Ross Greer
Scottish Green Party · Scotland
“In the short term, will the Government introduce measures such as the Scottish Greens’ proposed Amazon tax—a higher rate of NDR for large online retailers—to help even the playing field for small businesses and local high streets?”
“I welcome the fact that vape shops will now be paying full rates. However, that shows how poorly designed the small business bonus scheme was in the first place. The Government spends more than £200 million a year on untargeted reliefs, despite its own review finding no economic benefit to the scheme.”
“Scotland faces a wave of applications for hyperscale data centres. If all the applications that are currently in the pipeline were approved, they would consume up to 6,000MW of power, which is more than one and a half times our entire national power use at peak time and is obviously completely impossible.”
“The Government’s policy is to support what it refers to as “green” data centres, but that position was decided before ChatGPT existed, before Elon Musk launched Grok and before any of those hyperscale proposals came forward. So, what is the Scottish Government’s definition of a “green” data centre?”
“I am glad that the Labour Party has secured a debate on restoring public trust in Scottish politics, because, quite clearly, the public have very little trust in our political institutions. However, that did not begin and does not end with Peter Murrell’s crimes against the SNP.”
“If we want to talk about the damage that has been done to our politics in a UK context, we could mention Labour Together, an institution with strong links to the Prime Minister that was caught spying on journalists and did not declare substantial amounts of money that it had received in donations.”
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“The research that was used to develop that plan made it incredibly clear that young people in Scotland want more opportunities for outdoor learning and that it should be mainstreamed into all subject areas. Offering residential opportunities is not the only way to deliver on the ambitions in the learning for sustainability plan, but it is a key way to do so. The residential experience offers things that people simply cannot get on a day trip, much as those are, of course, also essential. The deeper connections that can be formed—particularly through teamwork skills—mean that there is an opportunity to do so much more. I am familiar with that—as a youth worker, I know the incredible additional opportunities that the residential experience provides, though it is not without its challenges. Brian Whittle: Will the member give way?”
“For far too many young people, because of the levels of inequality in our society, the outdoor residential trip that they take towards the end of primary school might be the first time that they have left their own community. It might be the first opportunity that they have had to see the rest of this country. The mental health benefits are absolutely immense, as is the self-confidence that comes as a result. That really came through in the evidence that we took from young people in particular. It aligns perfectly not just with curriculum for excellence as a whole, as Martin Whitfield correctly pointed out, but specifically with learning for sustainability and the new learning for sustainability action plan that was launched in the summer of 2023.”
“As the convener said, there was absolute agreement across the committee, regardless of our positions on the specifics of the bill, on the immense benefits not just of outdoor education in general but of residential education. The teamwork skills and adaptability that are developed are incredible skills for life, and, as Liz Smith said, incredibly useful skills for the world of work once children reach adulthood. We, as employers, are all familiar with that. Certainly, when I am recruiting for posts in my team, I am looking for people who can demonstrate the kind of skills that outdoor education, particularly residential education, is key to developing. Outdoor education massively broadens young people’s horizons.”
“The cameras were not rolling when we were there, but we were at least able to use the same equipment, and it was a hugely formative experience for us. For a start, for many of the children in my class, simply getting to that outdoor education centre was the first time they had ever been on a ferry. It was also the longest time that we had ever spent away from our families, and it broadened many of our horizons. We will support the bill at stage 1 because its general principles align with what was in the Scottish Greens’ manifesto at the last election. We proposed guaranteeing every pupil across primary and secondary at least a week of residential outdoor experiences, removing the financial barriers to those residential trips and expanding outdoor play and learning provision, and the bill aligns perfectly with those proposals.”
“She was always willing to lead from the front in building a better, more caring and compassionate society, and I will miss her terribly. I thank Liz Smith for introducing the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Bill, and I say at the outset that the Scottish Greens support its general principles and will vote for it at stage 1. Like colleagues, in the process of scrutinising the bill, I reflected on my experience of outdoor residential education, which was the classic primary 7 week-long trip that many of us experienced. Mine was to the Castle Toward centre in Dunoon, which my class was particularly excited by because, for children of my generation, Castle Toward was famous for being where CBBC filmed the “Raven” reality TV show that some children in Scotland were lucky enough to participate in.”
