Willie Rennie
Scottish Liberal Democrats · Scotland
“Daniel Johnson’s remarks were powerful, and he identified an issue that is sometimes uncomfortable and that we need to address. The country faces difficult issues, and we do ourselves no favours by ignoring those issues. Some of the points that Daniel Johnson made about immigration were right, and we need to discuss them.”
“Again, Daniel Johnson highlighted that when he talked about comments on “fighting- age men”, “strangers” and “two-tier policing”. We know what those terms mean and what they are appealing to. Thomas Kerr: Will the member take an intervention? Willie Rennie: Yes, I will take an intervention from Mr Charmer himself.”
“I understand that a German company will now use the Dalzell plant as a jobbing mill, importing 4,000 tonnes of slab from a foreign supplier outside the UK instead of purchasing that slab from Scunthorpe. All that raises serious questions about an important part of the steel industry in Scotland.”
“It is important for the UK Government that there is learning from the process and that the circumstances of our Parliament—for example, when we re-form following an election—are not an afterthought in relation to the UK Government’s formulation of its approach to legislation and when it decides to introduce it.”
“So far, the Scottish Government has not been formally asked to provide support, but I advise the member and the chamber that the issue was part of my discussions with the UK Government minister yesterday. The legislation extends to Scotland, and the steel undertaking would capture the site.”
“Will that be repaid, and at what point? When will we have a proper functioning mill—the only wide-plate mill in the United Kingdom—at Dalzell? When will it have a constructive relationship with the Scunthorpe plant? All those issues should be at the front of the Government’s mind, but, as usual, it is not paying attention.”
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“When done well, the planning system is an effective tool in delivering economic growth, but businesses and investors need a system that is quicker and gives more certainty; regulation that is more predictable and less complicated; and support that is less fragmented. Certainty breeds confidence, but risk and delay do the opposite. Reform matters because delivery matters and because growth will be felt only if Government acts with urgency, clarity and purpose.”
“It will sit directly adjacent to the office of the First Minister, so there will be nowhere to hide. Fourthly, we will continue to expand Scotland’s global reach. Given that we are a small, open economy, our long-term growth depends on selling more goods and services to the world and harnessing our export potential. That outward- looking tradition runs deep, and there is a golden opportunity in the coming weeks to harness the export potential of our biggest single-nation export market, as Scotland heads to America for the world cup. We all know that success abroad will help to bring success at home, and our task is to help more Scottish firms to succeed in such global markets. Fifthly—I am sure that there will be agreement across the parties on this—we must reform the system so that it supports growth rather than holding it back.”
“Areas such as life sciences, digital and artificial intelligence, critical technologies such as quantum and photonics, advanced manufacturing and—of course—the energy transition offer major opportunities for high-productivity and high-value jobs. We must be able to build on our existing strengths in energy, engineering and innovation while opening up new opportunities in sectors such as hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and offshore wind. That is how growth is felt across generations; it is not just announced from a podium. We must wrap an arm around the supply chains in those sectors, to ensure that they grow, innovate, export and stay anchored right here, in Scotland, for Scotland. Our high growth unit will help to make that scale-up possible.”
“I tried to reference in my remarks the importance of working across institutions and with business to bring people together to make sure that, from the youngest to the oldest, people have the skills that they require to get back into the workplace. I do not think that anyone could put their hand up and say that there is an easy answer in that regard, but we are—and we will be—willing to engage across the chamber and across civic society and business in Scotland to ensure that that happens. I am looking forward to working with Willie Rennie in that regard. I return to the industries of the future. Our vision must go beyond simply adopting new technologies to, instead, helping to create and commercialise them.”
“Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention? Stephen Flynn: —and that is why, thirdly, we will back the industries of the future. Talking about the future, I will give way to Willie Rennie. Willie Rennie: He is a charmer, is he not? On the point about skills and the workforce, what is the cabinet secretary’s answer to the high levels of economic inactivity in the workforce aged 16 to 64? I have not heard anything yet that gives me confidence that the Government is on top of that issue. Stephen Flynn: The point that Mr Rennie rightly makes is incredibly important, and it is no surprise that he chose to make it.”
