Jamie Hepburn
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“We have a full week left next week. The committee could request that witnesses give evidence on a day when it does not normally sit— that is entirely possible. Jamie Hepburn: I was going to come on to that. I recognise that point, and it was considered, given Ms Hamilton’s concerns.”
“The member will appreciate that the Government cannot compel a committee to undertake scrutiny that it does not want to undertake, and I do not think that Parliament would want the Government to do that.”
“The timing of the bill’s introduction—it was after the Scottish Parliament elections and during the period of Government formation—was always going to be challenging, but that has been compounded by the lack of prior engagement from the UK Government, despite its intent to expedite the passage of the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill…”
“I recognise that it is regrettable that I must stand before Parliament today and ask that it suspend standing orders to allow the first motion on legislative consent in this parliamentary session to come straight to the chamber. By way of background, the UK Government introduced the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill on 14 May 2026.”
“I believe that all of us in public life strive for that and that we have all been motivated to enter politics for those reasons. Maybe that is a reminder of the point that David Linden made about the common ground that exists between us all.”
“We should recognise the challenges that we face, but Adam Harley made an important point: that the general experience of being involved in politics is a good one. Just as he spoke of, I like nothing more than to engage with the constituents I represent in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth. By and large, that is a positive experience.”
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“That is not a criticism of the member in charge, as I recognise that she was unable to draw down support from the non-Government bills unit due to its lack of capacity. However, that has also informed my experience of considering the bill. We need to consider Parliament’s capacity to support its members to take forward and refine legislation. We are, after all, a legislature. Michelle Thomson: During the stage 1 scrutiny, the committee sought comparative evidence from various other authorities and jurisdictions, such as the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, Northern Ireland and so on, and responses were received. The report says that correspondence was received, but, beyond noting its existence, it does not summarise, analyse, quote from or otherwise engage with the content.”
“Indeed, Ash Regan welcomed the approach that we had taken when she was before the committee on 26 November. I want to pick up on the matter of time, as it has been instrumental to where I have ended up on the bill. I do not believe that the committee has had the requisite time to consider the matters at hand in the bill. As Pauline McNeill set out, that is a shared perspective of all members of the committee, as is set out in paragraph 406 of our report. I believe that we would have benefited from more time to look at the bill in greater detail. With the bill being introduced just a month before the deadline for members’ bills, we were left without the time to consider it as fully as I would have liked.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this stage 1 debate and to set out my perspective on the bill, which is informed by my experience as a member of the Criminal Justice Committee, which took evidence on it. I recognise the work that Ash Regan has done to advance the bill. Having been responsible for taking forward various pieces of legislation as a Government minister, I know how onerous a task that can be. I do not therefore underestimate the challenges involved in advancing a member’s bill. I am grateful to my colleagues on the committee for the collaborative and collegiate fashion in which we worked together to pull together a stage 1 report, which is as comprehensive a report as we could have pulled together in the time that was available to us.”
“Also, the number of those sentenced to short-term sentences continues to remain high. As of 2 February— yesterday—there were 1,928 short-term prisoners, which is about 23 per cent of the entire prison population.”
“The 37 per cent increase in the sentence length that the cabinet secretary mentioned merits further examination. I presume that, if that is an on- going trend, it will contribute to an increased prison population. Can the cabinet secretary set out what research or analysis the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service might have undertaken to better understand why that increased sentence length is occurring? Angela Constance: I am not aware of that research, but the increase is shown in statistics. The trend over the past decade has been driven by a range of factors. In part, it reflects the action that we have taken to strengthen the justice system. For example, we are seeing more convictions for serious organised crime and recent and historical sex offences.”
“The Scottish budget has also made provision to double the number of places for the legal aid traineeship fund from 20 to 40, to improve the sustainability and capacity of the legal profession. Women’s Custody Unit Estate (Occupancy and Operational Capacity) 3.”
“Will the minister set out how improvements can be made to access to the legal aid system in rural Scotland through the uplift in funding to the justice portfolio, as proposed in the Scottish Government’s budget? Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government is committed to improving the legal aid system across Scotland. The draft budget maintains the substantial increases in legal aid over recent years. I am pleased to advise Parliament that, today, regulations have been laid that will, if approved, provide a 13 per cent fee increase for legal aid solicitors’ fees and fixed payments. To further secure the future sustainability of the legal aid system, the independent fee review mechanism group that I committed to has been established. It has met, and I will update Parliament once the independent chair has been appointed.”
