Meeting of the Parliament 07 January 2026
I am sorry, but I need to make some progress.
Our approach is fair. We ask those with the broadest shoulders to contribute a little more so that families and public services are protected. In return, people benefit from support that is not available throughout the rest of the UK, including the Scottish child payment, free prescriptions and free access to higher education. Despite the naysayers, Scotland continues to attract positive inward migration from the rest of the UK and sees strong levels of inward investment from abroad.
The Conservative Party claims that its plans can be funded by reducing social security spending and making efficiency savings, but those claims are vague, and people rightly expect clarity. What cuts to social security are the Conservatives proposing? Would they be cuts to support for children, disabled people or pensioners?
The Scottish Government has already identified in the medium-term financial strategy around £1 billion of realistic efficiency savings that can be made over five years while protecting front-line services, which is very important. Any efficiencies that the Conservatives are talking about would be in addition to those savings. The people of Scotland will not see that as being credible without cuts to public services in our hospitals, schools and social care. That is the difference between a workable, well-thought-out plan and something that is, frankly, little more than a slogan.
The Scottish Government is already delivering practical support that matters to households. We provide universal free school meals to more than 230,000 children in primary 1 to primary 5 and in special schools, as well as to eligible pupils beyond that. For families, that is a saving of around £450 per child each year.
We provide free tuition. Students in England face tuition fees of up to £28,600, but that education is free in Scotland.
We provide free prescriptions. Prescriptions are now £9.90 per item south of the border.
There is free bus travel for more than 2 million people in Scotland.
We have removed ScotRail peak fares for good. In doing so, we have helped people with on-going cost of living pressures while tackling the climate emergency by saving existing rail passengers money and encouraging new passengers to leave their cars at home and travel by train.
Our council tax reduction scheme cut bills for more than 450,000 people, which helps households to retain more of their income when every penny counts.
The Scottish child payment, which is one of the most important anti-poverty measures anywhere in the UK, now supports more than 320,000 families with children under 16 and it could lift 40,000 children out of relative poverty during this financial year.
Those are not vague ideas on a page; they are real measures that are already making a difference and they are all funded by a responsible tax policy that protects public services while easing pressure on families.
The Scottish Government’s approach is responsible, progressive and deliverable. It protects services, supports families and is based on what Scotland can realistically afford. The Conservative alternative is none of that. It is expensive, vague and unfunded, leaving a £1 billion gap with no explanation of which services the Conservatives would cut. At a time when households need certainty, Scotland cannot afford unfunded promises. This Government offers a credible, fair and affordable plan for Scotland’s future.
I move amendment S6M-20294.2, to leave out from first “reduce” to end and insert:
“respect Parliament by outlining its tax policy when it publishes its Budget on 13 January 2026, and ensure that the policy is progressive, fair to the people of Scotland, and supports vital public services like Scotland’s NHS, schools, and blue light services.”
15:05Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.