Gordon MacDonald
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“Parents are carers and have the right to be involved in discussions about the additional support for learning options that are available to their children. Will the cabinet secretary speak further on Scottish Government engagement with families and advise what services are in place for them to access advice and support?”
“We have increased by £524,000 annual funding to services that provide support and advice to parents and carers. In addition, the parental organisation Connect receives Scottish Government funding of just over £60,000 to host the Scottish assembly of parents and carers, of which more than 350 parents and carers who represent all of Scotlan…”
“The council tax for band E properties in Scotland is around £700 per annum less than that for similar band E properties south of the border, which saves £61 per month.”
“Currently, Scottish employees who are on the national living wage pay lower income tax than those elsewhere in the UK, as do people earning the real living wage.”
“Nobody likes paying income tax, or any tax, but I believe that those with the broadest shoulders, including MSPs, should pay a bit more to enable Scotland to spend more on the things that matter most to people—better schools, lower crime rates, affordable housing, falling NHS waiting lists, lifting children out of poverty, and lower unemp…”
“There are no student fees here, which supports many in our most marginalised communities to get out of poverty through further and higher education.”
The complete record
Every one of 153 lines we hold for Gordon MacDonald, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 4.
“The plan also includes a pledge to build a new supercomputer and increase the UK’s compute capacity 20-fold by 2030.” Is that another example of investment in England taking precedence over investment in Scotland? Despite that setback, the Scottish Government is investing £321 million through the current budget in Scottish enterprise agencies that support emerging tech, including AI and robotics, and in programmes such as the ambitious Techscaler programme. It is just a pity that Labour has once again turned its back on Scotland. Manufacturing faces challenges relating to automation, shifts in global supply chains and the need for greener production processes. One such sector is the whisky industry, which in 2024 alone accounted for £5.4 billion in exports and was ranked as the world’s most internationally traded spirit.”
“In 2024, Labour shelved the plans to build a state-of-the-art supercomputer at the university that would have been 50 times faster than any current computer in the UK. That cancellation was after the university had spent £31 million on a purpose-built facility for the supercomputer as part of the Edinburgh and south-east Scotland city region deal. The university has been at the heart of research and development in AI for the past 60 years and has been the host of national supercomputing services for the UK for the past 30 years. Then, in January 2025, Labour launched the “AI Opportunities Action Plan” to make the UK a global leader in AI. The AI growth zones will start in Culham in Oxfordshire, “where approval planning for data centres will be accelerated and access to the energy grid improved.”
“Anas Sarwar promised that a Labour Government would step in and save jobs at the refinery, but, despite promises of change, the Labour Government has repeatedly prioritised investment in England, including £200 million for Old Trafford, as reported by the Financial Times on 13 March. How do we save the skilled refinery jobs? The UK has positioned itself as a leader in sustainable aviation fuel, and the Labour Government could have announced that Grangemouth would be one of the additional eight production sites to receive funding. However, under Labour, it is only jobs south of the border that are worthy to be saved by Government intervention. Another example is the £800 million supercomputer that was promised for the University of Edinburgh by the previous UK Government.”
“Grangemouth oil refinery was of economic importance to Scotland, just as Port Talbot was to Wales and as Scunthorpe is to England. Unfortunately, Petroineos announced today that refining has ended. The Labour Government was right to intervene quickly to save the steel jobs in Scunthorpe, but the same should have applied to Grangemouth as the last oil refinery in Scotland. The importance of Grangemouth was highlighted in the run-up to the general election, when Daniel Johnson referred to it as a key economic asset and said that its closure would undermine our energy security, which could be damaging for this country.”