“For two years in a row, in fact, emergency cuts had to be introduced to the Scottish Government’s spending proposals. I say all of that because it knocked public confidence, and, when we lose confidence and trust in taxation and the Government, we get behavioural change. Sometimes it is not the policy at the time that causes that change but the prospect of what the policy might be in two or three years’ time. When people who are mobile make decisions about where they are going to take a job, they do so with a view to the future and where they think the Government is going. We are not talking about millionaires here; Patrick Harvie talked about doctors and consultants, and we have a significant problem in Scotland with the recruitment of consultants.”
“When I intervened on the cabinet secretary to ask her about the balance of her speech, the next sentence from her was about another tax. She may say that I should take the whole speech in its context—she did talk about other things—but the message that was clearly sent out was about a traditional tax-and-spend approach and policy. The trouble with that is that we need to have trust in taxation. We saw what happened when Humza Yousaf was First Minister. He lost control of the narrative and the rhetoric, and it sounded as though he was going to increase taxes for ever. He got very excited about the prospect of which taxes he could increase. Pretty immediately after that, there were severe attempts by the Government to bring the budgets back into control in year.”
“I move, That the Parliament believes in fair, progressive and sustainable taxation to support the delivery of public services; welcomes the progress made towards the creation of a private jet tax and a mansion tax; supports actions to go further and seek the powers necessary to take action on so-called ghost flights of private planes; recognises that Scotland’s current powers limit the scope for additional wealth taxation, and endorses the Scottish Government’s plans to explore what further steps could be taken either within the current system or with full fiscal powers.”
“I ask parties to engage constructively and openly with the Government about what further steps we can take to consider the right balance of taxation for Scotland. The Government is committed to ambitious reform to reduce costs while increasing the effectiveness of our public services and achieving better outcomes for our citizens. What I am asking the Parliament to do today is to empower us to continue to implement a progressive taxation system—a system that asks the wealthiest to pay their fair share while helping the poorest to make ends meet, which supports our businesses to drive the economic growth that is needed and which allows us to deliver better public services for our people while supporting those who are most in need.”
“We know that meaningful reform of wealth taxation in Scotland would need significant co- operation from the UK Government and a fundamental change in relation to where the powers sit. Indeed, as the Scottish Green Party acknowledged in its manifesto, the prospect of a Scottish wealth tax would be feasible only with independence—or at least with the agreement of the UK Government to further devolve those powers. Of course, the Scottish Government would far rather that those tax powers were devolved back to Scotland, because an independent Scotland would give us the power to redesign—with the people and businesses of Scotland—our wealth taxation and other far- outdated taxes to work more effectively. The pressures on our public finances are real, and the constraints on what we can currently achieve are significant.”
“In our tax strategy, we have committed to exploring the reforms that are needed to continue to deliver more sustainable and growing tax revenues in the future. That includes considering the balance of taxes across labour, income and wealth that I alluded to previously. To shape those next steps, we are opening up a broad, evidence-based conversation on how Scotland can tax wealth more effectively, bringing together experts and stakeholders from across the country. That work will look at new approaches to wealth taxation and at the opportunities and challenges for a fairer and more sustainable tax system. I extend an invitation to the Opposition to work with the Government on that and to be part of the broader discussion, so that we can find consensus as a Parliament on those matters.”
“With estimates suggesting that up to 41 per cent of private jet flights take off without passengers, it is only right that we explore every possible opportunity to bring that activity into the scope of our progressive taxation system, and we call on the UK Government to devolve the powers to allow us to do so. We are improving fairness at the top end of the council tax system, which is allowing us to raise additional funding to support our public services. Currently, some high-value properties face council tax bills that are not materially different from those for far more modest homes. From April 2028, we will introduce new council tax bands for properties that are worth more than £1 million.”