“Like colleagues, I start by offering my condolences to our colleague and friend Keith Brown and by remembering and celebrating the outstanding elected representative and brilliant person that Christina McKelvie was. This morning, I reflected on a trip that she and I took, which was led by our then Deputy Presiding Officer, Linda Fabiani, to Sligo for the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly. At one stage in the proceedings, Christina almost leapt over a couch to challenge a member of the House of Lords who had said something so outrageously racist that it stunned the rest of us into silence. Silence was a concept that Christina McKelvie was rarely familiar with, and she was always prepared to lead from the front in challenging those who were advocating for hatred.”
“One issue that was unearthed by Parliament’s scrutiny of the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill was the almost completely unregulated nature of the transport provision that is associated with secure accommodation. Parliament accepted my amendment to begin regulation of secure accommodation transport and to end the inappropriate use of restraints such as handcuffs. Will the minister provide us with an update on how that regulation is being developed? Natalie Don-Innes: Absolutely. As the member will be aware, there are a number of regulations—I just referred to those relating to children staying in secure accommodation beyond their 18th birthday. I am more than happy to write to the member with an update on those specific provisions following this statement.”
“That the Parliament agrees that the Tied Pubs (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 [draft] be approved. The Presiding Officer: That concludes decision time. International Women’s Day 2025”
“Motion, as amended, agreed to, That the Parliament notes that the Scottish Government fully upholds the Equality Act 2010, and requires all public bodies to comply with the law, and welcomes the role of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission in providing codes of practice and guidance. The Presiding Officer: If no member objects, I propose to ask a single question on two Parliamentary Bureau motions. As no member has objected, the final question is, that motions S6M-16769 and S6M-16770, in the name of Jamie Hepburn, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on approval of Scottish statutory instruments, be agreed to. Motions agreed to, That the Parliament agrees that the Scottish Landfill Tax (Standard Rate and Lower Rate) Order 2025 (SSI 2025/41) be approved.”
“For Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (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) 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) 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) 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) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Ross Greer] 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) 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) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (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) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (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) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Thomson, Michelle (Falkirk East) (SNP) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (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) 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) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (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 motion S6M-16755, in the name of Russell Findlay, on protecting single-sex spaces in the public sector, as amended, is: For 61, Against 31, Abstentions 20.”
“Amendment agreed to. The Presiding Officer: As the amendment in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville has been agreed to, the amendments in the names of Jackie Baillie and Maggie Chapman fall. The next question is, that motion S6M-16755, in the name of Russell Findlay, on protecting single- sex spaces in the public sector, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“For Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (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) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (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) 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) 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) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (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) 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 Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) 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) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (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) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) 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) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Smyth, Colin (South Scotland) (Lab) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Thomson, Michelle (Falkirk East) (SNP) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Abstentions Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Ross Greer] Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on amendment S6M-16775.3, in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville, is: For 57, Against 50, Abstentions 7.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My vote was registered, but my proxy vote on behalf of Gillian Mackay appears not to have been registered. That vote would also have been an abstention. The Presiding Officer: Bear with me—thank you, Mr Greer. We will ensure that that is recorded.”
“We must back Ukraine with weapons and money—taken from frozen Russian assets, if necessary—until a just peace is secured. Slava Ukraini! 17:24”
“Actions must have consequences—the royal invitation must be withdrawn. One-sided respect is demanded by Washington, but respect must be earned. Sadly, America is led by a petulant, vituperative narcissist who demands fealty masquerading as respect— an affront to the dignity of his office. California Senator Adam Schiff summed it up last Friday when he said: “A hero and a coward are meeting in the Oval Office today. And when the meeting is over the hero will return to Ukraine.” The Vice-President was described by Alastair Campbell as a “vile human being”. America’s leadership wants to milk Ukraine dry of its resources while refusing to provide any form of security guarantee and kowtowing to Moscow. Ukraine has shed too much blood, its land ravaged, to suffer such a fate.”
“Fear of escalation was the previous US President’s excuse for keeping Ukraine drip-fed with equipment for three years, supplying only enough weaponry to stop it losing, rather than enough to enable it to defeat and expel the aggressor. Europe must speak with one voice and refuse to be intimidated by gun-to-the-head threats. The sight of some European leaders mimicking the sycophantic behaviour of the US President’s inner circle is truly nauseating. The White House, in its boorish arrogance, has seemingly tried to alienate, upset and destabilise as many allies as possible. The usual threats and bluster include Canada becoming America’s 51st state and the imposition of 25 per cent tariffs. King Charles is Canada’s head of state, yet we saw the Prime Minister confer a state visit on a US President who threatens and bullies his subjects.”
