Stephen Kerr
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
“My first priority is to prevent crime before it happens and, as a consequence, to reduce the number of victims. Therefore, the Government will continue to intervene early to steer people away from crime and focus on areas such as substance dependency, health, poverty, homelessness and employability, which are all significant contributing…”
“Alongside more places, a smarter approach to custody is needed, and I remain committed to using all levers at our disposal, including continuing to expand the use of home detention curfew, which supports reintegration of individuals by providing for their structured return to the community.”
“I expect HMP Highland to be completed in spring 2027— which is later than planned, due to construction issues—and HMP Glasgow, which I visited last week, is due to be completed in 2028.”
“I recognise that the proposed changes are bold, and I hope that they can contribute to a thoughtful debate today on the consequences of not addressing the rise in our prison population. The outcomes of any sentence for a crime committed should be that justice is served and no further reoffending happens.”
“That is why my priority is the prevention of crime and further reoffending behaviour. That approach makes financial sense: every prison place costs us more than £52,000 a year; this financial year, we are spending nearly £510 million in resource funding for the Scottish Prison Service to run our jails.”
“Yi-pei Chou Turvey sums things up very well. This whole issue has been at the bottom of the to-do list—that is exactly where we are. The title of the Government’s motion, which is the subject of today’s debate, is: “Achieving a sustainable prison population”. We can all share that perfectly reasonable objective.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,212 lines we hold for Stephen Kerr, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 22 of 25.
“He talked about the Conservatives applauding the cuts in international aid, which, by the way, are being made in order to re-arm our country in the face of the global tensions that we have to deal with. That is now the reality. He said that the Conservatives had said that the cuts did not go far enough. In fact, it was the Conservatives who delivered the policy of spending 0.7 per cent of gross national income on aid. We kept the commitment that was made by Tony Blair to get to 0.7 per cent. That was a very important commitment that the British Government kept, regardless of the colour of the rosette of the party that was in power. Blair might have set the target, but the Conservatives delivered it. Willie Rennie gave a disturbing speech, because he appeared to be rather too willing to agree with Patrick Harvie.”
“I do not know whether there are many things, if we are being honest, that such a high percentage of the public are aware of. That is a credit to the Scottish fair trade movement. I say to Colin Smyth that one of the hazards of being an elected member is the enticement of too many cakes. We all feel obliged—rightly so—to taste as many baked goods as we can consume. Unfortunately, I have taken advantage of that once too often. Colin Smyth raised the issue of a definition of fair trade, which is pertinent to the debate, because I heard some extraordinarily perverse definitions of, and very slanted perspectives on, free trade. I will come back to the issue of free trade in a moment. Patrick Harvie’s recollection of history is very challenged.”
“It was in the spirit of the debate—largely—that he quoted former First Minister Jack McConnell, or Lord McConnell, who talked about our duty to be “good neighbours” and to play our part in meeting global challenges. That is right, because Scotland has always been an outward-facing and global nation. The cabinet secretary was right to point out that the global trading situation is deteriorating. I might come back to that point if I have time. He also commented on the work that is done through the public and private sectors working together to promote fair trade. My colleague Murdo Fraser highlighted the level of consumer awareness of, and support for, fair trade, which is a point worth making. Alexander Stewart mentioned that 97 per cent of Scots are aware of fair trade.”
“We do not want to talk about football in the chamber today, given the weekend’s events. I was grateful to hear that John Mason considers my friend Murdo Fraser to be a “relatively pleasant” Tory, although Patrick Harvie demoted that estimation to “allegedly” pleasant Tory. I suppose that it falls to me to become the relatively unpleasant Tory in the estimation of my colleagues. I hope not, but it would not surprise me in some cases. I am not looking in any particular direction when I say that. I thank the cabinet secretary for his really good speech to open the debate. He rightly talked about the awareness of fair trade and the reputation of our country as a fair trade nation.”
“The remediation contract and the work that is required also take a different period of time. I am happy to keep Mr Kerr up to date with regard to the buildings that are remediated. I have made the statement on what we are currently going through in relation to the single building assessment process. As I said, the whole purpose of the statement today is to quicken up the pace and widen the breadth of work that we are undertaking.”
