Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 09 December 2020
I do not see it as a false analysis at all. Ultimately, a pub with monthly costs of more than £13,000 cannot keep going on that level of grant support, which, from Friday, will be downgraded to £2,100 a month.
Only 42 per cent of pubs can open after yesterday’s change in restrictions, so the warning from the Scottish Licensed Trade Association—that up to 12,500 jobs are at risk—still stands. There must be a rapid review of the grant support limits, not just for pubs, but for the entire hospitality industry, and for other sectors, too. We were told that new support measures are in the pipeline, but there is no detail and businesses cannot afford to keep waiting.
In Wales, hospitality businesses receive £269 per day—more than four times the amount that the Scottish Government provides in Scotland. In fact, at just £64 per day, Scottish hospitality receives the lowest level of support anywhere in the United Kingdom. The new measures should come up to at least the Welsh level—or is the Scottish National Party seriously claiming that Scotland does not have the power or the funds to at least match Wales?
The SNP has shown that when it wants to act, it can, such as with the welcome fund for the wholesale sector and today’s announcements for taxi drivers and travel agents, which are also welcome. However, months into this crisis, why does it still take so long to get support out the door?
Taxi drivers were promised support three weeks ago. I have spoken with drivers on the ground, and I know that their bills are mounting. When will they actually see a penny of the money that has been announced today, and will any support be backdated? I would be grateful if the minister could address that point. I have also been in contact with travel agents and the Scottish Passenger Agents Association, and they face the double whammy of all the challenges that this year has brought plus refunding last year’s bookings.
I am glad that the Scottish Government has listened to our calls, but why has it taken so long? There needs to be long-term support, because businesses that manage to survive into the new year face a new threat—a massive tax bombshell when bills for non-domestic rates come in.
Only a few months ago, we saw reports of 300,000 planned redundancies across the UK. Workers at Debenhams, the Arcadia Group and Burntisland Fabrications, and many other, smaller, businesses, face uncertain futures, on top of the thousands of pub jobs that are at risk, as I mentioned. The Scottish Conservatives want action to save those jobs, so we are calling on the SNP to do the right thing and extend the 100 per cent relief for non-domestic rates for another full year.