“Let us stand together, reject the UK Government’s shameful cuts and fight for the fairer, kinder society that our people deserve, which can now be delivered only through independence. 16:09”
“Members of this Parliament should come together to say that enough is enough. Scotland deserves the power to make its own choices and to build a welfare system that is rooted in compassion and respect, not punishment and neglect. We demand the full powers of an independent nation to protect Scots from the cruelty of Labour and Tory welfare policies. The people of Scotland are watching. They see a UK Government that prioritises profit over people and that governs for the few at the expense of the many, but they also see a Scotland that dares to dream of something better—a nation that values every citizen and that will build a future in which no one is left behind.”
“It is estimated that Labour’s freezing of the value of the health element of universal credit until 2029-30 will cost eligible claimants £47 per week, and the restriction of the health element of universal credit to people over the age of 22 means that young claimants face a loss of £97 a week. Let us compare that with what the SNP Scottish Government has done. With its limited powers, it has introduced measures such as the Scottish child payment, which has lifted thousands of children out of poverty. We have protected free prescriptions, free tuition and free personal care. Those policies reflect our belief in a society that cares for all. However, we cannot mitigate every blow from Westminster. The block grant, which is squeezed year after year, limits our ability to shield Scots from the worst of such cuts.”
“It is no wonder that such organisations are concerned, as PIP is supposed to be a non-means-tested allowance to cover the extra cost of disability or health conditions, regardless of employment status. People in Scotland who receive PIP will be partially shielded, as Social Security Scotland has migrated over to the adult disability payment. However, the Scottish Government and the Fraser of Allander Institute both estimate that, as a result of the proposed welfare changes, the budget at Holyrood will be cut by hundreds of millions of pounds by 2029. There is also the impact on universal credit. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that the cuts to universal credit and other benefits will push an additional 400,000 people across the UK into poverty by 2026.”
“They deserve better than a Labour Government that is intent on balancing its books on their backs. The Scottish Trades Union Congress agrees. It said: “the chancellor had choices ... She could have increased taxes on corporations or the wealthy ... Instead, she has rushed through deeply damaging cuts to support for disabled people ... this is policy on the hoof, and it is our most vulnerable who are bearing the brunt.” Leading disabled people’s organisations and women’s groups are so concerned that they have sent dozens of joint letters to Rachel Reeves about the proposed restrictions on eligibility for personal independence payment, which will impact people with complex and multiple conditions. The Child Poverty Action Group estimates that those restrictions will cost some claimants more than £100 a week.”
“That cut is being delivered by a Labour Party that is supposed to be the party of the people. Former Labour MSP Cara Hilton, who now works for the Trussell Trust, said: “driving through record cuts to disabled people’s social security to balance the books is both shocking and appalling.” Ex-Labour MSP Neil Findlay stated: “Labour lied to the British people at the last election and with regularity betrays the people who voted for it”. In my constituency, I hear daily from families who are struggling to make ends meet, from pensioners who are forced to choose between heating and eating, and from disabled people whose dignity is being stripped away by a system that views them as a burden rather than valued members of society. They are not faceless statistics—they are our neighbours, our friends and our families.”
“We finally got rid of the blue Tories last year, but the hope that Labour promised in the run-up to the general election has turned into a nightmare. It appears likely that the red Tories will continue to inflict further misery on the most vulnerable in our society. The people of Edinburgh Pentlands and in communities across Scotland will bear the brunt of this UK Labour Government’s callous and misguided cuts to welfare benefits. Let us be clear: a cut of £6.5 billion from ill and disabled people by 2029-30 is not a mere adjustment or a tweak to a system that is in need of reform. We are talking about deliberate ideological choices that strike at the heart of our social fabric, which will erode the safety net that protects our most vulnerable and punish those who can least afford it.”
“Since 2010, the UK Government—first Tory and now Labour—has embarked on a brutal austerity programme, slashing billions of pounds from welfare payments. The Tories introduced a four-year freeze in benefits between 2016 and 2020, introduced the two-child benefit limit and forced single parents to work when their children were younger. The Resolution Foundation told us that, under the Tories, each year from 2010, working-age families lost an average of £1,500; larger families with three or more children were hit hardest, losing £4,600 on average; out-of-work households faced losses of £2,200; and the two- child limit pushed 51 per cent of households with three or more children into poverty. That was not fiscal prudence. It was a calculated assault on those who were least able to bear it.”
