Jackie Dunbar
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“I do not believe for one second that Reform UK cares about people like me; it cares about division and power, and crypto donations from dodgy billionaires. Reform UK does not represent me—it disgusts me. I am under no illusion that folk are frustrated at so much of what is happening, and not happening, in the world today.”
“Some folk who have never struggled before are now struggling, and some folk who have struggled their whole lives now doubt that things will ever get better for them. They are seeing the consequences of austerity, of a lack of investment in jobs and of a lack of spending in their local communities.”
“Anyway, I appreciate that the low-emission zones policy might inconvenience Baron Offord of Garvel, depending on which of his five cars he is driving at the time, but it will add years to the life expectancies of thousands of Scots.”
“At this point, I will take an intervention from any Reform MSP who wants to tell us whether they think that their party is too racist or not racist enough. George Adam: Oh—nothing! Jackie Dunbar: Perhaps I will use some different quotes: “I told you time and time again, I’m protecting the country”. “Enough is enough. I have had enough”.”
“The same folk who were leading the fight against “benefit scroungers” a decade ago when they were in the Conservative Party are now in Reform UK saying that we should “look after our own”. Maybe I am just not seeing what Reform MSPs are believing.”
“I wonder whether the MSPs who have been joining “street patrols” or the ones calling people “strangers” might see some similarities, too. I am not expecting them to stand up and hold their hands up, but those who are capable of quiet reflection may wish to try it.”
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“Churches are staying open due to new members, and charity shops have new volunteers. For centuries, Scotland has been a nation of emigrants, with its people travelling all over the world, and I am proud of that. I am delighted that, over the past few decades, the world is coming to Aberdeen and, quite frankly, we are all the better for it. Helen McDade: Will the member take an intervention? Jackie Dunbar: No, I will not take an intervention from a jack-in-the-box who can stand up and speak later.”
“The same folk who were leading the fight against “benefit scroungers” a decade ago when they were in the Conservative Party are now in Reform UK saying that we should “look after our own”. Maybe I am just not seeing what Reform MSPs are believing. For example, Baron Offord of Garvel may know more about small boats than I do—he spent the last election campaign boasting that he owned a fleet of them. Let me finish by talking about where I see the effects of migration in Aberdeen. Where there used to be empty shops and empty buildings, there are now Polish food shops, Romanian stores, Indian takeaways, African food shops, Chinese restaurants, Malaysian supermarkets, Buddhist temples and, two doors down from my constituency office, there is a Filipino supermarket.”
“Some folk who have never struggled before are now struggling, and some folk who have struggled their whole lives now doubt that things will ever get better for them. They are seeing the consequences of austerity, of a lack of investment in jobs and of a lack of spending in their local communities. They are feeling the consequences of social security being stripped back. They are angry and rightfully so. They are being failed by a Westminster system that is not working in their best interests. Today, we have the billionaire beneficiaries of that system and their pet politicians in Reform UK trying to tell us that the real reason for the state of society is immigrants, trans people and even wind turbines. If we got rid of all the migrants, we would not be any better off. Who would they blame next? Who would they target next?”
“I do not believe for one second that Reform UK cares about people like me; it cares about division and power, and crypto donations from dodgy billionaires. Reform UK does not represent me—it disgusts me. I am under no illusion that folk are frustrated at so much of what is happening, and not happening, in the world today. Across the past two decades, we have lurched from the financial crash to austerity, to having a Brexit vote thrust on us, to a pandemic, to a European war and a cost of living crisis. In Aberdeen, we can also throw in the added challenges with oil and gas jobs. Throughout that time, we have seen inequality grow. We have seen the world’s richest folk become even richer, and we now have our first trillionaire. While we have seen the economy grow, across the western world we have seen living standards decrease.”
“I wonder whether the MSPs who have been joining “street patrols” or the ones calling people “strangers” might see some similarities, too. I am not expecting them to stand up and hold their hands up, but those who are capable of quiet reflection may wish to try it. I seem to be the sort of person that Reform UK members say that they care about. I am a woman, and they seem to think that I need protected. I had a working-class upbringing, living on the farms that my dad worked on. I did not go to university; I earned my living by working in petrol stations and supermarkets. My partner and our daughter have both worked in the oil industry, and my dad and granda served proudly with the Gordon Highlanders.”