“Does Mr Gibson share my disgust that much of Russia’s fossil-fuel export economy is being propped up by companies such as Seapeak Maritime Ltd, which is based in Scotland? Kenneth Gibson: Yes—I certainly share that view. Europe fears a Russia that has suffered 860,000 casualties in three years of fighting a Ukraine that has long been denied fighter aircraft, high-end missiles and the armour that is needed to liberate its conquered territory. Europe, which is more technologically advanced, spends $338 billion a year on defence, but it must invest more. Moscow is only 523 miles from the Ukrainian border. It is as likely to use nuclear weapons as Britain was when Argentina invaded the Falklands, or Israel when it was attacked last year by Iran.”
“The Scottish Greens want the replacement to eventually move into the space of a land value tax as well as property taxation, but it is critical that we do not micromanage that from Parliament. Those matters are of huge significance to our constituents, because although it sounds abstract and is very technical, in practice we are talking about how we fund our schools, social care services, bin collections, libraries, roads and pavements, leisure centres, libraries and so much more. I do not want us to get to the end of the parliamentary session once again wringing our hands about our lack of progress on one of the areas that most significantly affects our constituents. 15:20”
“It is absurd to have a system of tax that is based on valuations from 1991, which has resulted in most people paying the wrong rate. There are probably roughly equal numbers of people paying too much and people paying too little, and the system is certainly broken. We can debate the reliefs that will be necessary in a new system, what formulas it should be based on and the transitional arrangements that will inevitably have to be brought into place, either for a few years or for a longer time, but we need to have an accurate data set first. There is no point in progressing with a replacement to the council tax if it is based on the 1991 valuations as well.”
“It is not local, which is a separate issue from the finances, and its ability to govern is massively restrained, in significant part because of its lack of financial powers. As I mentioned in my interventions, revaluation is a key first step. It seems that we all agree that that is necessary, so the question becomes why we have been unable to complete a revaluation exercise in the 26-year history of this Parliament. I believe that Wales has completed three in that time. There is clearly a need to make progress, and there is an appetite for it both in this Parliament and among our colleagues in local government. I hope that we do not get to the end of the current session of Parliament having failed to at least begin a process of revaluation.”
“That will be particularly valuable to areas such as Inverclyde, in my region, which will, with the best will in the world, never benefit significantly from the existing visitor levy. All that progress is welcome, but it is no substitute for a genuine, full replacement of the council tax. I spend a lot of time talking about that, as do other members. I note that we do not talk enough about non-domestic rates as the other key lever of local taxation, but that is because they are not really local. They are nominally local, but they are also set from here. That brings me to the point that what we have at the moment is 32 regional service delivery bodies, and not genuinely local government.”
“In most European countries, certainly in western and central Europe, local government raises the majority of its budget directly. We have made incremental progress in recent years. The visitor levy is an obvious example for local authorities such as the one whose area we are in now. The City of Edinburgh Council estimates that it will raise more than £50 million a year from its levy, and Highland Council will be another major beneficiary. We have given councils the power to double council tax on second and holiday homes, which both raises revenue and acts as a direct lever in relation to the housing crisis, in particular in areas such as Arran, which I represent. Today, the Scottish Government launched the consultation on the cruise ship levy, which my colleague Lorna Slater announced when the Greens were in government.”
“The Scottish Greens set out two red lines at the start of the budget process. One was about climate and nature spend and the other was a real-terms increase in local government funding and an end to the council tax freeze. I am pleased that we were able to achieve both. However, as this afternoon’s debate has made clear, none of us thinks that that is enough. None of us believes that local government is sufficiently resourced, and a process of annual haggling in this Parliament over a block grant that is allocated to local government is never going to solve that problem. It puts Scotland well outside the European mainstream that our local government can raise directly only a very small fraction of its overall finances.”