“However, we exist in a Parliament of minorities, so we have to work together to address the budget gap. That is why Mr McKee’s role is so pivotal in terms of the efficiencies and reform that he will have to drive. More broadly, the Government believes that those who enjoy the privilege of travelling on private jets should make a fairer contribution to the public finances, but we want to go further, which is why we are seeking the devolution of further powers to address the issue of private jet ghost flights. When a private jet completes a one-way trip, it often flies on to its next location with no passengers. Air departure tax is a tax on the carriage of passengers, so such flights would be exempt from it. However, those flights still produce emissions and support the activity of the super- wealthy.”
“Will the cabinet secretary give way? Jenny Gilruth: I am happy to do so for Mr Rennie. Willie Rennie: I have been listening carefully to the cabinet secretary’s contribution. She has, in passing, referenced the challenging fiscal set-up, but most of what she says sounds as though she will increase taxes to close the gap. Is that what she is implying? Jenny Gilruth: I regret that, like his colleague Mr Cole-Hamilton, Mr Rennie has perhaps not been listening to what I have said. To clarify on the record, I note that those are not the comments that I have made today. We need to look at other, broader opportunities to raise revenue in Scotland. There is a significant fiscal challenge ahead of the Government; the Opposition is well aware of that. I have seen Mr Rennie’s amendment to the motion, which is very critical of where we are currently.”
“As part of the consultation on the proposed legislation, I will seek to understand more about those concerns over a lack of regulation. Given that the aim is to help with the learning environment, I am keen to ensure that we are not removing tools that help teachers to further our young people’s education.”
“Legislation to control the use of mobile phones in schools is certainly a welcome step, but I ask the cabinet secretary to look further at the use of digital devices in schools. A growing body of parents are concerned about their unregulated use, which is not based on the best practice and best evidence. I urge her to consider that and potentially to include that in any proposed legislation. Màiri McAllan: I would certainly be interested to engage with Willie Rennie on the growing body of concern that he has spoken of regarding the use of digital devices being unregulated. There is a distinction to be made between personal mobile devices and digital devices that are provided by a school, which will often have firewalls and other technologies, meaning that pupils stay squarely focused on the learning outcome of the use of the device.”
“The First Minister will be aware of the huge fire at Lower Melville Wood in my constituency, which burned for two weeks. The conditions were intolerable for local people, especially those with lung conditions. Today, I have written to the Government asking for an independent investigation, because it involves multiple agencies, into what caused the fire, the handling of the fire and the future of the site. Does the First Minister agree that there should be a Government-commissioned independent investigation?”
“I move amendment S7M-00128.3, to leave out from “and supports” to end and insert: “but notes that parents must be provided with the choice that they were promised as part of the rollout of 1,140 hours of funded childcare by introducing fairer rates for private, voluntary and independent providers to cover the actual costs of delivering high-quality early learning and childcare (ELC); believes that working families need to be prioritised in any extension of ELC funding, starting with shifting the 1,140 funded hours to start on a child’s third birthday, thus treating this as a critical part of our economic infrastructure that would help parents return to work, close the gender pay gap and raise additional tax revenues; calls for local authorities to be brought together to strike a partnership agreement that ensures parents who live in one council area but work in another have choice on where their child attends nursery, thus guaranteeing that funding really does follow the child; considers that childcare options in remote and rural areas can be more limited; therefore believes that there needs to be a new support package for childminders in these areas, and calls on the Scottish Government to make sure that there is no postcode lottery for childcare in Scotland.””
“We should talk not only about childcare up to the age of five but about supporting after-school clubs, many of which are precarious and find it difficult to make ends meet. We must make sure that there is extra provision for them, particularly in rural areas where families find it difficult to sustain them. For those reasons, we will work with the Government to make this work. I am desperate to make it work—I have a long-term commitment to it. For decades, I have argued for the expansion of childcare, but we must get the foundations and the expansion right.”