“At this point, I will take an intervention from any Reform MSP who wants to tell us whether they think that their party is too racist or not racist enough. George Adam: Oh—nothing! Jackie Dunbar: Perhaps I will use some different quotes: “I told you time and time again, I’m protecting the country”. “Enough is enough. I have had enough”. Those are some of the words that a topless Lewis Hawkes screamed as he was arrested in Edinburgh just last week. I am not going to repeat the rest of what he said, as it makes me feel physically sick to my stomach, but he also made a reference to “our daughters”. He has since been charged with five counts of attempted murder linked to terrorism. I cannot help but think how familiar some of his words were, and how I seem to have heard them before.”
“Anyway, I appreciate that the low-emission zones policy might inconvenience Baron Offord of Garvel, depending on which of his five cars he is driving at the time, but it will add years to the life expectancies of thousands of Scots. Two years on average, I believe, is the difference that reducing air pollution can make to life expectancy. I will also respond to the motion title, which proclaims that “Scotland Needs Reform”. Scotland does not need—or want—Reform UK Ltd. The party’s politics are not welcome and its rhetoric about “strangers” is simply dangerous. I know that some of our Reform UK MSPs get upset when they are quoted, so instead I will use a quote from one of Reform’s MPs, reflecting on what voters in Makerfield thought of Reform: “We were either too racist or not racist enough”.”
“Please excuse me if I do not respond to every point in the motion—it is a 400-word rambling mess, and I have only seven minutes to speak. I will start—because it has especially irked me— with the motion’s reference to low-emission zones. That is not a net zero policy; it is a public health policy. The simple idea is that the folk who live in our city centres, and the children who go to city- centre schools, deserve to have clean air in their lungs to breathe. Who’d have thought it, eh? I appreciate— Duncan Massey: Will the member take an intervention? Jackie Dunbar: Can I even get started? Mr Massey got six minutes, so I would like to use up my seven minutes after his huge ramble.”
“Local journalism builds trust, and the need for high-quality local journalism across every format is greater than ever. That includes TV coverage, and it includes STV North news. STV and Ofcom are both in the wrong here, and I hope that one of them will see sense and reconsider before it is too late. 18:43”
“I would love to see more STV content on social media, but STV will be able to retain the high level of trust that it enjoys only for as long as it continues to anchor itself in our local communities. Aberdeen faces an uncertain future. We are an oil capital whose businesses have been battered by the energy profit levy. We are a coastal city during a climate crisis. We are home to critical national infrastructure, while Russia is becoming more of a threat. We are a cash cow whenever the UK Government cannot balance its books. Despite being surrounded by farms, wind farms, fishing boats and oil rigs, people are struggling with their food and energy bills. With all that going on, if folk cannot find news from a source that they can trust, some will turn to outlets that tell them what they want to hear instead.”
“That trust and local connection resonates with folk in Aberdeen, and it means that they are more willing to trust those outlets on matters that are further away from home, too. That is why the decision by STV is disappointing. Our local news is being taken away at the whim of a London-based chief executive, with the decision being rubber-stamped by London-based Ofcom. STV’s argument is that it wants to focus on digital output instead. It feels that it can try to address the lack of truth that exists online by leveraging the trust that folk have in its news output. The problem is that the foundation of that trust is built on STV’s local and regional news.”
“I imagine that the vast majority of those hundreds of thousands of viewers will be far from happy with the idea that their local news will no longer be local. I know that I have given the viewing numbers already, but I want to emphasise how phenomenal they are for STV North news across the north of Scotland. There are 277,000 viewers—a 40 per cent viewing share—all tuning in to “STV news at Six”. In a world of myths and disinformation online, where folk are increasingly questioning news sources, there is something we can trust in the fact that we are able to turn on the television and watch the local news on STV, or, for that matter, walk into a shop and pick up a copy of The Press and Journal and the Evening Express.”