“Ben Macpherson: I appreciate the engagement that I have had on the matter with Miles Briggs, Daniel Johnson and other members, as well as relevant employers and business representative organisations. Miles Briggs’s amendments 87 and 88 would require the Scottish ministers to ask the UK Government for information on the amount of funding that Scotland gets from the apprenticeship levy and then to report on the use of that funding.”
“To date, the Scottish Funding Council has been responsible for college and university funding, which means that there is an inevitable pressure for it to use skills development funding to ease other pressures, so it is vital that we preserve clarity about the quantum of that funding and ensure that its control is directed, as far as is possible and appropriate, by those who are actually aware of what is required for skills delivery. The aim of amendment 91 is simply to ensure that we preserve transparency and clarity on the skills budget so that we can track it. I will speak further about the need to strengthen industry voices in the governance in order to get the strategy right when we come to group 14.”
“Ultimately, we want a responsive system that does not require prediction or forecasting but that, because of the voices of employers, industry and trade unions, means that we can see how money is being used to deliver the right skills, in the right way and at the right time. My amendment 91, in conjunction with amendment 105, seeks to ensure that we retain a focus on skills funding and that it does not simply get folded and subsumed into other funding pots. There is stress and pressure within the system.”
“I would rather have had my amendment 91 grouped with amendment 105 because it is critically important that we have direct involvement from industry—from employers and from trade unions—so that they can not only define policy but direct funding. The screens in the chamber have gone off. It looks as if we have crashed the system and I do not know whether that is a good sign or a bad one. Let us assume that that happened because of the quality of our debate. The key point is that, in the absence of a clear strategy, we will bake flaws into the system if we do not get the fundamental structure right.”
“Employers in Scotland frankly do not care about the detail of Barnett consequentials; they are essentially paying in money that they are not able to get back out while employers elsewhere can do that. Jamie Hepburn: Will Mr Johnson give way? Daniel Johnson: We might be stretching our colleagues’ patience, and I want to move on. The system is imperfect and the least that we can do is to ensure that there is transparency, to pass the money on and, critically, to preserve control. That brings me on to my amendment 91. The unfortunate thing about groups of amendments is that we do not have control of how our amendments are grouped.”
“Will Mr Johnson give way? Daniel Johnson: I am happy to. Jamie Hepburn: Does Mr Johnson recognise that employers are being asked to pay that money as a consequence of the previous UK Government unilaterally introducing a policy to fund its ambitions for apprenticeships in England but doing so without any form of engagement or consultation whatsoever with the Scottish Government? Daniel Johnson: The member makes a fair point, and I think that a lot of people would question whether that was the right policy or was done in the right way. Notwithstanding that, the point is that employers or levy payers were promised something that had at least some potential advantages but that those get wiped out because of the way the system works in Scotland.”
“We benefit from having a national service—for example, we do not, as I have seen, have the same challenges with cross-boundary transfer—but I do not think that the Fire and Rescue Service’s proposals have considered that. For example, changes that are being talked about in Glasgow could impact my area—and, of course, vice versa—and I do not think that that has been considered. I am glad that Maggie Chapman has brought the debate to the Parliament, and I am glad to have been able to place some of my concerns and those of my constituents on the record. I am keen to see where the review lands and, in that regard, I look forward to being able to question the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service when it comes before the committee. I place on record my thanks to all existing fire service personnel and all those who have served in the past.”
“Understandably, that has generated concern in the community, with the primary concern being about any delay to a second appliance arriving and the pressure that that might place on the crew of the first appliance that arrives on site. There is also concern about retained firefighter availability—we are already seeing that, with the Kilsyth and Stepps fire stations not always being available—and about the challenges with recruiting such personnel. I have a particular concern about the review process, which I have expressed to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and which I now take the opportunity to place on the record in the Parliament.”
“I know that a decision has been delayed, which reflects what has been, as members might have expected, a significant response to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s consultation, and I look forward to being able to question the SFRS on aspects of the review. The proposal in my area is, thankfully, not to close the fire station; indeed, I would have been surprised if there had been a closure, given the size of my community. However, there is a proposal to move from two full-time appliances to one operating full time—which would be welcome, of course—and another operating full time during the day on weekdays only and then being operated by retained firefighters at night time during the week and at weekends.”