“If I am expected to highlight which buildings will be completed without some of those buildings having gone through the single building assessment process and without a remediation contract having come out, that is a bit unfair. We will continue to work on quickening the pace, which I am confident that we will do. On funding, I note that more than £50 million is being set aside. We publish a quarterly review of how much is spent. To come and ask me what buildings will be remediated by a certain point in a certain year is unfair. I am happy to keep Mr Kerr updated on that particular point. [Interruption.] I am coming back to the point that Mr Kerr mentioned. A single building assessment process takes a different period of time depending on where the building is.”
“I was in London eight years ago come June, and I will not forget the feelings but also the very sensation of the smell that arose because of the terrible tragedy at Grenfell. This has really not been the minister’s finest hour, by a very long way. If I understand what he has told us this afternoon, in a statement that he asked to make, he cannot tell us how many high- rise buildings need to be remediated; he cannot tell us how many are going to be remediated by the end of this parliamentary session; and he cannot tell us how much of the £97.1 million that the Scottish Government receives from the UK Government for cladding remediation has been spent. Is he not ashamed and embarrassed not to know such basic information when appearing before this Parliament? Paul McLennan: I come back to a particular point that I have made a few times.”
“The situation in England has been compared with that in Scotland, but they are not comparable, because of the different education systems. I can go into further detail at a future date, when time allows. The First Minister did not rule out changes to the future funding model—he was very clear about that, and rightly so. The return of tuition fees, which Mr Kerr perhaps favours, is not an option for this Government. Beyond that, we are willing to have a discussion with the sector. If the Conservatives want to engage constructively on the issue for a change, even they are more than welcome to engage on it.”
“When the facts change, people should be open to changing their minds. The reality is that the big four countries that host international students, including the United Kingdom, are all seeing massive reductions in the numbers who are attending. In Scotland, the number of international students has dropped even further. What is depressing is the response of the First Minister, who has made it clear that he is not prepared to even discuss any fundamental changes to the funding models. On the basis that no discussion can include all variables, what financial assessment has been done in respect of keeping the sector solvent? How much more public money would it take for that to be achieved? Graeme Dey: I want to make a point about the level of the drop in international students.”
“I have to note, as I did in the recent members’ business debate, which was led by Alexander Stewart, that the Conservatives failed to support the Government’s budget, which provided an extra £29 million for additional support needs, including for children who live in the Orkney Islands. Additional Support Needs (Learning Environments) 3.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: Mr Kerr, that did not relate— Stephen Kerr: In Orkney. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Well, if that is the level of participation. Cabinet secretary, please respond to Mr Kerr to the extent that the question relates to the subject matter of the substantive question that is in the business bulletin. Jenny Gilruth: The member and I recently discussed the issue during a members’ business debate. I do not accept the premise of the member’s point about the presumption of mainstreaming, but I am happy to engage with him on the substantive issue of funding.”
“As I say, it is specific, but it also has application in other authorities. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I am not going to get into it. I am giving you the opportunity to come up with something that relates to the question that is in the business bulletin. Please either continue or do not. Stephen Kerr: I am referring to the Audit Scotland report. I wrote to the cabinet secretary and she kindly replied to me. In her reply, she said that “We know that there is a general consensus across our education system, that the principles of inclusion—on which our system is based—are sound.” Does the cabinet secretary accept that, in some instances, the presumption of mainstreaming has gone too far, to the detriment of the children with additional support needs and the learning environment in the classroom?”
“Yes, it is specifically and generally about the Audit Scotland report. [Interruption.] The Deputy Presiding Officer: Mr Kerr, it has to relate to children’s additional support needs in island areas, including the Orkney Islands constituency.”
“Is Patrick Harvie’s question not just another example of his student union-style obsessive politics? Should the parliamentary catering service not continue to focus on delivering good service and value for money, especially in the eyes of the taxpayer? Claire Baker: I recognise that Patrick Harvie and Stephen Kerr have different views on some important issues. I say again that our catering service meets all its legal requirements and that we will be putting the contract out to tender quite soon. Stamps 3.”
“Secondly, on Stephen Kerr’s point about Petroineos, I think that he would be the very first person in the chamber to complain, not without some justification, if the Scottish Government had not been speaking to Petroineos and other companies that are involved directly in the matter. As he says, the report is a Scottish Government report, but it is entirely legitimate for us to speak to the companies that are involved.”
“The minister says that the report will published next week, but I remind him that we were told in the chamber several weeks ago that it would be published at the end of February. In responding to a similar question to the one that Michelle Thomson has just posed about the date of publication, the Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy said that the report was subject to “final checks and changes” and that Petroineos is among the parties that are reviewing the report. Will the minister explain why Petroineos is seeing the report? The report is being paid for by taxpayers’ money, so why is Petroineos seeing it? What other members of the Grangemouth future industry board are also seeing it so that it can be checked and changed? Alasdair Allan: First, by “next week”, I mean next week.”