“I congratulate my neighbouring MSP, Jack Middleton, on securing his first members’ business debate. He has chosen a very good subject: a topical one that matters to folk right across Aberdeen and the north of Scotland. I grew up watching “North Tonight” on Grampian TV. When I was little, I would watch the news and learn what was happening around the world, followed by what was happening across the north- east. It made the news matter to me when I was a bairn. It was everything that local journalism should be: high quality, engaging and trusted. That is why I kept watching the programme under the various different names that it has been called over the years, and continue to do so. I am one of 277,000 folk across the north-east and the Highlands and Islands who tune in to STV to watch it.”
“The benefit cap, for example, which the UK Government chose to keep in place, impacts on 9,000 children, and many more families are expected to be hit by it following the scrapping of the two-child limit. Much was made of that by the UK Labour Government, but it hit those families with the benefit cap instead. We will mitigate that and assist those 9,000 children. More than 19,000 children are impacted by the bedroom tax, while the freeze to local housing allowance rates will impact on an estimated 26,000 children this year. The Scottish Government will continue to step in and support those children and families, but the best way that the issue can be tackled is at source and for the UK Government to change its position on the benefit cap and stop the freeze on the local housing allowance. Decision Time 16:11”
“Thanks to the ambition of our Scottish National Party Government and the action that it has taken on child poverty, child poverty rates in Scotland are substantially lower than the UK levels. However, it is appalling that the Scottish Government still has to spend money on mitigating the UK Government’s lack of action. Will the cabinet secretary update the Parliament on the impact that long-standing UK Government policies such as the bedroom tax, the benefit cap and the local housing allowance freeze have had on Scotland’s progress towards ending child poverty? Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government will spend £159 million to mitigate UK Government policies this year through discretionary housing payments and the Scottish welfare fund.”
“We have repeatedly called on the UK Government to fund those costs in full, but it has failed to do so. I would really appreciate it if my Labour colleagues were able to help me in calling for that. The additional £339 million of funding that the Treasury provided last year fell far short of that and left public services in Scotland, including general practices, dental practices, social care services and universities, facing a shortfall. Unless the UK Government changes course, there will be an ongoing additional cost to public services in Scotland that we absolutely do not need.”
“Labour’s national insurance hike continues to place huge pressures on the budgets of our public services, as it costs them an estimated £400 million per year. I find it unacceptable that our public services are paying the price for that Westminster stealth tax. Will the minister join me in once again calling on the UK Labour Government to fully compensate our public services for that tax hike, so that they can continue to deliver the high-quality services that folk in Scotland deserve? Hannah Mary Goodlad: The UK Government has failed to provide full funding for the additional costs of its increase in employer national insurance contributions. We estimate that the policy will cost public services in Scotland more than £700 million, not £400 million.”
“I find it heartbreaking—there is no other word for it—that I am now in a political generation that is not bequeathing many of the opportunities that we enjoyed. We all need to reflect on that. The movements on Erasmus+ are welcome. There is progress, but it is not back to where we were. Even more than other generations, young people will bear the consequences of the removal of the right to live, learn and work across the whole of Europe and the reduction in what it means to have a British passport. Provisional Outturn 2025-26”
“Living, working or studying abroad is a hugely enriching experience in which we encounter new cultures and skills. What estimation does the minister make of the social and educational impact on Scots young people, who are being denied the opportunity to expand their horizons in a way that was previously facilitated through freedom of movement within the EU and programmes such as Erasmus+? Stephen Gethins: Jackie Dunbar will get this point, given the impact on educational institutions and on young people in her constituency in Aberdeen. I do not want to make this too personal, but I will reflect for a moment. I was an Erasmus student, and it was transformative for me. I could never have done it, financially or otherwise, if it had not been for those connections.”
“The other, intangible aspect is heritage—the cultural history and stories of a particular place. Community-led regeneration projects are important because they bring to bear the stories and shared experience of a place. The Our Aberdeen app is just one example of the work that the Our Union Street team have been involved in. It is an innovative digital tool that has helped to engage the community and showcase the wide range of activity that is taking place across the city centre. It is an outstanding example of using contemporary technology—a digital app— to enable people to fully explore an area’s heritage and to discover the fantastic range of shops and services that are on offer.”
