Alyn Smith
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“He made a comment that we have a safer society, but violent crime is up and sexual crime is at its highest since 1971. For many people, it is not a safer society. Does he not accept that the focus of our attention should be on violent crimes, sexual crimes and organised crimes, which are on the rise?”
“I warmly commend the cabinet secretary on his speech, which was a brave one. He proposed some bold action and made the biggest admission in modern politics, which is that what we are doing needs to change. That, in and of itself, is a significant step, and it is a step that the cabinet secretary has taken today. I welcome these measures.”
“As colleagues have said, prisons deal with the end of the process and the end of the chain, but I am drawn to much more aggressive upstream measures to reduce offending in the round and reduce the number of people who end up in the court service.”
“Jenny Gilruth: I thank Alyn Smith for his welcoming of this work, in particular his mention of the rapid review and the revaluations, which I know have caused concern to a number of businesses— not all businesses, but a number of businesses.”
“I have to commend our ministers on the statement. There will be businesses across Stirling and Scotland breathing a sigh of relief that the matter is finally being dealt with seriously. I particularly welcome the rapid review of the 2026 revaluation.”
“Like me, the First Minister represents a large area of rural Scotland, so he will be well aware of the growing concern among farmers that organised crime groups are targeting farms across rural Scotland, particularly in conjunction with organised crime groups based in Northern Ireland. Does he share my concern about such events?”
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“Too many people are in jail when, surely, we need to be looking at rehabilitation and reducing reoffending, as well as stopping offences in the first place.”
“As colleagues have said, prisons deal with the end of the process and the end of the chain, but I am drawn to much more aggressive upstream measures to reduce offending in the round and reduce the number of people who end up in the court service. There are too many people in prisons who are on remand, which is one of the most significant changes that could be made quickly in the prison population. I warmly welcome the greater use of GPS and a greater focus on home detention curfew, which is a productive area for us to look at, because it will effect change in the prison population quickly. We also have to admit that we have too many people in prison. Even if we reduce the population to capacity, we will still have one of the highest prison populations of any western European country.”
“He made a comment that we have a safer society, but violent crime is up and sexual crime is at its highest since 1971. For many people, it is not a safer society. Does he not accept that the focus of our attention should be on violent crimes, sexual crimes and organised crimes, which are on the rise? Alyn Smith: Overall, recorded crime is down by 41 per cent on 1991. I said that it sometimes does not feel like it—the member can read the Official Report. The rest of my speech will be of great interest to my colleague, I dare say. The length of custodial sentences in Scotland is up by 37 per cent since 2015, so there is a change in sentencing as organised crime in particular is having an effect on those numbers. However, there is an issue in the prison population that we need to deal with right now.”
“I warmly commend the cabinet secretary on his speech, which was a brave one. He proposed some bold action and made the biggest admission in modern politics, which is that what we are doing needs to change. That, in and of itself, is a significant step, and it is a step that the cabinet secretary has taken today. I welcome these measures. There is a context to this situation; as Yi-pei Chou Turvey said, it did not happen overnight. The prison population is changing as society changes. Let us remember that the level of recorded crime is down 49 per cent from 1991. We are living in a safer, happier and more contented society; it just sometimes does not feel like that. Stephen Kerr: Alyn Smith started his speech by talking about an admission—we did not quite hear that, but I take his point.”
“It is really important that the new chair of the review has the expertise and grasp of the legal framework that applies to valuation for rating and objectivity. We expect the review to complete as previously intimated to”
“Jenny Gilruth: I thank Alyn Smith for his welcoming of this work, in particular his mention of the rapid review and the revaluations, which I know have caused concern to a number of businesses— not all businesses, but a number of businesses. It is important that we learn from those instances and that those anomalous valuations are considered. We will receive further advice from the independent panel to that end. The Gill review is continuing to give confirmation to that end, but the member will be aware that BJ Gill, the chair of the review, was appointed Solicitor General. I congratulate him on that appointment, but he has tendered his resignation as chair of the review, and arrangements will be made as soon as possible to appoint his successor.”
