Kate Campbell
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“Last night, when I was looking at the amendments, I thought, “We all pretty much want the same thing.” On hearing the contributions today, I am even more convinced that there is much more that unites us than divides us on this topic. We all want fewer crimes to be committed. We all want our communities to be safe.”
“Students rightly do not pay council tax, and purpose-built student accommodation is therefore exempt. However, we can argue that PBSA is a business, as people are making profit from commercial activity—for example, there are staff working there.”
“I know that the First Minister will share my horror and deep concern at the series of anti-Muslim attacks that took place in Edinburgh on Friday night. My thoughts are with those who have been hurt and the communities affected.”
“However, many charities undertake some sort of commercial activity, and it can be challenging to distinguish between commercial and non-commercial use.”
“Amendment disagreed to. The Presiding Officer: The next question is, that amendment S7M-00434.3, in the name of Mark Ruskell, which seeks to amend motion S7M- 00434, in the name of Gillian Martin, on meeting the challenge of climate change, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its approach to promoting the wellbeing of children and young people, what assessment it has made of the potential impact of a four-day school week on opportunities for activities outwith formal education. (S7O-00103)”
The complete record
Every one of 23 lines we hold for Kate Campbell, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account.
“To that end, I hope that colleagues from across the chamber welcome the £1 billion from the Scottish Government that will be invested in Scottish prisons this year, as well as the very positive proposals that the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has set out.”
“Last night, when I was looking at the amendments, I thought, “We all pretty much want the same thing.” On hearing the contributions today, I am even more convinced that there is much more that unites us than divides us on this topic. We all want fewer crimes to be committed. We all want our communities to be safe. We want victims and survivors to be respected, protected and heard. We want fewer people in prison because fewer crimes are committed, fewer people are held on remand and fewer people reoffend. We want more people to get community sentences. We want less-crowded prisons that are safer for inmates and prison officers and that create space for successful rehabilitation. We want less money to be spent on incarceration so that we can spend more money on things such as prevention and rehabilitation.”
“Amendment disagreed to. The Presiding Officer: The next question is, that amendment S7M-00434.3, in the name of Mark Ruskell, which seeks to amend motion S7M- 00434, in the name of Gillian Martin, on meeting the challenge of climate change, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division. The vote is closed.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not connect. I would have voted no. The Presiding Officer: Your vote is recorded. For Bannerman, Max (Highlands and Islands) (Reform) Beresford, Senga (South Scotland) (Reform) Bland, Amanda (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform) Currie, Victor (Highlands and Islands) (Reform) Kerr, Thomas (Glasgow) (Reform) Kirkwood, David (South Scotland) (Reform) Langan, Jamie (South Scotland) (Reform) Lindsay, Amanda (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform) MacDougall, Julie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform) Massey, Duncan (North East Scotland) (Reform) McDade, Helen (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform) Offord, Malcolm (West Scotland) (Reform) Ross, Angela (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Reform) Schmulian, Kim (Glasgow) (Reform) Simpson, Graham (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform) Simpson, Mark (North East Scotland) (Reform) Smith, David (West Scotland) (Reform) Against Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Ahmed, Irshad (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Lab) Anderson, Heather (Dundee City West) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire West and Levern Valley) (SNP) Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Barratt, David (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Baxter, Andrew (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North) (SNP) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Black, Dawn (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Bonnar, Steven (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Bouse, Gary (Falkirk West) (SNP) Briggs, Miles (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Con) Brown, Alan (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Bruce, Holly (Glasgow Southside) (Green) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Campbell, Kate (Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent) (SNP) Campbell, Michelle (Renfrewshire North and Cardonald) (SNP) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Chou Turvey, Yi-pei (North East Scotland) (LD) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Day, Martyn (Falkirk East and Linlithgow) (SNP) Dijkstra-Downie, Sanne (Edinburgh Northern) (LD) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill) (SNP) Duane, Iris (Glasgow) (Green) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Dunlop, Duncan (South Scotland) (LD) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Fagan, Joe (South Scotland) (Lab) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Con) Gethins, Stephen (Dundee City East) (SNP) Ghani, Zen (Glasgow Cathcart and Pollok) (SNP) Gibson, Patricia (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Goodlad, Hannah Mary (Shetland Islands) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie) (SNP) Green, David (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (LD) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Griffin, Mark (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab) Hagmann, Katie (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Harley, Adam (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (LD) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen and Cambuslang) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hoy, Craig (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Kerr, Alex (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP) Kerr, Calum (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Kinross-O’Neill, Kayleigh (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green) Kumar, Simita (Edinburgh South Western) (SNP) Leask, Kristopher (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Linden, David (Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston) (SNP) Long, Joe (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) MacCallum, Morven-May (Highlands and Islands) (LD) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Green) MacKinnon, Donald (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (Lab) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith) (SNP) Manivannan, Q (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McKee, Cara (West Scotland) (Green) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Melville, Lloyd (Angus South) (SNP) Merrick, Colm (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Middleton, Jack (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Mitchell, Laura (Moray) (SNP) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Moodie, Laura (South Scotland) (Green) Nevens, Kate (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green) Oswald, Kirsten (Eastwood) (SNP) Rennie, Willie (Fife North East) (LD) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Sangster, Katherine (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Lab) Slater, Lorna (Edinburgh Central) (Green) Smith, Alyn (Stirling) (SNP) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stafford, Pauline (Bathgate) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Thewliss, Alison (Glasgow Central) (SNP) Young, Jenny (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on amendment S7M-00434.4, in the name of Duncan Massey, is: For 17, Against 102, Abstentions 0.”