“It is clear that local government cannot continue being treated as such a low priority by this SNP Government. Councils are making difficult decisions to get their budgets over the line and many of them are running out of flexibility within those budgets to manage that process. If Scotland continues with the review, it is important that there is a deal for local government. I hope that the new relationship will acknowledge just how important our councils are to communities in Scotland. They want to be treated with the respect that they deserve. They have a huge amount of work to do in supporting our communities, constituencies and regions, but that can be done only if there is a relationship between the Scottish Government and councils. 15:10”
“The Verity house agreement brought them together to take steps to build a relationship. Although there has been some progress, such as on a small reduction in ring-fenced funding, many councils are still concerned that the agreement will have few benefits for them in the long term. The agreement was supposed to support “shared priorities”. We want there to be “shared priorities”, “mutual trust” and “Improved engagement”. In reality, none of that has really happened. A huge amount of information is still required and there is still no trust between national and local government in Scotland. That must be looked at as a priority. More than 18 months on from that agreement, there is still a huge amount to be done to fix that relationship.”
“Councils have spent a decade in this situation. On that issue, SNP ministers would do well to listen to the Scottish Parliament information centre—our internal research centre—which said: “the Scottish Government could find itself being blamed just as much as the councils themselves” for the tax hikes. That SPICe report talks about how local government funding has fallen as a percentage of Scottish Government spending since 2016. In other words, council funding has not kept pace with total Government spend. Although the Government claims to value local government and the important contributions that it makes to communities, and it claims to stand up for that, in reality, its actions do not speak to those claims. An improved long-term relationship needs to develop and evolve between central and local government in Scotland.”
“Does the member agree that it is profoundly ridiculous to have a council tax system whereby most people are paying the wrong rate and that, regardless of what system any of us might wish to replace it with, the first step is revaluation, so that we have the data with which we can make the decision? Alexander Stewart: I agree with the member that revaluation is the first step in that direction. I hope that that can be looked at. I referred to the gaps in funding. The Scottish Government claims that the budget should help councils. In reality, the lack of flexibility means that council tax is the only lever left for councils to use to deal with that. It is disappointing to see many councils using that lever, but taxpayers can understand the concerns that councils have, given what they need to do.”
“Passenger journey numbers on our publicly owned train services have increased by 4.5 per cent for each four-week period this year, when compared with the same period last year, when the trial was running. The ability to move people, goods and services around Scotland and beyond is a key building block in growing the economy, leisure and tourism, and in making our nation more prosperous.”
“I encourage the cabinet secretary to check the record in reference to what we proposed during budget negotiations. She knows that the Scottish Greens have made a range of proposals to fund every policy that we have put forward in the Parliament. Our motion is consistent with our party’s policy over a long period of time. We are trying to be constructive, so the cabinet secretary is disrespectful in accusing us of playing political games when we are simply abiding by our party’s values. Fiona Hyslop: I am sorry, but I asked my officials to check whether introducing a 3.8 per cent increase and rail fare freeze were part of budget discussions, and I was reassured that they were not. If he adds the additional £11 million to the £40 million that off-peak all-day fares would cost, he can see how it becomes unaffordable.”
“It is Leonardo. It is BAE Systems. It is all the others. Today is our opportunity to show that solidarity means action, not just words. To stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and with the victims of any genocide anywhere in the world, we must cut off the supply of public money to the arms dealers who are fuelling these horrific crimes. The Deputy Presiding Officer: That concludes the debate on Scottish Enterprise funding for arms companies. There will be a short pause before we move on to the next item of business to allow for a changeover of front-bench teams, should they wish to do so. Rail Fares”
“However, at the same time, the Scottish Government met Israel’s ambassador—it would not have met Russia’s ambassador—it will not ban companies that the UN has identified as complicit in an illegal occupation from receiving grants or contracts in Scotland and it continues to give public money to arms dealers. Any human rights check that Raytheon can pass is not worth the paper on which it is written. I cannot understand the position that a number of members have taken today. They say that they do not believe that we should be funding companies that could be involved in a breach of international law. How much more evidence do we need, colleagues, that those companies are involved in breaches of international law? The state of Israel could not have made more explicit what it is doing, and we know who equips it. It is Raytheon.”
“Our end goal is for not a penny of Scottish public money to go to arms dealers who are funding a genocide and equipping countries that are committing genocide. It is that simple. We simply want international law to be adhered to. That takes us back to the difference between rhetoric and action, which is where my frustration lies with the Scottish Government’s actions. The Scottish National Party’s MPs at Westminster have raised many of the most critical questions of both the previous and the current UK Governments, such as the fact that the latter has suspended less than 10 per cent of arms export licences to Israel.”