“I have to commend our ministers on the statement. There will be businesses across Stirling and Scotland breathing a sigh of relief that the matter is finally being dealt with seriously. I particularly welcome the rapid review of the 2026 revaluation. Some valuations have been wild, and there has been a lot of unease, particularly in the hospitality sector. Noting everything that the minister has said today, does the Gill review, which will report at the end of this year, still guarantee that hospitality businesses will be getting a special consideration in NDR, as all of those very welcome changes are made?”
“Like me, the First Minister represents a large area of rural Scotland, so he will be well aware of the growing concern among farmers that organised crime groups are targeting farms across rural Scotland, particularly in conjunction with organised crime groups based in Northern Ireland. Does he share my concern about such events?”
“I now serve in a Parliament in which I do see a future, and Alyn Smith is now in his second Parliament in which Scotland has a future. He is right that the rest of Europe sees a future in that as well. Not doing so speaks to exceptionalism and isolationism. I remember the Brexiteers telling us that there would be a big queue of countries that would leave in the aftermath of the UK’s profound success. Where are they? Instead, countries have been queueing up to join the European Union. The isolation and exceptionalism espoused by Reform and its Conservative allies have got us to this disastrous place, and the rest of Europe has learned a lesson from that.”
“It is right that we take good stock of the reality that Brexit supporters’ lies have not been delivered, but I am more interested in the future, when we could have a solution. We know that Brexit was missold—it has made everything worse and made everybody poorer—but, to our mind, the solution is independence in Europe. The minister will have taken good note of the fact that, just this Monday, the EU commenced cluster 1 accession talks with Moldova, whose resources are nothing like our own, and with Ukraine, which is under illegal occupation and daily bombardment. Does that not nail for ever the idea that Scotland could not very easily become an EU member? Stephen Gethins: Alyn Smith and I have many things in common, one of which is that we have served in a Parliament in which we did not see a future.”
“In the previous parliamentary session, Ms Brown and Mr Fairlie both corresponded with the relevant UK minister on the issue, and we continue to engage with the UK Government on it. It is important that we take all possible steps to deal with the challenge affecting communities, but we need that extra tool at our disposal. At the moment, we do not have it, so we will continue to engage on the matter.”
“I am very drawn to the minister’s response on the misuse of e-bikes and e-scooters. We need to look at licensing seriously, and I am aware that work on that is in the very early stages. I regret to say that such misuse is an issue in Stirling. I make the offer that, if the minister is looking for a local authority with which to partner a pilot scheme, Stirling Council would be very willing to be part of that consideration. Kirsten Oswald: I am grateful to Alyn Smith for highlighting the issue and for his focus on his local area. It is important that we consider the matter in the round, but one of the key issues to focus on is vehicle licensing, which is a reserved matter.”
“Surely a national framework with greater local accountability for headteachers running the primary schools, and better connections with colleges for lifelong learning, would give better skills as the world changes around us. We have a huge task under way, colleagues: think about it, and it makes your head spin. However, it is a challenge that we all share. If we all accept that we need to work on this, then let us do that. Let us not think about what has not been done, but let us think about what we are going to do.”
“The Forth Valley local authorities—Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Falkirk— are working very hard together, but we need an honest discussion about what local government is for. Our planning system is, frankly, not fit for purpose. It is holding us back and slowing down development, and we need to accelerate it. On health boards, I ask: why do we have so many? What value is being added? Is it more effective? I think that we can restructure that. We also do not have a national health service, but a national illness and accident service. Surely we need to get to preventative spend to make people live healthier lives. We have integration joint boards that are struggling right now, and they will struggle even more into the future. Why are stretched local authorities operating schools?”
“While we are thinking about changing the status quo, I note that I was not elected and did not come into Scottish politics to administer stuff; I came into Scottish politics to change the face of Scotland, because I did not think that Scotland was working as well as it could. I believe that independence is a big part of that change. Others do not, which is fine. However, if we can agree that change is necessary, let us get on with it. I have some questions of my own. We have local government in Scotland that is neither local nor government. Much of its money is spent before it gets there. Hard-working councillors up and down the country, of all parties, are trying to do their best, but they are operating with their hands tied and they are not responsible for their budget.”