“Our whisky, salmon, beef, lamb and cheese are some of the finest products in the world, and anyone undermining the protection afforded to them by including lesser products is playing with fire. We will continue to do all that we can to ensure that those iconic products are protected.”
“Before the Tories forced Brexit on Scotland, whisky had the protection of a European Union geographical indication. Does the cabinet secretary agree that Scotland’s produce, such as whisky, will never be amply protected as long as Westminster Governments—whether Labour or Tory—have the power to legislate on and undermine the interests of Scottish business? Mairi Gougeon: I recognise the member’s point. Following Brexit, geographical indication holders were transitioned over and then offered protection through the UK scheme, although that is less well known than the previous scheme that we were part of as members of the EU. I agree with Gordon MacDonald on the wider point.”
“Ahead of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s spring statement, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has downgraded its United Kingdom growth forecast for 2025 to 1.4 per cent. Despite all the economic levers that it has at its disposal, the UK Labour Government is failing to grow the economy in order to hit its 2.5 per cent growth target. That is before the impact of the employer national insurance hike. The UK Government might have changed last year but, under Labour, we are seeing more of the same economic failure, with stagnant growth and continuing austerity. What impact will the downgraded forecast have on the First Minister’s Government’s priority of growing Scotland’s economy?”
“To ask the Scottish Government how Scotland’s recorded crime rate compares with other areas of the United Kingdom. (S6O-04394)”
“I agree that Glasgow airport is a key part of our infrastructure and a key part of what we can do to get growth, but the fact of the matter is that it was the SNP Government that cancelled the Glasgow airport rail link, back in 2007, when it took office. There is another proposal from SPT to develop a plan for a light rail link to the airport. The Government has been in power for 18 years, yet people cannot get a train to Glasgow airport. That is extraordinary. The Government needs to reflect on the action that it has taken—or, rather, its inaction.”
“It is important that we do not lose sight of the fact that other parts of the UK have also faced chronic underinvestment in 14 years of Conservative austerity. It was disappointing to hear the minister talk about Liverpool and Tyneside as though those communities do not deserve investment and support from the new UK Government. Today, I was speaking to someone in Manchester who contrasted the growth and investment in Scotland with that in Manchester with Andy Burnham as mayor. Manchester has fewer powers than this Parliament has, but there has been a huge amount of growth and development in those communities, and work has been done hand in hand with them. In the Glasgow city region, we have not seen similar growth and expansion. That is why I made my point about Glasgow airport.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: Mr O’Kane, I can give you the time back for the intervention. Paul O’Kane: It never fails to amaze me that Kevin Stewart cannot bring himself to support a publicly owned energy company that is being invested in by the new UK Government, after years of inaction from the Tories and a lack of investment in that. Mr Stewart well knows the potential that will be unleashed for jobs in the supply chain and in the development of new offshore wind—and for jobs in Aberdeen, which Michael Marra rightly described as the energy capital of the UK and of Europe. It would be good to hear Mr Stewart come with the positivity that George Adam said in his contribution that he was looking for.”
“That is without mentioning the headline investments in GB Energy—which, with its headquarters in Aberdeen and the investment that goes along with it, is a clear statement of intent—or the £200 million committed by the Prime Minister— Kevin Stewart: Will the member give way? Paul O’Kane: I will just finish this point, because I want to ensure that the complete list is on the record. The Prime Minister committed to £200 million for Grangemouth. Kevin Stewart: The commitments to Aberdeen and GB Energy have been diluted by the day. First, it was said that there would be up to 1,000 jobs. Now, it is a couple of hundred jobs, maybe in 20 years. The investment has also been absolutely cut to pieces. Does Mr O’Kane believe that the pledges that were initially made to Aberdeen, and the original GB Energy investment, should stand?”
