Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 19 December 2023
19 Dec 2023 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Budget 2024-25
In the face of a 10 per cent cut to our capital budget from the UK Government over the next five years, we are taking the action that we need to take to prioritise investment in our vital infrastructure. There is nothing erratic about making sure that our tax decisions raise £1.5 billion of additional revenues that would not have been there had we followed UK Government tax policy. As I set out in my statement, we are very clear about investment in the front line.
Alex Cole-Hamilton mentioned local government. The total resource budget has increased by £840.3 million since the 2023-24 budget, which is a 6.8 per cent cash increase and a 5 per cent real-terms increase. On top of that growth, the budget also makes available up to £144 million to support councils to freeze their council tax. In total, the budget makes available more than £14 billion of funding to councils, should they agree to freeze their council tax. That is a record level of funding to local government—more than £14 billion. Alex Cole-Hamilton should have looked at the figures before he came to the chamber.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone)
NPA
The next item of business is a statement by Shona Robison on the Scottish budget 2024-25. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance will take questions at the end of...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance (Shona Robison)
SNP
It is an enormous privilege to present my first budget, which is built on our values and sets out, in tough times, to protect people, sustain public services...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Thank you, members.
Shona Robison
SNP
Quite simply, we cannot spend money that we do not have and we cannot mitigate every cut that the UK Government makes. We are at the upper limit of the mitig...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Thank you, members.
Shona Robison
SNP
We have always said that, to truly transform our economy, society and public services, and to reap the benefits of Scotland’s resources for current and futur...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow about 60 minutes for questions, after which we will mo...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
It is very good to see the Presiding Officer back in the chair. Applause. What was not so good was the extraordinarily late delivery of a copy of what is an...
The First Minister (Humza Yousaf)
SNP
Hah! HS2!
Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
Do you think that this is funny?
Liz Smith
Con
Of course, the Scottish Government—
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Ms Smith, please give me a moment. I must ask that we do not have shouting from members on the front benches. Interruption. Members, let us hear one another ...
Liz Smith
Con
I think that the First Minister is embarrassed by that, because he knows full well that the UK Government is having to help Scotland. The Scottish Governmen...
Shona Robison
SNP
I join Liz Smith in welcoming the Presiding Officer back to her seat. I also give my apologies for the late statement. Our asks of the UK Government—for mor...
Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
This is a chaotic budget from an incompetent Government that will leave ordinary Scots paying much more and getting much less in return. The SNP’s mismanagem...
Shona Robison
SNP
I am not sure whether Michael Marra is saying that he is against the people with the broadest shoulders paying a bit more, which would mean, therefore, that ...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Thank you!
Shona Robison
SNP
In my statement, I was clear that we are prioritising funding for the NHS and vital front-line services, and that we are raising revenues to do that. As Mich...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I call Alex Cole-Hamilton.
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
Thank you, Presiding Officer, and welcome back. The SNP has spent years ignoring expert warnings about the lack of a long-term economic strategy and the im...
Shona Robison
SNP
In the face of a 10 per cent cut to our capital budget from the UK Government over the next five years, we are taking the action that we need to take to prio...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
I advise members that there is considerable interest in asking questions, so we will need to have shorter questions and answers.
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
SNP
The Deputy First Minister has had to make very difficult choices, not least because of decisions that were made by the chancellor in his autumn statement, su...
Shona Robison
SNP
As I said, our capital spending power has reduced because the UK Government has persistently underinvested in infrastructure and has not inflation proofed it...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
Ahead of this budget, the business community in Scotland had two key asks: first, that the income tax differential with the rest of the UK should not be wide...
Shona Robison
SNP
Let us be clear. Murdo Fraser has just put on the record that the Tories wanted us to follow the UK Government Tory spending plans, which would have meant th...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Please resume your seat, cabinet secretary. We will not have this shouting across front benches—I am referring to members of both the front benches that I am...
Shona Robison
SNP
That would have meant us replicating the real-terms cut to NHS England here in Scotland. Let me tell Murdo Fraser what that would have meant to health board...
Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
On the one hand, the budget boasts about investing in colleges, universities and skills, and on the other hand, it cuts £100 million from the Scottish Fundin...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We need a question, Ms Duncan-Glancy.