“However, we must make sure that work pays. When finances are tight, we must use our money in the best way that we possibly can to make sure that work pays. It is essential that everybody participates in the economy and in society. I make no apologies for targeting that issue. We are in a crisis. The Parliament has a £5 billion deficit coming down the track, but, sometimes, you would not think that that was the case. Too often, we think about spending money without thinking about exactly how to spend it to have the best effect on families or on the economy and the Government’s finances. All of that needs to work— and it needs to work well. The final issue I want to raise is about after- school clubs and flexibility.”
“People were asking, “When are we going to get it?” “How are we going to get it?” “How quickly are we going to get it?” and “Will it be available in my community?” A lone mother stuck up her hand and asked, “Why don’t you want me to look after my own children?” You could hear a pin drop. That was something that needed to be said, and it was important that it was said. Another issue is the economy. We have a major problem with economic inactivity and high levels of unemployment, particularly among women who have had children. We need to incentivise and encourage people, which is why I disagree fundamentally with the universal approach. Of course, childcare should be universal for three and four-year-olds, so that, in the years just before they go to school, they can get that extra lift before they go into the education system proper.”
“We should welcome the fact that families want to look after their children for longer, because we know from Suzanne Zeedyk, the acclaimed academic, that attachment is incredibly important in the early years. Too often, children do not have the warmth of a loving relationship, so we should ensure that that is valued in our discussion. I want the focus to be on families who want to take up the provision—I think that the cabinet secretary also pointed to that. Families should not be made to feel guilty for not taking it up. I remember, some years ago, taking part in a discussion run by Save the Children. Everybody was arguing about the expansion of the provision.”
“Màiri McAllan’s predecessor was recused from addressing the issues around the Promise, but we now have a team that is dedicated to it, and I hope that we will see significant progress on those issues in this session, because it is sorely needed. Let me deal with some of the fundamentals around childcare and early learning. The early learning bit is incredibly important. We sometimes forget that it is not just about the hours that we provide but about the quality of the provision as well. We sometimes forget about quality in the race for expansion, which is why investing in good- quality staff is essential, particularly in the PVI sector. We should remember the role of families. Some families want to look after their children, and they sometimes feel guilty for not putting them into ELC provision.”
“There must be a better way than losing months of provision because the child happens to have their third birthday at the wrong time. Childminders are also essential, particularly in very remote and rural areas, where it is impossible to have a fully constructed nursery, and they provide the flexibility that many families are looking for. Those issues need to be addressed. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic, and I welcome her and her ministerial colleague to their posts. We now have a ministerial team that can be fully focused on the Promise—following on from the outstanding speech that my colleague Duncan Dunlop made yesterday.”
“A number of other factors need to be addressed, too. The level of take-up by two-year-olds—the terrific twos was discussed earlier—has varied. Although we have managed to develop a relationship with the Department for Work and Pensions, so as to share the essential data and to identify the families concerned, the number of people who are taking up the provision has dropped in the most recent period. We need to reverse that, because we can make the biggest impact on the life chances of that group of two- year-olds if we can get them into that provision at an earlier stage. We have already discussed cross-border placements and the issue of the third birthday. I accept the point about the practicalities of dealing with constant flux on the third birthday.”
“I will begin where Meghan Gallacher and Stephen Kerr finished. We need to get the fundamentals of the provision of ELC in Scotland right before we look to expand it. There is a fundamental problem with the PVI sector, which provides the flexibility that many parents are looking for. Many council nurseries are simply unable to provide that flexibility. If we want childcare that is suitable for a variety of family needs, we need to sort out the significant leakage of experienced staff from the PVI sector to better-paid jobs in the council sector. Sometimes, people get paid more in a supermarket than they would be paid in a private nursery. We need to sort that out in order to maintain the quality of provision in the PVI sector— and not just the provision itself. That is essential for any expansion that comes.”
“All those aspects will be taken into account as we take on what is a massive expansion project, and I will work with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the sector on that.”