“It supports 119 projects from more than 100 organisations across every local authority in Scotland. Mercedes Villalba: Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention? Shirley-Anne Somerville: Scotland is committed to meeting the benchmark that is set by the international treaties and obligations, such as the Istanbul convention, which opposes violence against women and domestic violence.”
“On a point of order, Deputy Presiding Officer. A number of members have tried to intervene. I am seeking your clarification that it would be in order in a debate for the cabinet secretary to give way and allow a colleague to ask a question or to seek a clarification. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Mr Kerr, you will know by now that that is not a point of order and that it is entirely at the discretion of the person speaking whether they take an intervention. I can give you back a little bit of time, cabinet secretary. Shirley-Anne Somerville: Thank you, Presiding Officer. The delivery of the equally safe fund supports the work of the equally safe strategy, which underpins Scotland’s approach to preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls.”
“I ask the cabinet secretary to get beyond some of the token aspects of the debate, deal with the substance of Audit Scotland’s report and deal with the discipline issues in our schools. The NASUWT talks about how half of our teachers have been assaulted in the past year, and they cannot go on. We have discussed the mobile phones issue. I know that the cabinet secretary has said what she has said, but teachers in this country need support from the Scottish Government. The time has come for us to properly evaluate what I think was an experiment in mainstreaming. It is time to evaluate the cost of that and properly address the needs of all our young people. 17:48”
“There are more exclusions, and more good teachers are leaving the profession because they have a sense of being burnt out. I know of one enthusiastic music teacher who has given her whole life and effort to teaching music in her secondary school. Having had a baby and facing the prospect of returning to work after her maternity leave, she told me that, for the first time in her life, she did not want to go back to work. That is terrible. These are serious issues. I know that that is only one example, but it is a reflection of the wider concerns that are reported to us all as members of the Scottish Parliament, regardless of party or favour. I can see that my time is up.”
“The Audit Scotland report highlights that only 20 per cent of Scotland’s schools are equipped to deal with children who have more serious additional support for learning needs. Pupils are being let down. I mean not just the young people who have additional support needs, but those sharing their classroom who do not, because their learning is also being seriously disrupted. The consequences of that are clear in the falling attainment that we see. I know that the cabinet secretary will want to contest all this, but I can go only on the evidence that has been given to me by teachers, headteachers and parents, who are seriously concerned about what is happening to their young people and their experiences of educational attainment in our schools.”
“It does not help that, although it may stick with the ideology of mainstreaming, the Government has failed to properly plan, resource or support it. The consequence is that many teachers are at breaking point. I think that the cabinet secretary knows that. They cannot manage the classrooms that they are operating in. They feel underequipped to handle some of the complex needs of some young people in their classrooms, in mixed groups of pupils with different abilities and different needs. Some teachers, frankly, operate without the appropriate support staff, do not have the training and do not have the material means to meet the need that they see. They are therefore being left to manage some serious behavioural crises in our schools. Further, schools are not fit for purpose in a physical sense.”
“I do not want to be too partisan about this, which will come as a surprise to some of the members who are listening, but I think that the cabinet secretary needs to give a full and considered response to the Audit Scotland report that was published a week last Thursday. Frankly, the reality that it has exposed is deeply disturbing. It is not only that 40 per cent of Scotland’s pupils need additional support for learning, but that their schools are underfunded, understaffed and overwhelmed. I wish to raise a concern that has been expressed to me by many teachers, headteachers and others in our schools or who are connected to our education system, which is that the presumption of mainstreaming has been taken too far and, in some cases, is damaging young people, who are being put into mainstream education to their detriment.”
“It is a privilege to follow Douglas Ross, who, as ever, gave an eloquent speech that addressed the key issues in the debate. I also thank Alexander Stewart for bringing the motion to the chamber and for his excellent speech. I pay tribute to Liz Smith for her speech. A lot of people are saying really nice things about her, now that she has announced that she is going to leave the Parliament, but I think that the nicest thing that we could do to honour her service to our country in this Parliament would be to give the bill that she has piloted to this point proper and serious consideration. I hope that members across the chamber will be open minded with regard to the significant difference that the bill could make to the educational experiences of Scotland’s young people.”
