Hansard

The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone) NPA

The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-16750, in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville, on supporting households with cost of living pressures and...

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice (Shirley-Anne Somerville) SNP

I welcome the opportunity to open the debate on supporting households with on-going cost of living pressures. As the motion notes, the recent energy price ca...

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green) Green

It sounds as though the cabinet secretary’s argument would be justification for opposing what the Scottish Government intends to do to the Housing (Scotland)...

Shirley-Anne Somerville SNP

I appreciate the work that Patrick Harvie has done on the issue over many years. However, I fundamentally disagree with him on that part of the proposal. We ...

Stephen Kerr (Central Scotland) (Con) Con

Of course, work is vital to supporting families in Scotland. The University of Dundee announced this afternoon that more than 600 jobs will go because of the...

Shirley-Anne Somerville SNP

If Mr Kerr has read the statement from the university, he will know that it has set out some of the reasons behind its policy. I disagree with Mr Kerr—I beli...

Stephen Kerr Con

So, it is nothing to do with you, then.

The Presiding Officer NPA

Mr Kerr, I know that you are aware that you should not be shouting from your seat. Cabinet secretary, please continue.

Shirley-Anne Somerville SNP

I am afraid that, once again, Mr Kerr is demonstrating that he is not at all interested in the people of Scotland who are suffering from the cost of living c...

Douglas Lumsden (North East Scotland) (Con) Con

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

Shirley-Anne Somerville SNP

I apologise to Mr Lumsden—I am just about to wind up. We can go only so far in mitigating the worst excesses of Westminster. The Scottish Government has alr...

The Presiding Officer NPA

Members will wish to be aware that there is time in hand this afternoon. 14:36

Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

In recent days, we have, as a nation, rightly been consumed by the news from Washington—by the utterly unacceptable and bullying rhetoric of the Trump Admini...

The Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy (Gillian Martin) SNP

Will the member take an intervention?

Liz Smith Con

I will in a minute. I say again that it is all very well having a social contract with the people of Scotland until we find that we cannot afford it and that...

Gillian Martin SNP

I hope that what I am about to say is helpful. We have been advocating for quite some time for there to be a social tariff for fuel bills. I believe that tac...

Liz Smith Con

We have put it on record that we support that. However, the key point that I am trying to get across is that we must have evidence of what works best. One of...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind

Liz Smith talks about the Scottish economy as being a high-tax economy, but does she accept that, in countries such as Denmark, taxes are considerably higher...

Liz Smith Con

As someone who has visited some of those countries, I know that their delivery of public services is an awful lot better than it is in Scotland. One of the g...

Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab

I am pleased to follow Liz Smith. Although I did not agree with everything that she said in her speech—as colleagues might have guessed—I think that she made...

Douglas Lumsden Con

The member mentioned the invasion of Ukraine and how that affects our energy security. Does that not make an even stronger case for production of our own oil...

Paul O’Kane Lab

Douglas Lumsden knows that I believe in an energy mix and that we must continue to use the resources that we have in Scotland. I also believe that it is vita...

Stephen Kerr Con

Will the member give way?

Paul O’Kane Lab

I will give way to Stephen Kerr, then I will make some progress.

Stephen Kerr Con

Does Paul O’Kane also accept that a shock was contained in last October’s budget? That shock has been delayed, but we will begin to feel it as of next month,...

Paul O’Kane Lab

I will not take a lecture on tax from the Conservatives, who placed the highest tax burden on working people in more than a generation. The issue has been we...

Ben Macpherson (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) SNP

Will the member take an intervention?

Paul O’Kane Lab

I am conscious that time is available, so I will give way.

Ben Macpherson SNP

In previous debates and exchanges, Paul O’Kane has spoken with passion about the need to support disabled people through the social security system. Paul O’...

Paul O’Kane Lab

Mr Macpherson used two very telling words: “proposed” and “potential”. Laughter. I do not know the detail of the green paper—perhaps members opposite know—bu...