“I echo that appreciation for the work that those early learning and childcare professionals do. However, if the cabinet secretary believes that, will she finally tackle the difference in the pay rates between the private, voluntary and independent sector and the council sector? Staff are paid massively different amounts for doing exactly the same job, so will the Government finally get a grip on that problem? Màiri McAllan: When it comes to pay, I am proud that Scotland is the only part of the United Kingdom that, through its funding for early learning and childcare, creates the circumstances in which the real living wage can be paid. However, I understand the call for parity.”
“I am happy to work with Mr Rennie if he is yet to be convinced by my argument.”
“We will ensure that the scheme is targeted and in place not only for buyers right across Scotland but for those who are buying their first home at the lower end of the market. I appreciate that members might wish for different criteria to be included in the scheme. I have a preference for it to be as simple as possible for the buyer and for the lenders taking part in the wider transactions. If Mr Rennie is still not convinced—I am looking at his face, and I think that he is not—I would be happy to work with him, as I have done in the past, because it is important that we get the most out of the scheme and that we support the people right across Scotland who need it. I believe that the fund does that because of the changes that have been made and the lessons that we have learned from the past.”
“The cabinet secretary knows that Liberal Democrats will always be constructive, as we have been for a number of years. We are still in the midst of a housing emergency—it is an emergency—but she has not answered the question about the scheme potentially providing a subsidy to those who can already afford to buy their own home. I will give her another chance to explain what lessons she has learned from previous schemes so that that does not happen. Shirley-Anne Somerville: Let me try again for Willie Rennie. I am sure that he will tell me if I have once again not succeeded in explaining it. One of the important lessons that we have learned relates to the £300,000 property value limit that we have placed on the fund. The scheme is much more targeted than our previous schemes, which is important.”
“I have made clear my position on the basis on which that collaboration should be taken forward. We will succeed only if we work together in a spirit of collaboration, and my ministerial team is committed to doing exactly that. The Presiding Officer: I will now put today’s questions to the vote. The first question is, that motion S7M-00108, in the name of John Swinney, on the First Minister’s appointment of Scottish ministers, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division. There will be a short suspension to allow members to access the digital voting system. 15:11 Meeting suspended. 15:17 On resuming— The Presiding Officer: We come to the vote on motion S7M-00108, in the name of John Swinney, on the First Minister’s appointment of Scottish ministers. Members should cast their votes now.”
“That is what I want to lead our Government to do—to ensure that we address the issues facing the people whom I spoke to during the election, who are truly hurting just now because of the financial challenges that they face and the difficulties that exist in our society. Some of those difficulties are a product of domestic circumstances and some are a product of events that are far away from us but have implications for us. However, I am certain that the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, through the exercise of self-government, gives us a better chance of addressing the issues that the public are concerned about. As I ask for parliamentary support for my ministerial team, I give the commitment to all parties that I gave to Parliament on Tuesday: my Government will seek to work collaboratively with others.”
“It has always been what I have wanted to do, so I understand the sense of disappointment that colleagues will feel who, after the election, are not in a position to hold ministerial office. However, a substantive point that Neil Bibby made in his contribution resonates with what Willie Rennie has just said: we are a Parliament of minorities. Willie Rennie said that he and his colleagues were desperate to get things done. I am also desperate to get things done, so there is undoubtedly space for us to achieve common purpose. I very much welcomed what Mr Sarwar said in both of his contributions in Parliament on Tuesday, in which he indicated the challenges that we now face in the aftermath of the election. Those are about how we work together to address the very serious issues that Mr Rennie raised about how people feel in our communities.”
“I know from all his interactions with political parties that he is more than capable of being the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans and doing exactly what I need him to do, which is to work with others across the chamber. I pay tribute to Lorna Slater, who was very generous in her tribute to Jenni Minto—a tribute that I associate myself strongly with. She invited us to be bold in government, and that is exactly what the Government will do in the next parliamentary session. In his very good speech, Neil Bibby made an important point when he mentioned John Smith’s comment about the opportunity to serve. That is what runs through all my contribution to public service.”