“That will be backed by a grant from the floating offshore wind manufacturing investment scheme, which will allow it to attract match funding from private investors. That investment from FLOWMIS joins a long list of investments to Scotland, which are worth hearing about once again. They include removing connectivity black holes through project gigabit and the shared rural network, boosting 4G coverage in the Highlands and Islands, funding two electrolytic hydrogen projects in Cromarty and Whitelee, confirming £25 million of funding for the 10-year investment in the Argyll and Bute growth deal, and extending the innovation cluster in the Glasgow city region for a further year.”
“Instead, it seems to me that we are back to the same old grudge and grievance debates in this place, in which the Government throws up its hands if it feels like it is not getting exactly what it wants. I thought that those days were behind us, because we were promised a new era of working together with the UK Government. It is very disappointing to see the Government motion react to headline investments and ignore, as usual, the detailed and significant investment that is coming to Scotland. We have heard much about that this afternoon. Today, we had the announcement of the £55 million expansion of the Port of Cromarty Firth, which will make it the first port in the UK that is able to make offshore floating wind turbines on site and at scale.”
“Our energy, technology, whisky and manufacturing industries—to name just a few—possess world- class innovation and have the potential to drive significant economic growth in Scotland. I was struck by something that George Adam said in response to my intervention, which was: “Let us leave the negativity to others”. It seems that those on his party’s front bench did not get that memo when they were developing the motion for this afternoon. This is a Scottish Government debate; the Scottish Government chose the topic and drafted the motion, yet it did not include in it any details of real, tangible progress that it could be making to attract greater investment into our economy, and it has failed to provide a pathway for meaningful action.”
“16:19 Paul O’Kane: Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and I think that I can chalk most of this afternoon up for my penance, which is useful. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the need for investment, both public and private, in Scotland to achieve the goals on growth, on which I think that there is a consensus across the chamber. I welcome having time this afternoon to set out much of the investment that has happened since July, the UK Labour Government’s focus on it and its importance to growth. I begin by agreeing with at least part of the Government’s motion: there are high-growth sectors in Scotland and there is scope for them, and for many others, to go further and faster.”
“Then, on 29 January 2025, the previous day’s announcement was amended to remove the following sentence: “The chancellor today announced a call for expressions of interest from regional and local authorities and industry to inform the next stage of the AI growth zone programme.” Why remove that sentence? Will the University of Edinburgh get that supercomputer? We do not know, but what we do know is that we do not need Westminster’s crumbs to be dangled and then snatched away. We need control of our own resources and destiny. The SNP has long argued for independence. Let us decide how to level up our own communities, and let us not wait for a Labour chancellor in London to wield a red pen. My message to the UK Government is simple: honour your commitments or step aside and let Scotland build the future that our own people deserve.”
“the exascale computer issue has been rolled into the spending review.”—[Official Report, Economy and Fair Work Committee,15 January 2025; c 15.] Less than two weeks later, on 28 January 2025, the Labour Government issued a press release that was headed, “Chancellor unveils new plans to deliver the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor that will boost the UK economy.” Part of that included a new “AI growth zone”, which was announced for Culham, Oxfordshire, in order to “speed up planning proposals and build more AI infrastructure ... This starts immediately with work starting on a brand new supercomputer.” What happened to waiting for the March spending review—or does that apply only to Scotland?”
“Once operational, it will provide high-performance computing capability for key research and industry projects across the UK ... Exascale will be housed in a new £31 million wing of EPCC’s Advanced Computing Facility, which has been purpose-built as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.” Then, on 15 January 2025, Labour’s Ian Murray stated: “When we came into office, there was a £900 million commitment to the University of Edinburgh for the exascale supercomputer but there was not a penny attached to that commitment. Therefore, some difficult decisions had to be made ...”