“Folk tend to go into city centres not because they are city centres, but because of the businesses that occupy them and the events that take place there. Will the minister share with us how the Scottish Government is supporting Aberdeen to tell the story of Union Street and what is happening in the city centre? Tom Arthur: Jackie Dunbar raises a really important point. It is about how we utilise retail and hospitality. On a day-to-day basis, there is a functional element to city centres—people need to pop out for a pint of milk and a loaf of bread, so they go into a shop to buy them—but there is also an experiential element, which is about the range of shops, particularly unique ones that are specific to a place, the environment and the interaction between the retail and hospitality offer. That is extremely important.”
“We have rightly focused on children and young people, our pupils and our school environment today, but it bears saying that, as adults, we could probably all benefit from thinking about our social media use, too, and about the distinction between the online world and the real world. I often reflect that I might like it if someone took my phone off me for six hours a day. We will stick to the remit of the task at hand with our education and learning environments, and perhaps adults can learn a thing or two from young people.”
“Previous Scottish Government guidance on mobile phones in schools was developed by listening to the voices not just of headteachers and school staff but of our young people. It is crucial that we continue to engage with those affected. Will the cabinet secretary outline any plans to consult our young folk on the changes that she is proposing? Màiri McAllan: Jackie Dunbar is absolutely right. The principle of meaningful participation is central to the adoption of a children’s rights-based approach and is a general guiding principle of the UNCRC. We are developing our approach to engagement with children’s organisations to ensure that children’s voices are heard as part of the consultation process.”
“A lot of great work is being done by the business community in the city to diversify our economy and build us up as a hub for renewables, which has been supported by the Energy Transition Zone and Aberdeen and Grampian Chambers of Commerce—among many others—as well as the Scottish Government’s £500 million just transition fund. However, so much of that work is being undermined by the energy profits levy. I will share some of my ambitions for Aberdeen, one of which is perhaps rather lofty.”
“There was an acknowledgement that we needed to start investing so that Aberdeen would continue to be prosperous after oil. I remember having those conversations nearly 20 years ago as a councillor, and the hope was that such investment would be made during prosperous times so that it would be there to see us through when it was needed. Unfortunately, in those 20 years, there has been the financial crisis, austerity, the oil price crash, the vote for Brexit, the pandemic and the actual leaving of the EU. When the oil price finally picked back up, the windfall tax was introduced and, with that, investment started moving elsewhere.”
“Yes, there have been downturns and, sadly, tragedies, but, for the most part, oil has meant prosperity for the north- east of Scotland, and oil and energy have become a part of Aberdeen’s identity. However, oil is finite, and even before there was any suggestion of phasing out oil, and long before the windfall tax started forcing out oil companies— Rachael Hamilton: Will the member take an intervention? Jackie Dunbar: I will take the intervention. Rachael Hamilton: Jackie Dunbar is very much in support of the oil and gas industry in the north- east. Will she back our calls to drill for oil in Jackdaw and open the fields of Jackdaw and Rosebank for gas and oil? Jackie Dunbar: I will address the “Drill, baby, drill” mantra later in my speech.”
“I will take this opportunity to talk about Aberdeen and its future, how the Scottish Government is supporting the city to be ambitious and how the north-east has been failed by successive UK Governments. When I moved to Aberdeen as a young quine, it was already known as the oil capital of Europe. The industry reached into every community and just about everyone had a family member or friend who worked on the rigs. For me, it was my long- suffering partner who would often go offshore. Today, it is now my daughter who goes offshore when needed for her work. Throughout all that time, oil and gas—and now energy more generally—have defined Aberdeen, and they have treated us well.”
“It is an ambition that I fully saw the need for when I was a councillor representing some of the most deprived communities in Aberdeen. It is an ambition that I will do everything in my power to realise as a member of our Scottish Parliament. That ambition is for Scotland to be an independent country, not just so that folk have a real and meaningful say in shaping and determining their own destinies and those of their bairns and their bairns’ bairns, but because of the difference that it will make when major decisions, which have so much impact on folk’s lives, are taken in Scotland for Scotland. Right now, the need for that feels especially obvious in Aberdeen, where decisions that are taken in Westminster are having a devastating impact on the city that I represent.”