“However, many charities undertake some sort of commercial activity, and it can be challenging to distinguish between commercial and non-commercial use. I very much welcome views on the topic as part of our stakeholder engagement for the review of rates, and I will be happy to discuss Ms Campbell’s proposal with her in more detail in the coming weeks.”
“Students rightly do not pay council tax, and purpose-built student accommodation is therefore exempt. However, we can argue that PBSA is a business, as people are making profit from commercial activity—for example, there are staff working there. Councils are effectively collecting waste and providing other services for free, so there is currently a subsidy for that business model. Taking that subsidy away could result in incentivising developers to build mainstream residential housing, so would the Scottish Government consider making purpose-built student accommodation liable for non-domestic rates? Jenny Gilruth: I very much recognise the point that Kate Campbell is making. There is a level of complexity here, because most universities receive charity relief, and we currently have no plans to change that.”
“I know that the First Minister will share my horror and deep concern at the series of anti-Muslim attacks that took place in Edinburgh on Friday night. My thoughts are with those who have been hurt and the communities affected. People in Scotland must stand united in our condemnation of that hatred and against attempts to stoke fear and divide us. Can the First Minister provide an update on the Scottish Government’s response to the attacks and its engagement with Scotland’s Muslim community, which will understandably be anxious because of what has happened?”
“To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its approach to promoting the wellbeing of children and young people, what assessment it has made of the potential impact of a four-day school week on opportunities for activities outwith formal education. (S7O-00103)”
“To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the reported rise in antisocial behaviour, particularly involving people wearing masks and using electric bikes, and the increase in the level of concern over public safety for many people in communities across Scotland. (S7O-00075)”
“To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support people reporting and providing evidence of fly-tipping and other antisocial behaviour to enable enforcement action to be taken, as part of its national litter and fly-tipping strategy. (S7O- 00054)”
“Kate Campbell: The member tries to distract from the fact that her Government immediately took clothes, travel and tickets, left, right and centre. Labour promised to make society fairer, but then it failed to tax billionaires and instead created a tax on jobs. Michael Marra: That is not true. Kate Campbell: It is true. That is what erodes trust. Telling people that you are going to create growth and prosperity but having no plan to do it and failing to use any of the— Stephen Kerr: That sounds like the SNP. Kate Campbell: Sorry—I thought that the member was making an intervention, but it is just heckling. I will make a note of that.”
“The irony— the absolute irony—of Labour lodging this motion on public trust. Two years ago, people in Scotland voted Labour. They voted for the promise of change, and what did they get? More of the same—only worse, actually. That is what erodes public trust. Promising to protect the vulnerable but then cutting winter fuel allowance and disability payments—that is what erodes public trust. Promising to end sleaze and then taking freebies, clothes, tickets and travel, left, right and centre— Jackie Baillie: Will the member take an intervention? Kate Campbell: I am delighted to take an intervention. Jackie Baillie: Does the member not consider that stealing at least £400,000 of money donated by her party’s members and by others for an independence referendum is a gross breach of public trust?”
“Following thousands of cyclists pedalling on the Parliament on Saturday to ask for safer streets, what assurances can the First Minister give that getting infrastructure right, preventing deaths on our roads and making sure that everyone feels that cycling is accessible to them will be at the heart of the Government’s transport strategy?”
“The SNP is ambitious for Scotland—not to patch things up or tinker at the edges with devolved power, but to achieve the constitutional change that we fundamentally need to radically transform our country, delivering prosperity, equality and hope with the powers that can come only from being an independent nation. The majority of MSPs today are calling for those powers, and I hope that all parties will recognise that democratic mandate.”
“We need independence to make fiscal choices about investing in our infrastructure, our people and our communities—to foster economic prosperity, build wealth in those communities, tackle inequality and get rid of economically illiterate policies like the Labour UK Government’s hike in employer national insurance contributions, which is a tax on jobs when the economy is already under pressure. Those are things that we simply cannot do with devolved powers alone. We hear time and time again that we need to get on with the day job. This is the day job for the SNP: delivering the best that we possibly can for the people of Scotland.”