“The University of Edinburgh was well placed, as it had just celebrated 60 years of computer science and artificial intelligence research. The university is already home to ARCHER2, the country’s current national supercomputer, and it has been home to the United Kingdom’s high-performance computing services for more than 30 years. It is also a partner in the National Robotarium, which is based in my constituency. Therefore, it was no great surprise when, on 9 October 2023, the University of Edinburgh issued a press release that stated: “The UK Government has announced the University as the preferred location for the exascale supercomputer, which will be able to perform one billion billion calculations each second.”
“We are told by Ian Murray that major decisions have to wait until the spending review, at the same time as Rachel Reeves, his Labour chancellor, is announcing plans to transform the Oxford- Cambridge-London triangle into a major economic hub by investing in rail and road upgrades, research hospitals and digital tech, and by delivering high levels of research funding in order to drive collaboration between Oxford, Cambridge and London universities as hubs for life sciences. What happened to the inherited financial black hole and awaiting the spending review outcome? I want to focus the remainder of my remarks on the broken promises in relation to the exascale supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh. In the spring budget of 2023, it was announced that funding would be made available for that next- generation AI computer.”
“One reason might be that the spending review that is due later this month is likely to include spending cuts, and many experts predict significant reductions being made across Government departments due to the current economic climate, defence spending increases and pressure to balance the budget. The so-called levelling up agenda, which was heralded with fanfare by the previous Tory Administration, dangled a carrot of £2.9 billion for Scotland. Such funds were meant to breathe life into our towns, regenerate our high streets and bolster our local economies, but the agenda was not fully funded. The Tories overpromised and Labour has, so far, underdelivered, which is leaving Scotland to pick up the pieces once again.”
“Once again, that is Scotland being let down by Westminster Governments that promise much but deliver little. Just 15 months ago, the then Tory Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack, issued a press release that began: “The UK Government’s levelling up funding in Scotland has now reached £2.92 billion”. That included funding for the 12 city deals of £1.5 billion up to the year 2034. In January, the Economy and Fair Work Committee, of which I am a member, heard from the Labour Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, that “at the moment in terms of the money that is being put in ... We have given the commitment to the 12 city region deals.”—[Official Report, Economy and Fair Work Committee, 15 January 2025; c 8.] Why use the words “at the moment”?”
“Investment in growing the Scottish economy is important for the future of our country. I want to mention two issues, the first of which is Brexit. Post-Brexit, the UK Government introduced the UK shared prosperity fund, which was meant to replace EU structural funds, including the European regional development fund and the European social fund. Those were EU funds that provided Scotland with significant financial support of about £100 million per year. However, the shared prosperity fund has been widely criticised as being inadequate for Scotland, because the funding is roughly 60 per cent smaller than the EU equivalent. The gap is even more pronounced when we consider additional programmes such as LEADER and European territorial co-operation, which further bolstered rural and regional development under the EU framework.”
“The Presiding Officer: The final question is, that motion S6M-16685, in the name of Jamie Hepburn, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on approval of a Scottish statutory instrument, be agreed to. Motion agreed to, That the Parliament agrees that the Rural Support (Improvement) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 [draft] be approved. The Presiding Officer: That concludes decision time. Alcohol-related Brain Damage”
“Motion agreed to, That the Parliament rejects the creation of new nuclear power plants in Scotland and the risk that they bring; believes that Scotland’s future is as a renewables powerhouse; further believes that the expansion of renewables should have a positive impact on household energy bills; notes the challenges and dangers of producing and managing hazardous radioactive nuclear waste products, and the potentially catastrophic consequences of the failure of a nuclear power plant; recognises that the development and operation of renewable power generation is faster, cheaper and safer than that of nuclear power, and welcomes that renewables would deliver higher employment than nuclear power for the development and production of equivalent levels of generated power.”