“We will not agree on everything—we cannot agree on everything—but there are things that we will agree on, such as the need for change, and so let us see about pushing that through. If we are looking for ideas, I commend the Enlighten manifesto to the chamber. It has a number of excellent ideas in it. I do not endorse them all—the whips will be glad to hear that—but there is a good job of work in there, with some fresh ideas to take forward. It is a challenging read for all of us. If we are willing to think new thoughts, let us do it. While we are at it, let us think about some difficult questions. Murdo Fraser: [Made a request to intervene.] Alyn Smith: Forgive me, but I need to make some progress.”
“Michael Marra: I point gently to the fact that Alyn Smith’s party had an outright majority in the Parliament for one of those parliamentary sessions, so not having had the numbers is not a foolproof excuse. Alyn Smith will find common ground across different areas. My note of caution to him would be to say that, if we set the closing of the fiscal gap at the front end, we could come to the wrong decisions. Is that not the case? Alyn Smith: I agree with that. That is my point about a fresh sheet of paper. There is an opportunity to do this. The First Minister is behind this, we have a cabinet secretary who is empowered to do this, and we know that it needs to be done. So, let us do it.”
“I am personally deeply agnostic about how we deliver those services and what structure is necessitated. I am game for changing everything, be that state, third sector or private. The point has been made that, “The SNP could have done that.” Yes, it could have done that. I will take that criticism and accept it. However, often things could not be changed because there was not support in this chamber to do it. We can talk about 19 years of failure, as some people would say, or we can accept that the elections happened, that the SNP was massively endorsed by the people of Scotland and that we all have a job to do and common ground to do it. So, how about we raise our game and think about the future? I will take that criticism, but there is a lot that we can do together.”
“I have read the manifestos of the other parties, and all of us in this chamber stood on a platform of change of one sort or another. We all know that what we are doing needs to change. There is a huge opportunity to redesign the state: to take a fresh sheet of paper and decide what services we need and what structures will best deliver them, to empower citizens and, crucially, to empower staff to decide what those services should be, and to design the structures that will best deliver them. Everything is on the table—everything has to be on the table. It is not about filling a gap or reducing the head count; that misses the opportunity. It is about doing things more effectively and efficiently and delivering better services for the people we all serve. It is about identifying the need and designing the service.”
“I congratulate Ivan McKee—I will call him super Ivan, given the scale of his task, based on his speech and the vision that he has set out today. From listening to colleagues from across the chamber, I am struck that there is a lot of common ground here, and I think that we need to explore that. I am also struck that talk of black holes and gaps and the SNP failing to do X for 300 years misses the point and misses the opportunity. The black hole is predicted, if nothing else changes, so things are going to change. We are all agreed on that. Equally, we have the opportunity to redesign the state. That is a significant opportunity for all parties individually, and I say to them that the SNP is going to do this, so come and be part of it. There are things that we can work on.”
“We therefore need to make ourselves as attractive as we can by investing in the talent pool; supporting, fiscally and politically, the screen sector; and ensuring that we have an environment that welcomes that investment, however temporary or long term. That is a fantastic opportunity, and we will all benefit from having world-class facilities that naturally draw production to Scotland. The spin-offs from production in Scotland are massive. Stirling has a huge amount to contribute to, and gain from, those efforts, and I am really excited for the industry’s future in Stirling and in Scotland. 18:08”
“I am less concerned about the brass plaque on a production company’s headquarters, and more concerned about where control is exercised from and how much money is spent. I want to see the maximum control, and the maximum money spent, in Scotland. The BBC and Channel 4 are already significant players in Scottish screen production, and I welcome that. I think that both could be doing more, but they are both doing significant good work and, bearing in mind that public money is involved, scrutiny of that will continue. However, I want this debate to be about the wider picture. There are big players in Scotland and in the United Kingdom, but this is a global industry, and much of it is funded by private capital.”
“There are the painters, joiners, designers, sparkies, people moving things around, scouts, transport and catering. The screen sector supply chain is significant for all of our constituencies and all our industries. Forth Valley College has a fantastic track record in all those skills. There is already talk in Stirling about greater tie-ups between Stirling schools and the college and the screen sector in general. There is exciting potential there; we have a significant pool of talent in the Forth valley. The screen sector is a global industry. There is some criticism, particularly of BBC Scotland and Channel 4, about where things are made, but I am more relaxed about that. This is a globally mobile industry, and we need to make ourselves as naturally attractive as we possibly can be.”
