Meeting of the Parliament 14 December 2023
I will start with two expressions of regret in relation to this afternoon’s debate. First, I am very sorry that I am not able to be in the chamber in person due to an injury. Secondly, although I am very happy to engage in this debate on the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023, I regret the fact that the Scottish Government is devoting the afternoon, at this point, to discussing what is, in essence, a matter of reserved legislation.
There is a whole range of issues affecting the Scottish economy that fall under the remit of the cabinet secretary, which we could be discussing today. We could be looking at Scotland’s economic performance, or at the challenges in sectors such as hospitality at the moment, and their demand that the 75 per cent rates relief that the chancellor issued to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England and Wales be passed on to businesses in Scotland in the coming year—as, indeed, was not done in the present year. We could also be looking at what the Scottish Government is going to do in its budget on Tuesday to support economic growth in those sectors of the economy that are struggling.
In that respect, I was very interested to read in the newspapers that the cabinet secretary is fighting a battle within the Cabinet to oppose additional tax rises that would widen the income tax differential between Scotland and the rest of the UK still further. I certainly wish him well in his endeavours in that respect—although, if the latest reports are to be believed, it looks like he has lost that battle already, in humiliating fashion. If that is true, which we will find out on Tuesday, it will be deeply damaging to the economy and our prospects for growth, and it will send out a message about how unattractive Scotland is as a place for those looking to set up and grow businesses. That is not only my view but one that is universally held across business representative organisations in Scotland.
Regrettably, instead of those matters being the focus of the Scottish Government’s debate this afternoon, we have yet another set of grievances with the UK Government, this time in relation to the legislation on minimum service levels, which came into law on 20 July this year.
I have to take issue with the statement in the motion in the name of the cabinet secretary that claims that the legislation
“encroaches on the devolved responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament”.
In fact, the legislation impacts on reserved areas in so far as they apply to Scotland, including matters such as border security.