“I strongly urge everyone who has the authority to improve the situation for children with ASN and to do all that they can to make it happen, whether that is in Parliament or in local authorities. I was not going to finish on this point, but, given Mr Stewart’s comments, I will. It is a shame that, last Thursday, Inverclyde’s Labour councillors, supported by independents and Conservatives, could not support the motion that was put forward to support ASN kids in my constituency. 17:29”
“Will the member give way on that point? Stuart McMillan: I am sorry—I do not have time to give way. Colin Edgeley and his wife Veronica mounted a campaign to encourage local families to urge their local councillors to support that motion. They told me that it is “exhausting feeling like we must fight for the rights of our children to play, in the same way other children can, and that our elected councillors have thus far allowed it to happen.” That brings me to the point that I highlighted and that Mr Stewart spoke about, which is about what happens in practice. Improving additional learning is about the positive impact that it has on not only the child but the wider family unit, with parents spending less time and energy fighting for their children’s rights to be upheld.”
“Gillian Martin: Will Stephen Kerr recognise that the potential for creating jobs in Scotland when the oil and gas basin declines, as it is doing, is with renewable energy, which will also take us to net zero?”
“I am grateful to Fergus Ewing for drawing the Parliament’s attention on previous occasions to the case of the Elgin procurator fiscal office, which is valued at £275,000 as a property and yet is set to have £3.5 million spent on it in a refurbishment. That is another expression of the kind of reckless spending—on chasing net zero by 2045—that ignores financial reality. I echo all the calls that have been made by speakers for reality. So, let us talk about the reality of the North Sea oil and gas industry, which supports over 100,000 jobs and plays a critical role in our energy security. By the way, it is jobs that we should be focusing on in the Parliament—the creation of jobs, the protection of jobs, and the idea that it is good to work, which I think Willie Rennie covered really well in his speech.”
“That is especially true when it comes to the decision to remove the winter fuel allowance, which was one of the most disgraceful decisions that any of us can remember being made by a UK Government following an election during which it promised to do the opposite. Meanwhile, as Graham Simpson mentioned, Labour’s GB Energy has been exposed as a sham. Its chief executive has admitted—very honestly—that it will take 20 years to create just 1,000 jobs. The SNP and Labour are blindly pushing net zero policies that burden households with costs while offering no realistic alternatives. Compliance costs with green regulations are atmospherically high.”
“First, I put on record earlier my point about the man who gave working people the highest tax burden in a generation. Secondly, will Stephen Kerr take cognisance of the fact that we had 14 years of a Conservative Government, as Liz Smith rightly did, and that we are now living with the reality of the decisions that Liz Truss made in her catastrophic mini-budget? Stephen Kerr: Paul O’Kane needs to think carefully about blaming the Conservatives for there being the highest tax burden in 80 years. I acknowledge that that was true at the time. However, the Labour UK Government, of which he is so proud, has since increased taxes even further. He has to be proportionate in this. I acknowledge—and I think that Paul O’Kane should also acknowledge, because he is a man of integrity—that Labour has broken the promises that it made on taxes.”
“Public sector employment has grown far beyond that which is sustainable, not because we are getting better services but because the SNP has spent taxpayer money on bloated bureaucracy. Scotland now spends more on Government administration per head than almost anywhere else in Europe. Labour campaigned on the promise not to raise taxes, yet in October’s budget, it increased taxation by £40 billion and announced plans to borrow a further £142 billion. The SNP incoherently bemoans the cost of living while burdening people with the highest taxes of any part of the United Kingdom. When it comes to Labour and the SNP, it turns out that Rishi Sunak was right, especially about Labour’s tax plans, although even he underestimated the scale of their tax rises. Paul O’Kane: Stephen Kerr mentioned Rishi Sunak.”
“The SNP here and Labour at Westminster have raised income tax, frozen thresholds and imposed punishing council tax hikes while failing to provide basic services. They have made life more expensive and difficult. That is not government standing up for working people—it is government bleeding them dry. The average Scot now hands over nearly half of what they earn to the Government in some form of taxation. Between income tax, national insurance, VAT, fuel duties, council tax and endless stealth taxes, it is no wonder that working people are finding it harder just to stand still. The Government takes and takes, and what do Scots get in return? They get crumbling roads, longer NHS waiting times, overstretched schools and local councils that cannot even keep all the street lights on. Where is all the money going?”