“Thanks, George. On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not connect. I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr MacDonald. We will ensure that that is recorded. For Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Rona Mackay] Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Jamie Hepburn] McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McKelvie, Christina (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Jamie Hepburn] McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Thomson, Michelle (Falkirk East) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) Against Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Con) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (Con) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Con) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Smyth, Colin (South Scotland) (Lab) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on motion S6M-16657, in the name of Gillian Martin, on Scotland’s renewable future, is: For 69, Against 50, Abstentions 0.”
“Amendment agreed to. The Presiding Officer: The amendment in the name of Craig Hoy therefore falls. The next question is, that amendment S6M- 16571.2, in the name of Daniel Johnson, which seeks to amend motion S6M-16571, in the name of Lorna Slater, on Scottish Enterprise funding for arms companies, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division. The vote is closed.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. The Presiding Officer: I can confirm that your vote has been recorded, Mr MacDonald. For Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Rona Mackay] Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Jamie Hepburn] McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McKelvie, Christina (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Jamie Hepburn] McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Thomson, Michelle (Falkirk East) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) Against Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Con) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (Con) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Con) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Abstentions Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab) Smyth, Colin (South Scotland) (Lab) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on amendment S6M-16571.3, in the name of Richard Lochhead, is: For 63, Against 35, Abstentions 21.”
“The impact of those PFI projects in Edinburgh has been criticised for their inflated costs to the public sector, which are often much higher than if the project had been constructed using public borrowing and public procuring. It is reported that Rachel Reeves may again be considering PFI. She should consider the words of a former chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Sir Howard Davies, who, in 2018, made an admission on BBC One’s “Question Time” when he stated that PFI had been a “fraud on the people”. 13:00”
“The PFI deal was structured over a 30- year period, with the total cost over the life of the contract projected to be much higher, with estimates at well over £500 million once maintenance, operation and finance charges had been factored in. During a storm in January 2016, nine tonnes of masonry fell when a gable end collapsed at Oxgangs primary school in my constituency. Fortunately, no pupils or teachers were injured. That resulted in 10 primary schools, five secondary schools and two additional support needs schools being closed because of concerns over the standard of construction across the city, impacting the education of around 7,600 pupils.”
“The health board also warned that it could, if necessary, retain some of the PFI payments to Consort Healthcare if the issues were not satisfactorily resolved. However, the complicated deal for the hospital means that, in 2027, NHS Lothian will enter a secondary contract period that could last until 2053, during which time it will still pay a management charge to Consort. Then there is the Edinburgh schools debacle. In the late 1990s, the Labour-run City of Edinburgh Council embarked on a massive school rebuilding and refurbishment programme under PFI. The total capital cost for the project was around £140 million.”
“It was built at a cost of £184 million, but the total cost to taxpayers over the contract’s lifespan is significantly higher, with estimates suggesting that payments could exceed £1.1 billion by the time of the contract’s conclusion in 2027. How has that contract performed? In 2022, NHS Lothian said that it was in dispute over the nature and delivery of maintenance and upgrades required for the hospital. The issue has been placed on NHS Lothian’s risk register, where it warns that there is “a risk that facilities in the RIE are not fit for purpose because of a failure to carry out required life cycle works and maintenance of the estate.” The risk register lists heating, ventilation, water and window maintenance as some of the life-cycle works that could present a problem.”
“I thank Kenneth Gibson for lodging the motion so that we could have this important debate on the on-going cost to the public sector of using the private finance initiative. PFI was first used in 1993 by the Tory chancellor Kenneth Clarke. In 1997, it was adopted by Tony Blair’s Labour Government. We should remember that Labour’s reason for doing so was as stated by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, who struggled to provide a rationale for PFI other than that “the public sector is bad at management, and ... only the private sector is efficient and can manage services well.” What is the reality of PFI construction projects here in Edinburgh, and in particular for my Edinburgh Pentlands constituents? The new Edinburgh royal infirmary, which was completed in 2003, is one of the most prominent PFI projects in Scotland.”
