the UK Government should pay attention to some of his recommendations a...
Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Jackie Baillie
Lab
Not at the moment. Aside from the consequences of the fall in price, oil is in decline and the cost of extraction is increasing. However much we might not wa...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
I hope that the member agrees that there should be a broader range of possibilities for the future for students at her local school than to work in the arms ...
Jackie Baillie
Lab
Patrick Harvie will recognise that I was illustrating the point that there are future jobs in engineering, which was once considered to be an industry in dec...
Chic Brodie (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Will Jackie Baillie take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
The member is in her last 30 seconds.
Jackie Baillie
Lab
Our approach to the economy is about investing in skills; it is not about cutting taxes. I look forward to taking Scotland forward in the future. I move ame...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I welcome the scheduling of the debate and the recognition in the Scottish Government’s motion that we are seeing steady and sustained economic growth. Over ...
Mark McDonald (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
SNP
Will Murdo Fraser give way?
Murdo Fraser
Con
I am sure that Mr McDonald would like to join me in celebrating success, so I will give way.
Mark McDonald
SNP
I ask the member to advise me on two things. First, why are anti-poverty groups saying that in-work poverty has increased? Secondly, would the living wage as...
Murdo Fraser
Con
On the second point, the living wage that the Scottish Government proposes would not be legally enforceable—that is the difference. The national living wage ...
Patrick Harvie
Green
Will Murdo Fraser give way?
Murdo Fraser
Con
No—I need to make progress. One year on from the referendum, the Government continues to agitate over the constitution. As Jackie Baillie reminded us, the ...
Mark McDonald (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
SNP
I will touch on a couple of topics from earlier speeches that need to be addressed. I thought that we had—Patrick Harvie excluded; I know that his view is ...
Gavin Brown (Lothian) (Con)
Con
Does Mark McDonald at least acknowledge that the living wage that was set by the Conservative Party is higher than the manifesto commitment of his party in t...
Mark McDonald
SNP
If all that we are going to get from Mr Brown is that semantic argument rather than an examination of the reality of a living wage and what that actually mea...