“Although I am delighted that Kirsten Oswald won in Eastwood, I pay tribute to Jackson Carlaw who was an outstanding parliamentarian who was a credit to the Conservative Party in Scotland and, in my humble opinion, was a really good leader of that party—that is not designed to insult Ms Gallacher’s next-door neighbour. I take this opportunity to express my warmest wishes to Jackson Carlaw and to note his outstanding service in the Scottish Parliament. Meghan Gallacher raised a substantive issue about Jamie Hepburn. In my view, Jamie Hepburn addressed the issues that were at stake with Douglas Ross. He did that properly. He then stood for election and the people of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth sent him here with 50.8 per cent of the vote.”
“It is, therefore, quite a stretch to argue that, somehow, the SNP is not in a position to govern or has not earned the right to govern, when we have achieved a share of the vote that is more than double that which was achieved by Reform. We will work our way through the implications of arithmetic during the course of this parliamentary session in the usual fashion. I say to Meghan Gallacher that, in the past, the speech that she gave would normally have been given by none other than Jackson Carlaw. I do not say this disrespectfully, but he was an awful lot funnier when he turned his mind to it. However, that gives me the opportunity to make this point.”
“I know what it is like to lose, and I can say that she handled herself incredibly well, and I am delighted to see her as a minister. The Presiding Officer: I call the First Minister to respond. Up to five minutes, please, First Minister. 15:06 The First Minister: I thank members for their contributions, although there was a varying nature to the speeches that we heard today, and I will reflect that in what I say. I welcome Thomas Kerr to his place and congratulate him on his maiden speech, which he made on an auspicious occasion. However, I will make an elementary point to him. He is making his maiden speech after an election in which Reform got 15.8 per cent of the vote and the SNP got 38.2 per cent of the vote, having campaigned vigorously around the country.”
“However, if there was anybody to lose to, it would be Stephen Gethins, because he is a fine parliamentarian and I am sure that he will make an excellent minister. The more recent pain was caused by Hannah Mary Goodlad, who managed to take the seat of Shetland, which has been Liberal for ever. She managed to do it with some style, and I am sure that she will be a very good minister. She has got the seat, and the seat at the table, that she craved and I hope— The Presiding Officer: You must wind up. Willie Rennie: Is that five minutes already? I have just got started, Presiding Officer. I will say just one more thing. The final person to mention, for her grace under fire, is Maree Todd. She lost her seat to David Green, but she has come back into this Parliament with incredible grace.”
“I say to those who are hoping to get support from Jenny Gilruth that she was the one who said to 150 teachers at the Educational Institute of Scotland hustings last year, “Don’t you shake your head at me.” People who think that they will get anything out of Jenny Gilruth will get a hard deal. However, perhaps she will be able to deliver on the things that she has talked about in education by delivering transfers of funding to it to deal with issues such as additional support needs. There is a big opportunity there. I talked about pain. There are two individuals in this Parliament who have caused me pain—one some time ago, and one in recent weeks. The first is Stephen Gethins, who memorably defeated us by just two votes in 2017—I have had many nightmares ever since.”
“Those of us who come into politics are desperate to get stuff done and to get our hands on the levers of power, so we are, frankly, jealous of the new ministers. It is hard to see people move on. Despite feeling that way, I can see the excitement in their faces, and that is a joy to see. I want to pick out a few of the new ministers. The first is my neighbour, Jenny Gilruth, who I have shadowed on education for some years. She is a fellow Fifer. Her mother is a constituent, who, I think, secretly votes for me. Jenny keeps denying it, but I think that it is true.”
“We need to look internationally for solutions and to work in partnership to ensure that we put value on the goodness of work and enable everybody to participate in society. That is a hard lesson for us; we need to learn it, and learn it fast. I think that people turned to the Liberal Democrats in the election. We have a bigger group than we have had for many years—in fact, this is the first time that our group has grown since 1999. I like to take some credit for that, although I am no longer leader, because I managed to bring the Liberal Democrats to the lowest possible level. Before Alex Cole-Hamilton gets carried away, he should be reminded that he got the lowest percentage of the vote of any returning Liberal Democrat. I pay tribute to the new ministers. As Neil Bibby indicated, it is hard to see others get on the ministerial ladder.”
