Hansard

I disagree with that, because although we work to reform and future proof the system on a long-term basis, we are acting now to support more immediate skills needs. I am particularly pleased with some of the commitments in the programme for government, not least the £2 million for the Clyde maritime cluster, which is specifically designed to support people who are furthest from the job market into skilled employment. We are working with the private sector on that.

The country of Adam Smith has always looked outwards—when our economy grows, we do not just create wealth; we export our creativity and turn our global connections into local opportunity. Scotland boasts many global economic strengths, such as in renewable energy, its world leading financial services sector, whisky exports, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and tech innovation.

Our global image blends rich culture and heritage, innovation, resilience, natural beauty, and top-class food and drink, attracting millions of tourists, investors and international connections to Scotland—I am immensely proud of what our businesses and communities achieve in this country.

As well as trading outwards, we welcome investment inwards. We understand that we will not achieve our ambitions for growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency, reducing child poverty or improving public services without investment flowing into Scotland. We are already a prime destination for capital investment. For multiple years in a row, we have continued to be the most attractive place in the UK for inward investment outside London and the south-east. In other words, investors have confidence in the Scottish economy.

Last month, I was at Glasgow airport welcoming the £1.5 billion investment that is being made by PSP Investments Ltd and AviAlliance into AGS Airports Ltd. We are taking an investor-friendly approach to being a globally competitive destination by engaging with priority investors alongside the Scottish National Investment Bank to send a clear signal that Scotland offers huge opportunities and the right conditions for investment. In the coming year, we will launch investScotland to showcase significant investment opportunities, building on the First Minister’s global offshore wind investment forum. We will also implement the recommendations of the housing investment task force.

We have a critical role in making it easier to support local domestic business by providing certainty and stability to taxpayers. We will provide further certainty and stability by supporting better engagement and robust business and regulatory impact assessments as well as by reaffirming our commitment to having no further divergence from UK Government income tax policy for the rest of this parliamentary session. That will ensure that the majority of Scottish taxpayers continue to pay less income tax than those in the rest of the UK.

The programme for government sets out a range of planning commitments, such as to reverse the decline in professional planners working in public authorities and to address delays through the planning hub to help tackle poverty through good new homes and making our communities more attractive and sustainable places to live and do business.

Our three enterprise agencies are cornerstones to our efforts to develop Scotland’s entrepreneurial strengths and boost innovation. The figures are remarkable. Last year alone, they supported the creation or safeguarding of more than 19,600 jobs and unlocked a record £2.3 billion of planned capital investment.

I will draw my comments to a close. We are very clear that our actions to support the economy are a means of tackling poverty and that those two things go hand in hand. We are proud of our strengths and of the progress that we are making on reducing poverty.

I move,

That the Parliament recognises the actions outlined in the Programme for Government 2025-26 to grow the Scottish economy and eradicate child poverty; further recognises that these missions are inextricably linked, with a strong economy providing access to fair work opportunities and supporting investment in public services and ambitious climate and anti-poverty measures; notes that, over the year ahead, the actions within the Programme for Government will build on Scotland’s economic strengths to address the additional challenges the country faces from economic volatility, capturing the economic opportunities ahead to drive improvements in living standards, reduce child poverty and build a strong foundation for the future, to weather the global economic uncertainty; welcomes the Scottish Government’s continued focus on delivering action across the drivers of child poverty reduction, to increase earned incomes, reduce the costs of living and maximise incomes from social security and benefits in kind, and commits to working together to grow the economy, and deliver on the 2030 child poverty targets unanimously supported by the Scottish Parliament.