“Thank you, Presiding Officer; I welcome you to your new role. I am also delighted to be returned by the good folk of Aberdeen Donside to their Parliament to represent them. Today’s debate is about being ambitious for Scotland. I will start with my simple and greatest ambition for our nation. It is an ambition that I have had since I was a bairn growing up on the farms across the north-east of Scotland, where my dad worked. It is an ambition that grew from when I got my first job in a petrol station as a teenager and throughout the 14 years that I worked for Tesco. It is an ambition that I wanted for my daughter’s future, right from the very day that she was born, and it continued to grow as I was raising her.”
“I, Jacqueline Edith Elizabeth Dunbar, do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law. Ah, Jacqueline Edith Elizabeth Dunbar, div depone solemnly and sincerely aat Ah wull be faithful and leal tae His Maijesty King Chairles, his heirs an aa fa come aifter him, accordin tae laa.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of its recently implemented adult social care displaced worker scheme on social care services. (S6O-05704)”
“In offshore wind, £670 million of private investment has been leveraged from £150 million of Scottish public funding to date, creating and sustaining thousands of jobs. There are more sectors in which we can do that, and I am keen to do so.”
“Since the publication of the draft climate change plan, we have been able to see our ambition to deliver that change. Last November, we launched our new InvestScotland portal, which showcases to global capital investors investment-ready opportunities in Scotland, from heat networks to renewables. In addition, there are already examples of the public and private sectors working together to deliver their emissions reduction ambitions, which will be built on as a result of the plan. For example, there was early public funding of EV charging, backed by our strong ambition and commitment, which attracted enough private investment to allow us to meet our public charge point targets two years ahead of schedule.”
“Ensuring that Scotland can effectively crowd in private investment is an essential part of delivering this plan, not least given the Scottish Government’s limited fiscal levers. Can the cabinet secretary provide any examples of the Scottish Government’s work to make that a reality? How will the Government ensure that we continue to do that, given that climate action cannot be delivered by the Government alone? Gillian Martin: What Jackie Dunbar has just outlined is critical: public money will not deliver on all the actions of the climate change plan. It can be used as seed funding at the very beginning of some of the things that we want to happen, but crowding in inward investment will really boost jobs and the tax take for Scotland and will mean that we achieve a seismic change in the economy.”
“Amendment 254 agreed to. After section 22A Amendment 255 moved—[Michael Marra]. The Presiding Officer: The question is, that amendment 255 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division. The vote is closed.”
“For Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Ind) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (Ind) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Ind) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Thomson, Michelle (Falkirk East) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) Against Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (SNP) Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Abstentions Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 95, Against 23, Abstentions 2.”
“Amendment 253 agreed to. Amendment 254 moved—[Audrey Nicoll]. The Presiding Officer: The question is, that amendment 254 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Ms Dunbar. We will ensure that that is recorded. For Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Ind) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (Ind) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Ind) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Thomson, Michelle (Falkirk East) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) Against Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Abstentions Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 102, Against 16, Abstentions 1.”
“Although the report by HIS and the MWC is specific to Skye house, does the minister agree that it is important to consider any lessons for improving access to mental health services in Scotland in a wider context? Tom Arthur: We expect all health boards and their employees to act in line with the values and behaviours that are expected of those in NHS Scotland. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has committed to delivering a significant culture change programme that is focused on listening, transparency, staff voice and psychological safety. There is also a zero-tolerance approach to behaviour that falls below high standards of care. Further action has been taken to strengthen management processes, including through increased internal audits.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the child poverty practice accelerator fund and how it is supporting families in Scotland with the cost of living. (S6O-05606)”
“If banks are not going to step up and start showing social responsibility, the UK Labour Government, which holds powers of banking regulation, must step in and make them do so. 17:46”
“We are just asking them not to charge such groups for the same banking services that I, and other members, get for free. Our banks are failing in their social responsibilities—and they are our banks, or at least they once were. Let us take the Bank of Scotland as an example, as it has upset me with its plans to close its Bridge of Don branch, and it is one of the banks that I often hear mentioned in relation to banking charges for community groups. The Bank of Scotland was established by the Parliament of Scotland and was able to grow as a result of the strong roots that it had across our nation. When things went badly, the people of this country bailed out the bank, including through share purchase. Banks need to step up and work for the communities that helped them to become the multibillion-pound entities that they are today.”