“My bills are going up, but I look around and I see that people are getting stuff for free, and I think I’m paying for it.” They have felt that way since 2008 and they have been promised solutions ever since, but those solutions have not come. The problem is that, in those circumstances, they look around to blame other people if we—all of us in this place— do not deliver. I do not like what they say, but we must listen hard to it and provide solutions, because, unless we do, there will be more Reform members in this Parliament in future years, and I do not want that to happen. We need to find solutions. Liberal Democrats have positive, tolerant, open and altruistic solutions.”
“We in the Liberal Democrats can assure John Swinney that although we will have profound disagreements, including on the constitution, we will hunt for agreement. We will do that because this place needs to work, and it has not been working well enough for years. We were sent two signals in the election. One of those was the incredibly low turnout. A lot of people just did not bother to turn out because they did not believe that this place offered an answer to their problems. The second signal is staring us in the face: it is the 17 Reform MSPs who are here. I would prefer that they were not here, but they were sent here democratically by the voters, who have sent us a very clear signal that they are hurting. Many people would say to me, “Willie, I work hard and I pay my tax. I pay more tax now, but I come home and my house is cold.”
“I, William Cowan Rennie, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me”
“Much of what I put on the record in response to Clare Adamson—I set out a list of strong and clear interventions that the Government has made—will help us to realise that. However, if the Scottish National Party is fortunate enough to be returned to government by the people of Scotland, we will turn our minds back to exactly that task. The Deputy Presiding Officer: That concludes portfolio question time. There will be a short pause before we move on to the next item of business. Motion of Thanks 16:22”
“In the past five years of the Government’s tenure, 17,811 children have been trapped in temporary accommodation for more than a year. Whoever is elected to this Parliament next month must commit to it never being repeated that so many children have had to suffer for so long. My question is a simple one: does the cabinet secretary agree? Màiri McAllan: I would say that, although I said in response to Clare Adamson that temporary accommodation is a vital safety net for families and individuals who find themselves facing homelessness, we must reduce the length of time that people spend in temporary accommodation and make rapid rehousing in a permanent home something that is realisable for everyone.”
“Farmers in my constituency are deeply concerned about the rise in fuel costs and the potential rise in the cost of fertiliser, which could come soon. I am keen to make representations to the UK Government on a cross-party basis, but we need to gather the evidence first. Can the minister assure us that he is gathering all the evidence necessary to make a powerful case to the Westminster Government? Jim Fairlie: I very much welcome Willie Rennie’s intervention, because that is exactly what we need to do. The representations cannot be made on anything other than a cross-party basis. We need to work together on food resilience, which is the most vital thing that we can have in this country. I am more than happy to continue to work with anyone in the chamber who wants to help us to get to that situation.”
“I am not against the use of some digital tools as long as we can be absolutely clear about the evidence. The Education, Children and Young People Committee has not looked at that subject in the past five years, but I think that we should have looked at it and the next Parliament should do that with some urgency. I am in favour of acting at speed, while also ensuring that we take a comprehensive look at all those things. I favour a ban on the use of mobile phones in the classroom and think that the Government here should lead on that, rather than leaving it up to headteachers. However, we need a comprehensive plan for moving forward. 13:21”
“As I said in my speech, there is already so much good practice going on, so why do we have to look at everything? I think we should be moving on. On the subject of good practice, the member spoke about Sweden and I have looked at that example. They spent a lot of money on technology, but they practically binned that to go back to good old-fashioned learning and the children are actually enjoying that. I know that my colleague Brian Whittle is going to cover the subject of activity. Does the member believe that we should be looking at the good practice that is happening? Willie Rennie: I do think we should do that, but this debate has been quite narrowly about mobile phones when I think that we need to look at all the digital tools that we have available to us.”