Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 26 November 2015
26 Nov 2015 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Women and Social Security
My primary concern is not tactics but the working people who would be affected by the cuts to tax credits. The SNP members miserably failed to show any appetite to use the powers that are coming to the Scottish Parliament to mitigate or reverse those tax cuts. That was the shame of two weeks ago. I hope that they will not be found wanting as we look to address what is left of the UK Government’s welfare reform programme. As we saw yesterday, there is still a substantial and pernicious agenda—I know that the minister agrees with me on that.
Scottish politics will have changed for ever when the powers promised by the Smith commission come to Holyrood. No longer will the Scottish people indulge us when we complain about cuts to the most vulnerable in society; no longer will it be enough to join the chorus of despair at the Tory welfare reforms; no longer will we be protected from the hard choices that come from power and responsibility. The people—indeed, the women—of Scotland will instead look to us to act and use the new powers to build the fairer and more compassionate Scotland to which we aspire.
15:30In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
As the Presiding Officer said, this item of business is a debate on motion S4M-14791, in the name of Hugh Henry, on women and social security. I call Clare A...
Clare Adamson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to speak to members today in order to share the conclusions of the Welfare Reform Committee’s inquiry and the recommendations in ou...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Many thanks. We are tight for time today. I call Margaret Burgess—you have nine minutes, please, minister. 15:14
The Minister for Housing and Welfare (Margaret Burgess)
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. Achieving real, meaningful gender equality is right at the heart of this Government’s core objectives. We a...
Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I start by thanking the Welfare Reform Committee for its wide-ranging and authoritative report on the impact on women of welfare reform. It strikes me that, ...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
Does the member think that Labour got its tactics right on this? Surely the best bet was to challenge the principle before worrying about where the money wou...
Jenny Marra
Lab
My primary concern is not tactics but the working people who would be affected by the cuts to tax credits. The SNP members miserably failed to show any appet...
John Lamont (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Con
I welcome not only the opportunity to speak in today’s debate but the attention that the Welfare Reform Committee has given to the relationship between polic...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
A few weeks ago, John Lamont’s colleague, Baroness Goldie, was in the House of Lords voting to get rid of tax credits, but the Scottish Tory party had wanted...
John Lamont
Con
Yesterday, the chancellor clearly set out the position on tax credits. I will leave it to him and his explanation for that, rather than get involved and reop...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
We come to the open debate. We are tight for time, so speeches will be a maximum of six minutes. 15:36
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
I thank all the members of the Welfare Reform Committee and all the people who gave evidence, because the report was a pretty tough piece of work. It was the...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
You must close, please.
Kevin Stewart
SNP
Then, the UK Government might realise the horrors of the policies that it has implemented.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I reiterate that I can give members only up to six minutes. 15:42
Michael McMahon (Uddingston and Bellshill) (Lab)
Lab
I thank Kevin Stewart for the gracious comments that he made at the outset of his speech. I was a bit concerned that I would sound conceited when I say that ...
Joan McAlpine (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I will raise the issue of carers and those for whom they care. Those two groups feature prominently in the committee’s report on women and social security. T...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
You must close, please.
Joan McAlpine
SNP
I point out again that only 14 per cent of welfare spending is being devolved to Scotland under the Scotland Bill. When we have £12 billion of welfare cuts s...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I am sorry that there is not more time this afternoon. If members go over their time, that means that someone else will lose out. 15:55
Christina McKelvie (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP)
SNP
Welfare reform at Westminster has achieved two things. First, it has deprived the most vulnerable and needy in our communities of the capacity to feed and cl...
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I was a member of the Welfare Reform Committee when evidence was being taken on this topic in June and, during the evidence sessions, we learned that inequal...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
You must close.
Margaret McDougall
Lab
I welcome the minister saying that that will be considered and that dignity and respect will be at the centre of Scotland’s social security system. On child...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I give members fair warning: if you go over six minutes, I will have to cut you off. 16:07
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the committee for what I felt, as an outsider to the committee, was a wide-ranging and thorough report. It is good that new welfare powers are to be ...
Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
SNP
The Welfare Reform Committee’s report on women and social security is surely one of the most important reports that the Parliament has produced in the curren...
Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab)
Lab
I begin by thanking all members of the Welfare Reform Committee for their work on the report. We all know that the recession has had a devastating effect on ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
You need to draw to a close.
Ken Macintosh
Lab
Instead of helping women to access work, the reforms will hurt women. In its response to the committee’s report, the Scottish Government did not say much abo...