“At Stirling university, we have Dario Sinforiani and a fantastic communications, media and culture division that is turning out stellar talent such as Eilidh Barbour, Mark Cousins, journalist Shelley Jofre and Mark Daly. We have talent in spades, and there is much more to come. For four years in a row, Stirling students have won Royal Television Society programme awards. There is a very successful collaboration between Stirling university and BBC Scotland, which gives students experience in the real world to prepare them for real, and very lucrative, jobs. Broadcasting Scotland, which is based at Stirling university campus and is no stranger to MSPs in particular, is doing fantastic broadcasting work and giving students experience. Of course, jobs in the screen sector are not only behind or in front of the camera.”
“We are English speaking; we are globally centrally located; and we have tech and a talent pool of artists that most countries would give their eye teeth for. We have any location that people want—anyone who has watched “Outlander” will know that we can even do time travel. We have a spectacular advantage in the sector. We are also investing in the future, and I think that, as a chamber, we need to focus on that. We have students across Scotland in 35 television and film-relevant courses at 12 colleges; 1,112 college students training for a future in the industry; and 915 students at five universities who are gaining the skills to take the industry into the future for Scotland. That is exciting. Stirling really does have an advantage in the sector. We have all the talent that we could ask for and we are building for the future.”
“I have had a lot of interest, and great support, from Screen Scotland, Stirling’s own Broadcasting Scotland, Forth Valley College, the University of Stirling, the University of the West of Scotland, the BBC and Channel 4. There are a lot of players in this market, and the scale of the industry is significant. In fact, it is much more significant than people may realise—it is not just one company or one set of individuals; these are very mobile, global people who move around a lot. In 2023, the sector brought £718 million to the Scottish economy and 12,680 full-time equivalent jobs. Many of those jobs are temporary, and many are mobile, which is why the industry often does not get the attention that I think that it needs, because the sector is growing apace. Scotland has a natural advantage in the sector.”
“I am delighted to lead my first members’ business debate in the chamber on a subject of great importance not just to Stirling, but to Scotland and, indeed, to all of our constituencies and constituents. It is a success story, and something for us to celebrate, because we are all winners in this. The film industry—the screen sector—is a success for Scotland. I modestly suggest that Stirling is at the heart of it—as, indeed, I suggest Stirling is at the heart of everything else—but we will all have constituents who work in the sector, and many of our constituencies might well have been used as film locations. Therefore, I will be happy to take interventions from members across the chamber, and I am very grateful to colleagues for supporting the motion. I am also grateful for the interest that the motion has spurred from the sector itself.”
“I want to ensure that we continue to take a zero- tolerance approach to racism, hatred and division. Over many years, we have taken steps in Scotland to legislate to ensure that we have the fullest protections possible in place for people who choose to live here. I expect the full weight of the law to be applied to anyone who is prosecuted or convicted for any of last night’s incidents. The Presiding Officer: That concludes the urgent question. We will have a one-minute break to switch over, after which we will resume with portfolio questions. Portfolio Question Time Deputy First Minister Responsibilities, Finance and Local Government, Parliamentary Business and Veterans 14:15”
“I commend Paul Sweeney for his contributions in the chamber. There is a lot of unanimity across the Parliament, and we should all be careful with our words in general when discussing such matters. These are aggravated offences. I commend the cabinet secretary for his response, but does he agree that the nature of the offences is so significant that we need to make example of a zero-tolerance approach to such crime and that, when we get to it, the sentencing should reflect that? Neil Gray: I understand the motivation behind Mr Smith’s questions. He will understand that Police Scotland, the Courts and Tribunals Service and the Crown are rightly independent of Government. However, what we are able to see from the footage that Mr Kerr and Mr Smith have alluded to speaks to the motivation behind last night’s organised thuggery.”
“The EU now makes up only 13 per cent of global GDP and, like the Titanic, it is going down towards irrelevance. The tragedy is that many people in the chamber want to get back on.”