“I certainly will not take any lessons from the Conservatives about standing in solidarity with Ukraine, given that Lorna Slater and I have been sanctioned by the Kremlin—indeed, that happened on the same day that Craig Hoy accused us of having sympathy with Russia. Craig Hoy: Will Ross Greer give way? Ross Greer: No, thank you—Mr Hoy had his opportunity. I respect Jackson Carlaw and the contribution that he has made a number of times in this Parliament, but what I really struggle with today is that he left me with the impression that he thinks that the past 15 months were a price worth paying for Israel’s existence, because there was not a shred of empathy for Palestinians in his speech— not a shred of it—which I find to be absolutely tragic in these circumstances. Jamie Greene asked us what our end goal is in this debate.”
“He will not even recognise the state of Palestine. However, I welcome Labour’s proposal to review the system of human rights checks, which no arms dealer has failed since their introduction. I am glad that Katy Clark put on record the reality of what companies such as Leonardo and Raytheon, which have facilities in Scotland, manufacture and what that equipment and those weapons do to Palestinians, Yemenis and Kurds in Turkey. The Conservatives have given what we would expect—a robust defence of arms dealers, regardless of what they do and who they do it to— but I cannot help but feel that they would not have done that if we were talking about Russia, and if we had swapped out references to Israel for Russia or the references to Palestine for Ukraine. That brings us back to the hypocrisy.”
“There is no moral distinction between funding the manufacture of bombs and funding a bigger bomb factory, as the Scottish Government did when it funded the expansion of Chemring’s Scottish facility. I admit that I am struggling with the Labour amendment, because there is so much in it that I agree with and welcome and that I am glad that Labour has brought to this debate. However, I struggle in particular with the first line about the UK Government’s suspension of arms export licences to Israel, because, in reality, only 30 of around 350 of those export licences have been suspended. I also struggle with the amendment because the leader of the Labour Party—the UK’s Prime Minister—explicitly endorsed Israeli war crimes against Palestine. He endorsed the cutting off of water and electricity and the collective punishment of Palestinians.”
“The Government must understand why, from the outside, it looks more than just a bit hypocritical to have such similar rhetoric when it comes to the crimes that Israel and Russia have committed but for its actions in regard to those countries to be so different. There is an unequivocal call on businesses to cease trade with Russia, but there is not even a call against or a ban on public procurement or grants for the companies that the United Nations has identified as being complicit in Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. The policy distinction that the Scottish Government is trying to draw between the funding of the manufacture of weapons and munitions and the funding of other activities by those companies is a semantic one.”
“The Green motion today is simple. Companies that are arming a country that is clearly and proudly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity should not receive a penny of Scottish public money. That is not a new proposal. I met the minister to discuss actions in that area last year, I have raised it at First Minister’s question time, as have other Scottish Green MSPs, and I exchanged letters with Humza Yousaf about it during his time as First Minister. It is an area in which the Scottish Government can take action. The vast majority of what we are discussing is reserved, but how the Scottish Government and its agencies spend their money is for them to decide on. The Scottish Government would not fund companies that produce pornography, for example, so those kinds of policy decisions can clearly be made.”
“In January 2024, six-year-old Hind Rajab and six members of her family were fleeing Gaza city. Their car was bombed by Israeli soldiers. That initial bombing killed her uncle, her aunt and three of her cousins. Hind and one cousin survived. They called the Red Crescent for help while they were still under attack. The Israelis then murdered the surviving cousin, leaving Hind, a six-year-old, trapped in a car for hours on the phone to the Red Crescent, surrounded by the dead bodies of her family members. She and the paramedics who were sent to rescue her were then murdered by Israeli soldiers, who attempted to cover that up. Their crimes were not covered up; they were reported on widely and have been proven beyond dispute. Hind Rajab was one of tens of thousands of people who have been murdered by the soldiers of apartheid Israel.”
“The atrocities on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent unspeakable events in Gaza with the loss of so many lives, as well as the war in Ukraine, are tragedies on an unimaginable scale. We must be united in our efforts to condemn the aggressors and support those who strive for peace. Those events also act as a reminder of how fragile peace can be, of the uncertainties in our world and of the continuing threat to the precious democratic freedoms that we hold so dear. The Government has consistently called for an end to all arms sales to Israel from UK companies, including Scottish ones. We do not believe that public funding should go towards supplying arms to Israel. We should reaffirm and reinforce that position today.”