“Last spring, we saw a major wildfire at Palacerigg, which required a significant response from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The service certainly rose to the occasion, and I am grateful to it for doing so. The Scottish Government held the wildfire summit, and I am grateful for the Government’s update to MSPs on the work that has arisen out of that. It would be useful to hear from the minister about what might emerge from that, if she is able to provide us with an update. I will focus my remarks primarily on the fire service delivery review, as it impacts my area. As a member of the Criminal Justice Committee, I am grateful to the Fire Brigades Union for coming along to speak to us about its perspective on the review, and I look forward to having the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service speak to us before any final decisions are made.”
“I thank Maggie Chapman for securing the debate. In her motion, the member quite rightly mentions the DECON campaign, and I very much associate myself with her remarks about it. The campaign has indicated and highlighted the excess mortality rates in relation to cancer, heart attack and stroke, which we would all agree are an obvious concern for us. When the evidence starts to emerge, including through academic research, it requires a response. There are recommendations in the FBU report, and I am keen to hear the Scottish Government’s response to them. Maggie Chapman is also right to highlight, as she did in her contribution as well as in her motion, the impact of climate change. I have spoken in the Parliament before about having seen the effects of climate change locally in my constituency.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the importance of the supply chain to the Scotch whisky industry. (S6O-05374)”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Hepburn. It would not be a debate about Scottish football if there was not somebody dampening the mood, but I am conscious that we reached decision time late and that there are events being held in the Parliament this evening, so I will have to keep members to their time limit from here on in. I call Michael Marra for up to four minutes. 18:04”
“The clubs also compete annually in the Cumbernauld cup, raising money for local charities. I see that the light on my microphone is flashing, Deputy Presiding Officer, so my time is nearly up. If you will indulge me for a moment—otherwise I will get into trouble–I will quickly mention Kilsyth Rangers, formed in 1913 and the Scottish junior cup winners in 1955 and 1967, and Kilsyth Athletic, formed in 1999 with a focus on youth football. The latter also has a team in the west of Scotland football league that, until recently, had the youngest manager in the entire Scottish football pyramid before he moved to Falkirk Football Club. I thank all those teams, and I thank you for indulging me, Deputy Presiding Officer, because if I had mentioned only the Cumbernauld clubs and not the Kilsyth clubs, I would have been in trouble.”
“[Interruption.] I can hear Gordon MacDonald behind me agreeing—I think that I recall him telling me once that, as a young man, he sold pools coupons to raise funds for Cumbernauld United, so let us place that on the record, too. Cumbernauld United is present in the first division of the west of Scotland football league, and I wish the team well as they seek to gain promotion to the premier division of that league. The team’s most famous player is, of course, Kenny Dalglish, who began his career there on loan from Celtic. Both Cumbernauld Colts and Cumbernauld United have growing women’s teams. Last year, Cumbernauld United won the regional league plate and Cumbernauld Colts got to the final of the regional league cup. It is great to see that they are growing.”
“Colleagues might be aware that Jackie McNamara, Derek Whyte and—this one is for George Adam—Dougie Bell all began their careers there. Cumbernauld Colts is a really important organisation and football club that provides opportunities to young people in particular, but it also does a lot in the community by taking in food bank collections, working with Network Rail to promote safety to the young people who play for the team, and co-operating with Scottish Gas to put in place school holiday football activities. I also want to highlight Cumbernauld United Football Club, which was formed in 1964 and has been a long-term fixture in junior football.”
“It is very important to me personally in relation to the friendships that I have and being able to take my children to watch the team. This year is, in fact, the club’s 150th anniversary, which I think should be recognised in the Parliament. I turn to my constituency, where there is an abundance of youth and amateur clubs. There are too many to mention individually, but I place on the record my thanks to them for the recreational opportunities that they provide to people in my area. I will focus on the four clubs that are in the Scottish football pyramid, starting with Cumbernauld Colts Football Club, which was formed in 1969 and has more than 500 players involved across a range of ages. It has had a senior team in the Scottish lowland league since 2015.”