“Will the member take an intervention? Duncan Massey: Not just yet—I will expand my argument. Alyn Smith: Oh, please do. Duncan Massey: I highlight that, over the period since Brexit, Britain has had higher GDP growth than all the other major EU economies— admittedly, it is well behind the fast-growing economies of the world such as America and countries across Asia. The well-known meme goes like this: the US innovates, China replicates and the EU regulates. That is now very unfair on China, which, one could say, is now innovating the entire world, but it is perfectly fair on the EU, which is now a sick man blocking innovation across the board in areas such as AI and is—with the exception of nuclear France—energy and resource poor and has an ageing population and limited military capability.”
“The First Minister is well aware that hospitality businesses do not have their troubles to seek at the moment, with rising input costs on all fronts. However, the United Kingdom already charges VAT at a far higher rate than most other European countries, and many leading organisations have launched the “VAT’s the problem” campaign, calling for a cut in VAT to 10 per cent. Will the First Minister join me in backing that campaign and calling on the United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer to cut VAT for those vital hospitality businesses?”
“To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any implications of the European Union’s carbon border adjustment mechanism for Scotland’s economy, including what representations it has made to the United Kingdom Government regarding the mitigation of any potential threats for Scotland’s exports. (S7O- 00028)”
“While this would be complex, modelling suggests it could raise £1.4 billion.” I support the Government’s motion and the efforts that we are making on those measures, but there are a number of other things that we need to be doing beyond them. Liam Kerr: In mentioning all the things that the Government needs to be doing, does the member regret that the Government has now had nearly 20 years in which to do those things but has utterly failed? Alyn Smith: It will come as no surprise to Liam Kerr that the operation of fiscal matters, given the interplay of reserved and devolved legislation, has held us back. However, we need to act on those things, and, if we agree that we need to act on them, let us do it now. There are a number of things that we need to be doing to tax wealth, and I warmly support the Government’s position on that.”
“We also need to focus more on the polluter-pays principle, incentivising good behaviour and punishing bad. There are other things that we could do to encourage climate action. We must reform non-domestic rates. I am glad that the Gill review is under way for licensed premises, because licensed hospitality is taking a soaking because of sudden revaluations. The Scottish Government is acting on that, but we need to act much more urgently to reform non-domestic rates in the round, because the system is not fit for purpose at the moment. The briefing refers to introducing a tax on wealth, which colleagues have spoken about, “provided this is implemented as part of the local tax system rather than a national tax.”
“We had a helpful briefing from the STUC, which outlines a few other measures that could be taken forward, and I commend it to members. It says: “The Scottish Parliament should immediately launch a revaluation of properties to replace the out-dated, unfair Council Tax with a proportional property tax. While a mansion tax is a step in the right direction, it is a poor substitute for the wholesale, systemic reform of local property taxation.” I could not agree more, and I am glad to hear that the Government is redoubling its efforts on that. It goes on to say: “Research for the STUC estimates that a proportional property tax could raise £783 million in additional revenue, while providing a rebate for low-income households.” That necessary reform is overdue and could be very productive.”
““From each according to their ability to each according to their need” is a fundamental principle of our party and of the Labour Party and the Greens, so there is scope for joint work on a lot of matters. We need to modernise the state to be more efficient and effective and to provide better public services, but we also face a fiscal challenge. There are a number of things that we can do. It will come as no surprise to anyone that I support the Government’s position and its motion. I very much welcome the idea of a mansion tax and a private jet tax, but even we, in the SNP, acknowledge that that is not the answer—it is part of the answer, but there is a much bigger job to do. I was glad to hear from the Deputy First Minister about progress on council tax reform, because that is urgent and long overdue, and it must be done.”
“This debate has been far more interesting than I thought it might be, and I was glad to hear quite a lot of consensus across the chamber about the need to modernise the state. I would suggest that that is a good thing for us to do anyway, but it is now urgent and necessary. I was particularly struck by the Labour amendment and the tone of Michael Marra’s contribution and I think that there is scope for joint work. I am glad that we will accept the Labour amendment, because it acknowledges the scale of the issues that we all face. There is scope for consensus and for joint work across the chamber, and I was glad to hear the tone of Labour members’ contributions, because there is a lot of work to do.”