“People across the country have suffered through 15 years of austerity because the UK bailed out the banks, and those same banks have decided that their billions of pounds of profits are not enough and they need to squeeze extra pennies out of the hard-working community groups and charities that do so much, charging them to write cheques, deposit money and simply keep their accounts open. I do not think that it is asking too much for banks to step up and support those groups, in the same way that this country stepped up and supported the banks. In fact, are these charges even supporting the banks? There is a benefit to banks of having these accounts and holding the funds that are deposited in them, in relation to keeping customers happy as well as promoting strong communities for banks to do business in.”
“Shortly after that, we had austerity, although I accept that that was a political choice. Austerity was how all of us, and the people we represent, helped to pay for that bailout. Austerity was how all of us, and the people we represent, helped to pay for that bailout—that was so good that I said it twice, Deputy Presiding Officer. Ironically, a number of the groups that are being affected by the banking charges were set up to meet the social need that came about because of austerity. We can say that austerity was a political choice, not a choice made by the banks, but the charges on community accounts are very much down to the banks. The bailing out of the banks was painful for this country, and many in our communities are still feeling the effects of it. That is why the charges really frustrate me.”
“To go back to the Bible verse that I opened with, why are banks seeking to profit from these groups? Such groups hold together their local communities, and they are being hurt by the charges. Are those banks—all of which, I believe, made billions of pounds in profits last year—now struggling so much that they need to charge a residents group 50p for writing a cheque, charge a Thursday club for depositing money and charge an exercise group £50 a year to keep its account open? We have always had community groups and local charities, but their work has become much more important over the past two decades or thereabouts. Back in 2008, there was a financial crisis and it was decided that the banks needed bailed out, so the United Kingdom Government oversaw £137 billion of loans and share purchases.”
“One of those letters, with details of new banking charges, was sent to a group in my constituency last year, and that is what caused the Rev Anne Robertson to email me. She is involved not only in her church. I should note that she and her Danestone congregation go out and help others. In fact, at the top of Danestone congregational church’s Facebook page, it says: “OUR MISSION IS HELPING PEOPLE IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE”. We can see that with the warm hubs and classes that the church runs; the food collections that it organises, which go to a local food bank; and the wider role that the church plays in its community. The Rev Robertson also volunteers with local charities that have nothing to do with her religion and everything to do with helping others. Those groups are among those that are being targeted by the bank charges.”
“For the small groups that are affected, that is chipping away at the very humble sums of money that they work with, and volunteers’ time is taken up in changing bank accounts to try to avoid those fees, if that is even possible—I know that some banks no longer allow new accounts to be opened. All that is compounded by the closure of local banks in the communities that we represent, which particularly disadvantages elderly and disabled people, many of whom are volunteers in those community groups. On the point about branch closures, I will share the example of the Bank of Scotland, which is planning to close its branch in the Bridge of Don area of my Aberdeen Donside constituency in June. I will take aim at that bank shortly.”
“Some of those are out-and-out charities; others will be community councils, church groups, men’s sheds, lunch clubs or walking groups, to name just a few. Those groups are what makes a community. Despite the huge differences that those groups make, they do not handle much money. They often operate on shoestring budgets that have been funded from small donations. In recent years, however, such groups have started to get letters from their banks to say that they will need to start paying for banking services for their community or treasurer accounts. Some banks are now charging monthly or annual fees, while others are now charging for specific transactions.”
“I thank every member who took the time to sign my motion in order to allow the debate to go ahead. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” Matthew, chapter 16, verse 26. I lodged the motion for debate after the Rev Anne Robertson got in touch with me to highlight the difficulties that charities and voluntary organisations are facing, so it feels appropriate that I open with a Bible verse. I hope that she does not mind, and I welcome her, and members of her congregation, to the public gallery. Every member of the Parliament will know of small community groups and charities in their constituencies that go above and beyond.”
“Can the Deputy First Minister say any more about the choice of the four vessels and why they are ideal candidates for the development and success of the yard? Kate Forbes: In terms of the support for the workforce and for the yard, we will continue to keep Parliament updated on the progress that we make. I am very conscious that, over the next three weeks, before the pre-election period, we will make rapid progress within Government on the steps that I have outlined, so we will return to Parliament with additional information after the election.”