“I am not alone in this institution in having such an affliction—Michael Matheson, Bill Kidd and Ivan McKee share that particular perspective, along with previous colleagues such as Bill Butler, Patricia Ferguson and, indeed, Bill Aitken, who, as some members might remember, was a youth player at Partick Thistle as well as a fan. We have had our ups and downs—losing on penalties to Inverness Caledonian Thistle last night in the league challenge cup was a particular down. Nevertheless, given that this is George Adam’s debate, I want to reflect on a particular high on 13 April 2002, when Partick Thistle won 2- 0 at Love Street to secure promotion to the premier league. I know that Mr Adam will appreciate my recognising that. I could expound much more on my team, but I will leave it at that.”
“If I could give one piece of advice to those of a younger vintage than me, I would say that they should not do what I did when I was 19—I did not think to bother to go to the world cup for which we had qualified because I thought that Scotland’s failure to qualify in 1994 was an aberration and the norm was regular qualification. If people have the means—of course, there has been significant debate about the cost—I would urge them to try to see Scotland in the flesh. I intend to speak largely from a constituency perspective, as I expect many members will. However, I will indulge myself a little at the outset of my contribution by focusing on my club. Unlike George Adam, I do not support a club that is based in my constituency, so I cannot combine the two things, but my first, and most enduring, love has been Partick Thistle Football Club.”
“I start by observing that the importance of football can sometimes be overstated. I imagine that most of us will be aware of Bill Shankly’s age- old maxim about football being much more important than life and death. I think that that is somewhat overstating it, but nor should we understate the importance of our national pastime. That was never underlined more than by the delirium with which the men’s team’s qualification for this year’s world cup was met last year, when an earthquake began, literally, as a result of fans celebrating at Hampden park.”
“As the member says, we have committed £150,000 to Cumbernauld Theatre Trust in 2026- 27, with a further £150,000 in 2027-28, which is subject to progress being made by the trust to enhance its financial sustainability.”
“Just last month, the Scottish Government announced £300,000 of funding for Cumbernauld theatre, along with £100,000 from Creative Scotland. Will the cabinet secretary set out what opportunities arise out of this year’s budget for continued support for the theatre and, indeed, for the wider culture sector in Scotland? Shona Robison: I am very pleased to have been able to confirm an additional £20 million for the culture budget and to continue to deliver on our commitment to increase culture spending by £100 million. The cumulative increase is now £70 million since 2023-24 and it supports a wide range of measures across this key sector.”
“That represents, by any reasonable measure—I presume that we are all reasonable people in this place—a significant national undertaking that could not reasonably be met through the public purse alone, not least in the context of the point that I have just made, which is that the funding that has been provided by the UK Government is not anything close to £1.7 billion. Notwithstanding that, I go back to the point that the minister has been clear that all that money will be spent to that purpose.”
“We know that the amount of money that has been passed on as a result of the UK Government investment does not even touch the surface of the overall cost. The scale of the challenge that we face is substantial. Mr Leonard is shaking his head, but the minister’s response to the Finance and Public Administration Committee’s stage 1 report was very clear. The current estimates show that Scotland’s cladding remediation programme could cost in excess of £1.7 billion over a 15-year period.”
“Liz Smith: I want to ask Jamie Hepburn about the content of Mr Leonard’s excellent speech. Mr Leonard set out the evidence that has been provided by the Auditor General for Scotland about the extent of the underspend. Does Mr Hepburn agree that that money would be much better spent in addressing these problems to sort this urgent issue? Jamie Hepburn: Of course that money should be spent on doing that. I heard the minister very clearly say that the commitment is to spend that money on doing just that. Stephen Kerr: When? Jamie Hepburn: Of course we want to do it as soon as possible, but the commitment is—it was a very clear commitment from the minister; I was certainly listening, but I do not know whether other members were—that that money will be spent.”
“I am happy to speak in support of the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill. I do so in recognition of the Scottish Government’s clear commitment to addressing the legacy of unsafe cladding—a legacy that it has, of course, inherited. I also frame my remarks in the context of recognising, as Mr Leonard has just laid out, the absolute necessity of ensuring that people are safe in their homes. That is an important starting principle. At its heart, the bill is about fairness and responsibility. It is about ensuring that the costs of remediating serious building defects do not fall solely on home owners who had no role in the design, materials or construction of their buildings. That is an important principle, and it is the right starting point for the bill.”
“So much for Scotland being the highest taxed part of the UK. We should focus on assisting people with the cost of living crisis. I am proud and pleased that we have a Scottish Government that is doing just that, with its investment in abolishing peak rail fares, its continued commitment to free prescriptions and free eye appointments, and its commitment to funding childcare hours, which would otherwise cost more than £6,000 per eligible child per year. I am proud of, and stand behind, that record.”