“I say to the Opposition parties that, if they cannot work with us on that, they should work with us in relation to the fact that change is coming, change is here and change is necessary. I did not come into politics to administer the status quo; I came into politics, as did everyone in the SNP, to change the face of Scotland. We all know that change is necessary. Let us all work on that together. Any member of any group who brings forward real proposals in good faith will have a willing partner and a willing colleague in me. We have a lot to look forward to. As time is against me, I will say simply that Stirling is a place where we take sport really seriously. I represent a lot of people who are looking forward to this summer of sport. Sport is bigger than ourselves; it unites us. There is something for us all to look forward to in that.”
“The change that people need, yearn for and deserve will not be delivered by the Westminster parties; it can be delivered only by independence in Europe, taking the full powers of the Parliament to serve the people we all serve. I believe that the people of Scotland have outgrown the devolution settlement that was endorsed in the 1997 referendum. The things that people are most worried about—the cost of living, energy costs, a sluggish economy, our place in the European Union and our voice in the wider world— are all objectively reserved matters, which can only be touched round the sides by this Parliament. We want to complete the powers of this Parliament and ensure that we can act on the issues that people care most about.”
“For members who would say that the SNP has been in power for 19 years, I say: of course we have, and we take our share of the responsibility for that disconnect. Surely, however, in a spirit of intellectual honesty, we must also admit that we in the SNP have been in power in a devolved context, with partial, limited powers. We have been able to do a lot of stuff, but we have not been able to do everything. That is why we on the SNP benches, along with our friends the Greens—in the biggest pro-independence majority that the Parliament has seen—believe that we need to complete the powers of the Parliament with independence in Europe.”
“I do not think that it is a temporary scunner factor; I think that it is a symptom or factor of a much deeper malaise. There is real anxiety out there among the people whom we serve. In a rich country such as Scotland, we can do better than that. In a rich country such as the UK, we can do better than that. People feel disempowered and fearful about the future. They feel powerless in the face of big macro stuff such as climate change, technological changes and demographic changes. Too many people feel that the system does not work. Too many people feel that the system does not work for them, and I think that we can do better. The election was a remarkable, resounding, landslide victory for my party, but SNP members know that the job is not over; it is just beginning. We need to rebuild that trust, and we all need to work hard to do so.”
“I am used to working across borders and party lines to cut through the chaff—the day-to-day urgent trivia— and get stuff done for the people whom we all serve. The election is over. We are all representatives of the people, and we all have a job to do. The summer of sport is really important because, goodness me, people need something to look forward to. I am sure that, like me, colleagues knocked on a lot of doors over the past few months, and the national mood, however we define it, is not good. I have not seen anything like it since the 2009 European campaign at the height of the MP expenses scandal. There is, at best, a disconnect—let us call it that—between politics and politicians of all colours and the people whom we serve.”
“I proudly represented Scotland there until 2019, when I was elected to the House of Commons to represent Stirling, my home. I served there for five years during a turbulent period. I now find myself representing Stirling in this chamber—our national Parliament. I am deeply proud and grateful that the people of Stirling and Stirlingshire kept faith with the SNP and with me, and I am deeply grateful to my campaign team and everyone who supported me. The only other person to have served in all three Parliaments was Winnie Ewing, the late, great and much-missed original Madame Écosse, so I am an obscure pub quiz question, if nothing else. I mention that in order to stress to colleagues that, although I am new here, I have 20 years of front-line parliamentary experience.”
“It is a pleasure to see you in your place, Deputy Presiding Officer. I am delighted to make my first formal contribution in this chamber in this summer of sport debate. As we heard from our excellent minister, who clearly loves her job, it is about being upbeat and aspirational, celebrating excellence, supporting others and being part of something bigger than ourselves. Maybe there is something in that for all of us to think about with regard to how we do our politics in this Parliament. If members will forgive a brief indulgence, I note that I am deeply proud to be making my third first speech, because this is not my first Parliament. I was first elected to the European Parliament in 2004—and no, thank you, I do not want to know how old some members were in 2004.”
“Like me, the First Minister represents a large area of rural Scotland in which people are dependent on domestic heating oil because they are off-grid. There have been some spectacular rises in the cost of that oil, and I am sure that many of our constituents are deeply worried about that. I have written to the Competition and Markets Authority because I am concerned about the operation of the market in heating oil. Does the First Minister share my concerns as we look towards a cold winter?”
“I, Alyn Edward Smith, 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.”