“They cannot defend the record, because it is indefensible. Instead, they will talk about an amorphous concept of change and pretend that devolved powers are enough. However, the truth is that the people do not trust the parties of Westminster, and that is because they do not trust the institution of Westminster. People look around and they know that our society needs to fundamentally change. The movers of the amendments by the unionist parties need to justify why they think that things should stay the same, because that is not what people voted for. People voted to have the opportunity to have their say on independence. The people know—even if the unionist parties do not—that we need our independence. We need it to be able to tax the wealth of the multibillionaires, rejoin Europe and fix our energy policy.”
“It is lacking in leadership as Trump derails the global economy; instead, it is descending into internal psychodrama when people need leadership the most. Looming on the horizon is Farage, the best friend of the billionaires, who wants to privatise the NHS and blame migrants for the cost of living. Let us put on the record that it is not migrants who have created the cost of living crisis but the successive failure of UK Government after UK Government. Westminster has not worked for the people of Scotland for a long time. When other members talk about voters being scunnered, this is why: decade after decade of abject failure by Westminster to respond to the needs of the people. It is for the members who have lodged amendments that are against having that section 30 order to defend that record, but they will not. Why is that?”
“Then there was the Brexit that we did not vote for, which has stifled Scottish businesses, damaged trade and pushed up the cost of goods for us all. There was no serious plan to deal with Putin’s war in Ukraine or the aftermath of the pandemic, just bluster from Boris, the most deeply unserious Prime Minister the UK had ever seen— until Liz Truss, who took a wild gamble that led to skyrocketing Government borrowing costs and skyrocketing mortgage costs for ordinary people who were already suffering. Now, there is a Labour Government that is too paralysed with fear to do anything, clinging to power for power’s sake. It is a technocratic regime with no vision, no ambition and no sense of mission to make life better for the people who need it the most.”
“If the unionist parties want to call this a voluntary union and say that we are a functioning democracy, they, too, must support the transfer of those powers so that the people of Scotland can choose their future—because that is what they voted for. The people of Scotland voted for that because Westminster is not working. In my lifetime, Thatcher decimated public services, asset stripping the common good. Then Blair saddled us with private finance initiative debt, took us into illegal wars and, during a period of economic prosperity, squandered the opportunity to tackle structural inequality. Then the Tories and Lib Dems, hand in hand, ushered in an age of austerity, allowing our infrastructure to deteriorate and our people to suffer.”
“I will carry the expectation of that hope with me for the next five years. This week, the Scottish Government is getting stuck in to delivering on the promises that were made during the election campaign: to expand childcare, improve the NHS and tackle the cost of living crisis. Today, we are calling for a section 30 order to be made to transfer the powers to hold the independence referendum that the people of Scotland voted for a couple of weeks ago. There is now the highest number of pro-independence MSPs that has ever been seen in the Parliament. Today, a majority of MSPs will call for that section 30 order to be made.”
“The first thing I will do is thank the voters of Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent—a wonderful, diverse constituency that represents so much of modern Scotland, from our beaches to our castles and from our harbour to our university. The constituency stretches out from urban communities in the capital city to rural villages. There are large new-build estates, modern industrial estates, commuters, farmers, former mining and fishing communities, affluent communities and communities that are struggling with poverty. I thank all those communities, because every single one of them voted with optimism; they voted for positive policies to make life better. They did not vote for a negative, to stop something or to blame others; they voted with hope for Scotland’s future.”
“When submitting nomination papers, candidates or their representatives may wish to provide the name of any member who will act as a scrutineer on behalf of the candidate. Parliament will reconvene at 1.30 pm, when I will announce the nominations that have been received for the position of Presiding Officer. I will then suspend proceedings for a further period of one hour, and we will reconvene at 2.30 pm for the election. Nominations for Deputy Presiding Officers may be submitted only following the election of the Presiding Officer. The period during which nominations may be submitted will be announced by the new Presiding Officer, and the sitting will be adjourned for that purpose. I suspend the meeting until 1.30 pm. 12:14 Meeting suspended. 13:32 On resuming— Presiding Officer”
“My first allegiance is to the people of Scotland, who are sovereign. I, Kate Rosa Campbell, 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. The Presiding Officer: I wish to inform members that nominations for the position of Presiding Officer will open at 12.30 pm. Nomination forms can be collected from the parliamentary business team, which is situated in T1.03. Completed nomination forms should be returned to the parliamentary business team no later than 1.30 pm this afternoon. Nomination forms will be valid only if they detail the name of the candidate, the member who is nominating the candidate and the member who is seconding that nomination.”