“They have also said that more money should be put into the Scottish veterans fund, and we have heard them talk about creating a new affordable transition fund. All of those are perfectly legitimate proposals to advance, but they cannot be taken seriously or credibly if, at the same time, the Tories seek to cut taxes. I turn to Alexander Stewart’s point about our having the highest taxes in the UK. In that respect, I slightly disagree with Mr Harvie, as I consider that there is nothing wrong with our making the point that most income tax payers in Scotland pay less in income tax than is paid by taxpayers in the rest of the UK. Further, I note that that is a very narrow analysis of tax liability. We know that the average band D council tax bill this year is £1,543 in Scotland but £2,280 in England.”
“It happened with the proposals in 2022, which are similar to the ones that the Conservatives are advancing just now. The Fraser of Allander Institute said that those proposals would have generated a potential revenue loss to the public purse in Scotland of approximately £420 million. Despite that, we will still hear calls from the Conservative Party for increased expenditure in many areas. Mr Harvie made that point just yesterday during the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee debate on investment in swimming pools and swimming infrastructure, when we heard calls for more investment in that area. Just this week, we heard a call from the Tories for increased investment in legal aid.”
“We should not pretend that it is anything other than such. It is clear where the Conservative Party gets its inspiration from. The Tory leader in this Parliament was a great supporter of the Truss-Kwarteng budget in 2022. I do not know why he is laughing; maybe he has forgotten. I am happy to remind him that he supported that budget, which was utterly underpinned by Tory ideology. That budget was predicated on assisting with the cost of living, but it saw inflation increase from 2 per cent to 10 per cent and mortgage rates triple overnight. So much for assisting with the cost of living. To be fair, the Tories accept that their approach to taxation would reduce the amount of revenue that is accrued to the public purse. Indeed, if they do not accept that, they should, because that is what would happen.”
“I am happy to contribute to today’s debate. The last time that I took part in a Tory debate, Mr Hoy happened to be closing it. He said that my speech was one of the worst that he had heard in his time in the Parliament. I look forward to disappointing him again, because, frankly, if that is his assessment, I think that I am on the right track. It is interesting that we again heard the Tory refrain of “common sense”, as if what they lay out is a commonsense approach. What we did not hear—although I thought that we might, because we often hear it from the Tories—is that the approach that has been taken by the Scottish Government is an ideological approach, as if “ideology” is, in and of itself, a four-letter word. However, the Conservative approach of cutting taxes and disinvesting in public services is also an ideological approach.”
“The case of the farm that Emma Harper mentioned pointed to a different context, of locating new facilities near to the source of the material being used, but perhaps there is a wider question about where the facilities should be located. In planning for an increased number of anaerobic digestion facilities, to add to the 90-odd existing sites in Scotland—which I believe should happen and is necessary—how might the question of where they should be located be factored in, so that there is reduced impact on nearby residents? I echo the calls for further investment in the sector and for support for the sector. With the right support, it can help to deliver net zero, energy security and a just transition for communities in Scotland. It can also help to generate job opportunities and stimulate the local economy. 18:32”
“Again, it is welcome that there has been such a facility locally, as it provides employment opportunities and contributes positively to our net zero challenges. In the site’s early days—this speaks to some of the challenges that will occasionally be faced as the sector grows—there were some teething problems. For some time, nearby residents complained of being impacted by noxious odour release, which understandably generated a significant number of complaints and necessitated the involvement of SEPA. To the company’s credit, it took the necessary step to make improvements. That seems to have resolved the issue, but it raises questions about where such facilities should be located.”
“The sale of the facility from public to private hands raises some questions about the on-going role of the public sector in investing in facilities of this nature, so it would be useful to hear from the cabinet secretary, in closing, the Government’s perspective on having a mixture of private sector and public sector investment in this area and whether the Government sees that as a worthwhile approach. The other site in my area is Energen Biogas, which is adjacent to my constituency office in Wardpark. It began receiving food waste in 2011 and now supplies 100 Scottish farms, covering more than 100,000 hectares of land, with biofertiliser, and it also produces renewable gas and electricity.”