“Let me take a different tack. For far too long, the people of Scotland have been sold the lie that more government and higher taxes are the answer to every problem. After years of expanding government, taxes and bureaucracy, we have a country in which people work harder but take home less, and pensioners cannot afford to heat their homes. It was brave of Foysol Choudhury to talk about families suffering a form of fuel poverty when his Labour Government has forced many pensioners into that situation. We live in a situation in which businesses are labouring under the crushing weight of regulation and taxation, and SNP and Labour cling to their leftist fantasy that government is the solution when, in reality, it is a big part of the problem.”
“Despite the policies that we are implementing, which I have underlined today, much needs to be done in the UK Parliament. We need urgent market reform and community benefit, and we have to recognise and act on the direct link between some of our most vulnerable constituents experiencing high energy costs and facing deeper poverty. Exacerbating existing inequalities by stripping away the support that was there is pushing more and more people into poverty and making that poverty deeper. The Scottish Government is determined to deliver, and is delivering, as much support as we can for people in Scotland with regard to their energy bills. However, there is a limit to how much we can continue to mitigate the effects of the UK Government’s policies—”
“He is not apologetic for the rising energy costs, and nor is he thinking that anything should be done about that, whereas the Scottish Government certainly is. It is very disappointing that we are seeing further increases in energy costs. That is not what the electorate were expecting when they voted Labour, and it is certainly not what the electorate were promised. We know that more than 53 per cent of fuel-poor households in Scotland are in extreme fuel poverty, which means that they spend more than 20 per cent of their household income on energy. That is wholly unacceptable in the age of renewables and when Scotland is an energy-rich nation. However, responsibility for the fundamental shift and the action that is required lies with the UK Government.”
“However, as he knows, universities are institutions that are independent of Government, and he should be careful about suggesting that the Scottish Government should interfere in the day-to-day running of a university. Stephen Kerr: So, it is nothing to do with you, then. The Presiding Officer: Mr Kerr, I know that you are aware that you should not be shouting from your seat. Cabinet secretary, please continue. Shirley-Anne Somerville: 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 crisis. He is not apologetic for the austerity that was delivered by successive UK Governments, including that of his party, but which is now being turbocharged by Labour.”
“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 university’s £35 million deficit. What responsibility do the Scottish ministers have for the situation that Dundee university and other universities in Scotland are in on account of their education policies towards universities? Shirley-Anne Somerville: 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 believe in free education. I am sorry that he does not, but that is a predictable response from the Scottish Conservatives.”
“If we take away the alarms criteria and look at the figures in relation to the 2022 analysis that I mentioned, we see that the percentages are approximately the same. As I mentioned to Meghan Gallacher and Mark Griffin, we are looking at what we need to do on that. We have had discussions with the UK Government on Awaab’s law, and we will discuss that as we bring forward further details in relation to the Housing (Scotland) Bill. The Presiding Officer: That concludes topical question time. Cost of Living”
“Paul McLennan is the housing minister. The numbers say that 54,000 homes—2 per cent—were classified as substandard in 2018. Today, that figure is 729,000, which is 27 per cent. Does Paul McLennan not feel embarrassed about the shocking failure of this nationalist Government’s policies on housing? Paul McLennan: I do not know whether Stephen Kerr has been listening to the discussion that has been going on. The reason that the fire and safety standards were brought in was to improve standards in that area. Primarily, that has been the responsibility of private landlords. As I said, we are in contact with ALACHO, COSLA and the Scottish Association of Landlords in relation to the issues around that.”
“I hope that, in the coming days, we will be reconvening the Grangemouth future industries board with a copy, but project willow is ready to go. Domestic Property Standards 2.”
“The minister rightly mentions Grangemouth in connection with CCS. We know that the Just Transition Commission just wrote to the minister, identifying the fact that the jobs that will be lost will not be replaced for many years, as things stand. No doubt CCS is an important part of project willow. The minister promised the Parliament that the report would be published at the end of last month, although we still have not seen it. We know that Colin Mackay of STV has seen it somehow— and that needs to be explained, frankly. When will the project willow report finally be published? Gillian Martin: As I think I said to Stephen Kerr last week, in answer to a very similar question, both Governments have signed off on project willow, which is now sitting for final checks and changes with Ernst & Young and Petroineos.”
