Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 07 May 2025
07 May 2025 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Programme for Government (Building the Best Future for Scotland)
I start by reminding members of my entry in the register of members’ interests in relation to the income that I derive from property rental and my connection with the Scotch Whisky Association.
The programme for government that was announced yesterday was a real opportunity for the Scottish Government to put growth back at the heart of the political agenda. For years, in coalition with the anti-growth Green Party, it did not even want to mention the subject. Fortunately, it is now at least prepared to talk about growth, although there is a huge mismatch between the rhetoric and the actual delivery. We should all agree that growth is important. Growth is what delivers the ability to solve the nation’s problems. It creates wealth, it reduces poverty, it supports household incomes and it provides the tax revenues to fund the public services that we all rely on.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-17437, in the name of Kate Forbes, on the programme for government—building the best future for Scotland....
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes)
SNP
We are at a crucial moment in Scotland’s economic history—a history that has been shaped by ambition, innovation, openness, resilience and collaboration. Our...
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
Economic uncertainty is not good for anyone. I wrote to the Prime Minister recently about the impact of the energy profit levy and, today, Harbour Energy has...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I express my huge sympathy for those who face losing their job. As Kevin Stewart said, we are faced with the loss of several hundred onshore jobs, and we are...
Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Over the past two years, Scotland has had the lowest wage growth of any region or nation in the United Kingdom. The Deputy First Minister talks about increas...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I am intrigued as to which figures Paul O’Kane is using, because, in March, Scotland’s claimant count—the unemployment rate—was 3.7 per cent, which was lower...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)
SNP
At lunch time today, I chaired the cross-party group on the wood panel industry, which supports the wood panel products sector. Several industry leaders were...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I am very supportive of the sector and, indeed, have had the great pleasure of visiting West Fraser and seeing the expansion in which it has invested. It is ...
Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
Will the Deputy First Minister therefore share my concern that a really successful programme for supporting disabled people into employment in Glasgow throug...
Kate Forbes
SNP
The example that the member has cited is precisely the kind of opportunity that we are supporting and are keen to continue to support. The employability supp...
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Lab
Will the Deputy First Minister take another intervention?
Kate Forbes
SNP
A really brief one.
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Lab
In evidence to the Education, Children and Young People Committee this morning on the Government’s plans for skills reform, Skills Development Scotland said ...
Kate Forbes
SNP
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...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
I advise members that there is no time in hand, so members will be required to stick to their speaking allocations. I call Murdo Fraser to speak to and move...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I start by reminding members of my entry in the register of members’ interests in relation to the income that I derive from property rental and my connection...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind)
Ind
Will the member give way?
Murdo Fraser
Con
I will in a second. We should all affirm that as a set of outcomes. At least, I hope that we would all affirm that—perhaps Mr Mason is about to disappoint me.
John Mason
Ind
The member says that growth reduces poverty. Would he accept that that is not automatic and that we have to take action to move the wealth around?
Murdo Fraser
Con
We have to create the growth first; we have to create the wealth first. That needs to be the first priority. If we do not have the wealth, we cannot share it...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I do not wish to pre-empt what the member will say, but does he agree that one of the primary problems with the hike in national insurance contributions is t...
Murdo Fraser
Con
I do not disagree at all with that point from the Deputy First Minister. If Labour had signalled in advance of the election what it was going to do, whether ...
The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice (Shirley-Anne Somerville)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Murdo Fraser
Con
I ask the cabinet secretary to let me make this point. I will then give way. That means that, at a time when we have a housing emergency, which even the Sco...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
Earlier, Murdo Fraser called my Scottish Green colleagues “anti-growth”, which is a highly pejorative term. Will he comment on members of the Conservative Pa...
Murdo Fraser
Con
Rent controls are an SNP Government policy; they are not supported by this party. We will not support the housing bill if rent controls are part of it. I giv...
John Mason
Ind
Will the member give way?
Murdo Fraser
Con
I am running out of time, so I ask my colleague to forgive me. The Scottish Government has had 18 years to do that. Finally, it is waking up to the fact tha...
Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Listening to the Deputy First Minister open this debate and the debate yesterday and the First Minister’s statement, one would think that today was day 1 of ...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I am intervening in part to tell Paul O’Kane that he might have been leaving secondary school when the First Minister started delivering programmes for gover...