“Recently, the facility has been sold to new owners, and it will operate as Deerdykes Bioenergy Ltd, which is looking to significantly expand the operation to provide 100 gigawatt hours of energy each year and provide the annual gas supply for 8,000 homes—10 per cent of the biomethane that is currently used in Scotland. The expansion would result in new operations commencing in 2027, with cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and improvements to the circularity of industry in Scotland. I very much welcome its plans, which will make a positive contribution to our climate ambitions and to the economy in my area.”
“Deerdykes was the first large-scale biogas plant in Scotland, opening in 2010. In its first decade of operation, it processed more than 150,000 tonnes of food waste. In 2022, it passed another milestone, having generated 50 gigawatt hours of energy since its opening, which equates to the annual energy use of some 13,500 homes. The facility was built by Scottish Water Horizons, which is a subsidiary of Scottish Water that operates on a commercial basis. Nonetheless, the fact that it is a subsidiary of a public sector agency is a reminder that the public sector can be involved in such processes.”
“I will try to stick to time, so as not to delay Ms Boyack’s event too much. I join her in thanking Emma Harper for securing the debate. I commend the terms of Ms Harper’s motion, which rightly set out the significant contribution that anaerobic digestion and biogas can make to Scotland’s journey to net zero and to strengthening local economies. I was keen to speak in the debate from my constituency perspective. In Cumbernauld, there are two anaerobic digestion facilities—one at the Wardpark industrial estate and one at Deerdykes. Emma Harper rightly described Scotland as a world leader in anaerobic digestion, and I am pleased to say that my area has been a leader in Scotland. Cumbernauld and Kilsyth have been at the forefront of developing the technology in Scotland.”
“However, our commitment should be year round, through policy, partnership and practical support. Of course, the commitment that we show must also be backed by another P-word—patronage. We should all value and use the many small businesses that we are lucky to have in our local communities, and we should do so—as the motion sets out—not just on small business Saturday, but all year round. 17:51”
“Its success since then has been underlined by the fact that, just this week, it announced that its business would be moving to bigger premises, which are, thankfully for its dedicated customer base, still located in Cumbernauld village. In 2022, I visited the Scarecrow bar and grill in Kilsyth, which won the best gastropub award at the town’s 2019 and 2021 food awards. That visit followed my visit to Banton to see the equally excellent community-owned and run Swan inn, an acquisition by the community that was assisted by funding from both the Scottish Government and the national lottery. All are superb examples of small businesses in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, and small business Saturday provides a focal point and an opportunity to celebrate and encourage such businesses.”
“Started by Chris Jones, who has a background in fitness and nutrition, NutriKing provides nutritionally assessed, pre-prepared meals directly to customers in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth and the surrounding area on a weekly basis. The business is hoping to expand in 2026, and it will be looking to partner with gyms and various other businesses in the locality. It is a reminder that small businesses can support one another, too. In previous years, I have visited many great businesses that serve my area. Last year, I visited World of Wings Birds of Prey, Scotland’s largest birds-of-prey centre, and McLachlan Opticians, which has two branches in my constituency. In 2023, I met the team at Serpent Kings Barbershop, in Cumbernauld village, which launched that very same year.”
“The impact of those businesses, from the independent retailers and cafes in the town centres in my constituency to the many local innovative manufacturers on the various industrial estates dotted across it, is keenly felt. I have been very keen to support small business Saturday for many years, and this year is no different. As I do every year, I visited one Cumbernauld-based business and one in Kilsyth. This year, I was pleased to visit RM Blinds, a family-run business that has been providing blinds across the west of Scotland for more than 20 years, and which operates its factory from Kilsyth, with a showroom attached. I was also happy to visit NutriKing Meal Prep at the business’s kitchen in Cumbernauld.”
“I am very pleased to be able to speak in this debate marking small business Saturday and to help recognise the extraordinary contribution that small and micro businesses make to our economy, our communities and our national life. Small business Saturday is, at its heart, a simple idea. It is about encouraging people to look first at the businesses on their high streets and doorsteps and in their own communities, and to recognise the value that they bring to those communities. The motion alludes, rightly, to the fact that small businesses across Scotland are the backbone of our economy. In my constituency—and I am sure that this will be the case for every member who speaks in the debate—that reality is evident every day.”
“Addressing it requires more than reactive enforcement; it requires prevention, partnership, investment and public confidence. I agree with Liam McArthur that the area warrants further attention, which the Parliament should continue to give it. 16:22”