“Hydrogen production is reported to be a key part of project willow, yet the Scottish Government has failed to publish the report on it that was promised last week. Although Colin Mackay of STV has seen the report, none of us in Parliament has. When will that important hydrogen report finally be published? Alasdair Allan: The report will be published in due course. However, the member will be aware that the two Governments have been working closely together to strain every sinew to ensure that, in both the long term and the immediate term, intervention is there to support the workforce and businesses at Grangemouth. Hydrogen is part of that. Decisions about carbon capture that are taken at the UK level and the work that we are doing in the Grangemouth community are also clearly part of that. Reducing Car Use 8.”
“Marie McNair, I congratulate you on the debate, but that speech was something else. You quote the UN rapporteur in relation to UK welfare— The Deputy Presiding Officer: Speak through the chair. Stephen Kerr: We spent £350 billion this year on welfare in this country. It is about time that we had an honest debate about welfare. We should be honest. The reality is that too many people in this country are able to work but have chosen not to engage in employment. That is not just an economic crisis but a moral one. I wanted to speak in the debate because I firmly believe in the ennobling and fulfilling importance of good work. The welfare system was intended to be a safety net—I think that we agree on that. It is not a lifestyle choice. It should support people back into employment and not trap them in dependency.”
“Under the Scottish National Party, the Scottish Government will continue to value and protect benefit claimants, but only with full control over welfare policies will we be able to truly address poverty and inequality. Therefore, I am calling on my Labour colleagues to push the UK Government to take the right approach and reverse its punitive welfare reform plans. If they do not do that, they can at least call out those plans and support the full devolution of social security and employment policy. Only then will we have a fair and compassionate welfare system that leaves no one behind. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate. 12:56”
“That reckless approach has resulted in the Scottish Government having to spend a large portion of its budget to counteract those damaging policies to protect the Scottish people. In 2025, the Scottish Government is set to invest up to £210 million in measures to mitigate UK Government austerity policies, such as the so-called bedroom tax, the benefit cap and the cut to winter fuel payments. We will go further by scrapping Labour’s abhorrent two-child benefit cap, which will lift approximately 15,000 children out of poverty. The Scottish Government’s social security policies are significant, and they are the reason why Scotland is the only part of the UK where child poverty rates are predicted to fall.”
“However, although we will continue to do everything that we can to protect those in need, we are continuously hindered by UK austerity measures. The austerity policies of 2010, which were put in place by our Tory and Liberal Democrat colleagues, have led to severe suffering for the Scottish community, particularly those on low incomes. Those policies have been described by economists and economic historians as “disastrous” and “reckless”. The United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights went even further in 2023, condemning the UK Government’s shameful record on poverty, saying that the UK’s “grossly insufficient” welfare system, after a decade of austerity, is “simply not acceptable” and may be in violation of international law.”
“But Labour is promoting a narrative of the scrounger and the undeserving—I will say this again: please, let us be mindful of the language that we are using. By contrast, Scotland’s social security system is based on fairness, dignity and respect. The Poverty Alliance’s report highlighted the different approach in Scotland and noted that dealing with Social Security Scotland was viewed as a far less stigmatising experience than dealing with the Department for Work and Pensions. The difference was noted as “night and day”. We will keep going further to protect our constituents who require benefits. That is clear from the budget for 2025-26, which will invest £6.9 billion in social security and is expected to support around 2 million people in 2025-26.”
“Will the member give way? Marie McNair: I will not. The report found that— Stephen Kerr: Will the member give way? Marie McNair: I have already said that I will not take an intervention. According to the report: “Most Panellists agreed that stigma had gotten worse with austerity, UK government’s ‘welfare reform’, and the cost- of-living crisis”, and “Several spoke of putting off claiming for as long as they possibly could, to the point of hunger and destitution.” That is really concerning, and we have heard it so many times in the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. It is up to us to combat the stigma and to change the narrative around benefits. Benefits are a safety net, and they are normal.”
“The Ukrainian people fight not just for their country but for the very principles that keep us all safe. If we do not stand with Ukraine today, we may find ourselves standing alone tomorrow. 17:28”
“Yet, I cannot, and will not, ignore the muddled thinking of those in the chamber who speak in praise of Ukraine and even call for greater defence spending while decrying the very existence of our armed forces and of the very industries and workers on whom we rely to produce the materiel of war. If we are serious about our security, we must be serious about supporting the people and businesses that equip our armed forces. Just last week, at the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, we heard from the consul general for Ukraine in Edinburgh, who expressed how deeply grateful the Ukrainians in Scotland have been for all that has been done to make them feel welcome. However, he also reminded us of something crucial: how much those Ukrainians in Scotland long to return home.”