Sue Webber
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
“I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute, albeit briefly, to today’s debate on the legislative consent motion on the Railways Bill. As colleagues know, the bill represents a significant reshaping of how rail services and rail infrastructure will be overseen across Great Britain.”
“On the subject of public money, the entire premise of the climate plan is that the renewable investment that is outlined happens only because of subsidies from bill payers across the UK. I want to speak about transport.”
“Evidence that was considered by the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee made it clear that open-access operators remain unconvinced that the new arrangements will protect their ability to compete on a level playing field.”
“Those are sensible steps. However, our party has a long-standing commitment to a rail system that grows instead of restricts choice, competition and freight capacity, which brings me to the principal issue that prevents me from supporting the LCM today.”
“We are committed to doing what we can, particularly in relation to the EV charging network—which, as an EV driver, I know has improved dramatically in the past five years and which is set to improve even more.”
“Any framework that risks weakening that model, whether unintentionally or through lack of safeguards, must be approached with caution. Similarly, on freight, Scotland has ambitious growth aspirations, but growth depends on confidence that freight paths will be protected, that investment will be worthwhile and that decisions affecting Scot…”
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“Will the minister take an intervention on that point? Jenni Minto: I would like to make some progress. That is why we have been working with the charity Tommy’s and a group of professionals and third sector organisations to develop patient leaflets. There are three leaflets, which are entitled “I think I’m having a miscarriage”, “After a miscarriage” and “Miscarriage: dads and partners”. All three leaflets are available digitally from today and will link to the newly published, vastly expanded and improved NHS Inform miscarriage pages. We also have a leaflet on reducing the risk of stillbirth, a copy of which is given to every pregnant woman in Scotland.”
“To ask the Scottish Government how reform across health and social care will progress, following the decision not to proceed with part 1 of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill. (S6O-04298)”
“The member referred to MAT standard 2, and we have increased residential rehabilitation capacity to a maximum of 513 beds in 2024. We have reached the target of 1,000 publicly funded places early, and we want to build on that. However, we also have to recognise that abstinence-based programmes are not for everybody and that we need to trust clinical judgment in the process as well. We need to invest in all aspects of the national mission, as no one element is going to resolve the situation for us. However, where there is a need and it is assessed as being appropriate, we must ensure that there is residential rehabilitation capacity in Scotland, and we are investing in that.”
“Can the cabinet secretary provide some clarity on how the implementation of MAT standard 2 ensures that individuals are fully informed of all recovery options, including abstinence-based treatments, detox and rehab, and not just the MAT standards? As she said, the Government has ambitious rehab targets, yet there are only 140 full-rehab beds available for Scotland, not the 513 detox beds to which the cabinet secretary referred earlier. How will those be made accessible for all, particularly when financial and geographical barriers exist? What mechanisms are in place to ensure that patient choice is genuinely respected and that MAT is not prioritised over other treatment pathways? Neil Gray: Making sure that people have a range of possible treatments is part of the MAT standards.”
“Today, the Auditor General and the Accounts Commission have said that the Scottish Government has made “minimal progress” on its target to reduce car usage by 2030 and that the target has no clear delivery plan—that always sounds familiar. To reduce car usage, it is essential to have affordable public transport, yet, under the Scottish National Party, Scots seem to be turning away from those services in droves. Does the First Minister believe that the 2030 target is still achievable, or is it another headline-grabbing deadline that was never going to be delivered?”
“To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to cultural venues and theatres across the Lothian region. (S6O-04252)”
“Good transport links connect communities to schools, colleges, GPs, dentists, shops, leisure facilities and their jobs. I say to Karen Adam that it even delivers the library books to our libraries. Whether we are talking about ferries, trains, roads, potholes or public transport, it is clear that the SNP is failing to deliver on key services that are vital not only for the people of Scotland but for our economy.”
“The staggering rise in the cost of Government demonstrates the SNP’s staggering hypocrisy. While everyone else is being asked to tighten their belts, the SNP can always find more money— taxpayers’ money—to spend on Government. We urgently need a commonsense approach that will address the bloated Government payroll, cut out excess spending and lower the tax burden on ordinary Scots. People in Scotland pay the highest rate of taxes in the UK, yet a poll has shown that half of Scots do not think that the higher levels of personal tax that they pay are helping to deliver better public services. We believe that Scotland’s Parliament should be focused on what matters to Scotland’s people. Transport is key to tackling inequalities across our country.”
“No pressure, then, Presiding Officer. As we have heard, the SNP Government, through its budget, continues its 17 years of failure. Unsurprisingly, Scottish Labour has fully endorsed that high-tax, low-income failure by agreeing to abstain on the budget, which I say to Mr Marra is the cheapest deal in devolution’s history. That is even before we were taken by complete surprise by the Lib Dems and Greens, who have fallen in behind to support the budget, too. The failures of the SNP are endless, from a failing economy to a decline in education standards, missed A and E targets and the highest drug death rates in Europe. Furthermore, the cost of SNP bureaucracy has risen by £42 million in the past two years, with more than 2,700 civil servants now employed in the highest pay bands. It beggars belief.”
“However, unlike the local authorities for other major cities in Scotland, Glasgow City Council does not have an age limit on taxis and, as a result, there is a higher proportion of older, non-compliant taxis in the Glasgow fleet for a variety of different reasons. There are different experiences in different cities. Those issues are best addressed by Glasgow City Council, but I recognise Sue Webber’s concern in raising them. Local Government Services (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) 2.”
“Last month, Glasgow City Council announced a consultation that could, ultimately, lead to the current cap on cab numbers being scrapped, retained or reviewed. Considering the fact that the LEZ has already undermined Glasgow’s late-night economy, does the cabinet secretary accept that a reduction in cab numbers might further damage that sector? Fiona Hyslop: Clearly, the licensing of taxi drivers is an issue for local authorities. I assume that the Conservatives do not want to centralise that. There is an issue on footfall. Earlier in 2024, it was recognised that there had been no reduction in footfall in Glasgow. Any subsequent reduction in footfall might have happened as a result of cost of living pressures or other issues.”