“In accident and emergency departments, no healthcare service anywhere in the UK has hit the four-hour waiting time target; however, the ONS analysis confirmed that NHS Scotland has had the best performing A and E services in Britain for well over a decade. That is backed up by NHS Scotland, which highlighted that in the year to September 2024 more than 1 million patients were seen within the four-hour target.”
“On NHS waiting times, an Office for National Statistics survey that covered the UK asked: “Are you currently waiting for a hospital appointment, test, or to start receiving medical treatment through the NHS?” In Wales, 29 per cent of people were on a waiting list. In England the percentage was 25 per cent, but in Scotland it was 22 per cent—the lowest in the UK. Compared with 2019, more people are being seen within the CAMHS waiting time target, in psychological therapies more are being helped with drug and alcohol dependencies, and more people are being seen within the cancer diagnosis and starting treatment targets.”
“That is why the Scottish Government has been able to increase student nursing numbers every year for the past decade. There has been capital investment in new hospitals, including the Royal hospital for children and young people in Edinburgh and the Queen Elizabeth university hospital in Glasgow, which is the biggest hospital in the UK, with 1,667 hospital beds. Alex Cole-Hamilton: Will the member take an intervention? Gordon MacDonald: No. In my Edinburgh Pentlands constituency we have seen, since 2011, investment in primary care, with new doctor surgeries in Colinton Mains, Ratho and Wester Hailes. People in Edinburgh also welcome the fact that the proposed budget includes funding to progress the replacement for the Edinburgh eye pavilion.”
“First, it has doubled the NHS budget, from £9 billion in 2006-07 to £19 billion this year, with an additional £2 billion in the provisional budget for next year. We should compare that to Rachel Reeves’s decision last August to inform the Department of Health and Social Care in England that it had to find around £1.3 billion of savings in advance of the budget. NHS Scotland’s staffing levels have benefited from a long-term trend of workforce investment and growth. Since the SNP took office, there are 31,300 more doctors, nurses and other staff working in Scotland’s NHS, which is an increase of nearly 25 per cent since 2006. Qualified nurses on band 5 have a higher salary than those south of the border do, and nurses do not incur tuition fees when they are training and do not pay hospital parking fees.”
“If that was not enough, we then had the Covid- 19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, which led to lockdowns, NHS staff falling ill and wards closing in order to stop infection spreading. The result was more delays and increased waiting times. The inflation and cost of living crisis, which started in 2021 and continues to the present day, and which was caused chiefly by substantial energy price increases, has impacted the NHS budget. There is also the Labour job tax of around £140 million for the NHS, which is still to come, from April. Those difficulties continue to this day, but it is more important to ask what the SNP has achieved against the backdrop of economic crisis that has been caused by Westminster mismanagement.”
“In May 2007, the SNP came to power and was immediately met with the global financial crisis, as global banks collapsed and UK Government debt soared under Labour, which ushered in 14 years of Tory austerity. Cuts to public spending and welfare exacerbated inequality and increased levels of poverty and ill health which, in turn, put more pressure on NHS finances and waiting times. In 2016, Tory Brexit happened, which brought uncertainty in our relationship with the European Union. Changes to immigration patterns created labour shortages, especially in our health and care sectors: Home Office stats highlight that there has been an 83 per cent drop in health and social care visa applications.”
“I remind members that my wife is an NHS nurse. Our NHS staff are fed up with the health service being used as a political football, and with the constant negativity from the opposition parties and their friends in the mainstream media, who continue to undermine patient and staff confidence in our NHS. It may be that that is what this debate is all about: that will come as no comfort to staff or patients. There are challenges in our NHS, but let us put them into context, because all NHS trusts and health boards across the UK face challenges. NHS England has 7.5 million people on waiting lists and, in October, NHS Wales hit a record number of 800,000 people on waiting lists. So much for Labour having all of the answers—it cannae implement them in Wales.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its latest assessment is of the impact of Brexit on Scotland’s rural economy. (S6O-04220) The Deputy Presiding Officer: Mairi Gougeon joins us remotely.”