“I absolutely agree with the minister’s words on Ukraine. On 3 March 2022, the Scottish Government sent a clear instruction not just to arms companies but to all businesses in Scotland to stop trading with Russia, and it asked them to show solidarity with Ukraine. Given that no equivalent instruction has been sent in relation to Israel, can the minister explain why the Scottish Government apparently thinks that Israel’s assault on Gaza is less severe or significant than Russia’s assault on Ukraine? Richard Lochhead: I ask Ross Greer to be patient for a little bit, because I am about to come to the point about consistency in the way in which we approach due diligence on human rights issues.”
“However, it is not just about Scotland playing its part in tackling the global crisis; it is about creating lasting, high-quality jobs in our economy, particularly as we transition away from the energy sources that have caused the crisis in the first place. The second red line that we set was on the need for a real-terms funding increase for local councils and an end to the council tax freeze, because councils deliver the public services that we all rely on day to day and about which many people have their greatest frustrations—the lack of staffing for additional support needs in their children’s school, the inability to get a social care package that meets their parent’s needs and the fact that their bins have not been collected this week. Those are the practical problems that people across the country face.”
“That could not have been more timely, because, as we have gone through the budget process, climate scientists have confirmed that the earth has exceeded 1.5°C of global warming. We have failed to meet what the countries of the world agreed to in the Paris climate agreement. Going above 1.5°C is a death sentence for entire nations. By the end of the next session of the Parliament, it is likely that some Pacific island nations will have ceased to exist because of the world’s failure to tackle the climate emergency. Therefore, the investment that the budget will deliver—£4.9 billion of climate and nature-positive spending—could not be more critical.”
“However, there is not quite the socialist majority that Mr Hoy enjoys warning us about—the spectre that, he believes, is haunting this country. If only that were the case, we could go much further and much faster with the reforms that my party believes in. I find it interesting that the Conservatives, when looking for examples of this apparent left-wing radicalism, constantly alight on the baby box of all things. What is it that the babies have done to them? What is it about giving children the best start in life? Why is that the go-to example of socialist radicalism in this country? I find that intriguing. When we set out the Greens’ position ahead of the budget, we set two red lines. The first was on tackling the climate and nature emergency.”
“It is happening in real time in the UK, where a Labour Government has already lost the support of a third of the people who brought it into office. I get why journalists ask the question—conflict is interesting and fun to write about, and co- operation is often boring—but, this afternoon, we are demonstrating which of those approaches has the better outcome for the people who sent us to the Parliament. Of course, there are limits to compromise. Our parties believe in different things, quite rightly, but we were sent here to deliver. As Craig Hoy is fond of pointing out, the overwhelming majority of MSPs in the Parliament are from parties that identify as being on the left of centre, to a greater or lesser extent. Indeed, by that measure, we have the most left-wing Parliament in Europe.”
“In the stage 1 debate, I said that a journalist had asked me, when the Scottish Greens announced the agreement that we had come to with the Government, why we had not taken the opportunity to, in their words, “give the SNP a bloody nose” after what happened last year, when the Bute house agreement ended. Honestly, I have not been able to stop thinking about why that question was asked, the assumption that it makes about politics and what we are all actually here to do. It assumes that it is all a bit of a game and we are all just here to get one up on one another. Politics as a game does not feed children, create jobs, protect our planet or meet the needs of the people who sent us to the Parliament, which is what we are here to do. In Germany, over the weekend, we saw what happens when a Government fails to meet the public’s needs.”
“Instead, the SNP has added hundreds more senior civil servants to the payroll and is announcing that it is spending £30 million—as Stephen Kerr hinted—to make savings. Perhaps, in summing up, the minister can explain how that money will be spent.”
“That is more money for first- time buyers to furnish their first home with and less for the SNP to waste on baby boxes and overseas embassies. Today, Labour and the Liberal Democrats will endorse 18 years of failure on the economy, tax and public service reform. They are sanctioning the waste in public services that they claim to oppose. Despite Labour’s desperate attempts this weekend, it is clear that the Scottish Conservatives are the only party that is willing to tackle waste in the public sector. Our new Scottish agency of value and efficiency would do just that. We proposed to save more than £100 million this year alone by cutting back-office functions and not touching expenditure on the front line.”
“I do not think that she got it, and I do not think that she ever will, because her Government is now addicted to big-state, high-tax policies. We proposed cutting income tax to 19 per cent for every Scottish taxpayer who earns up to £43,662. Under our plans, 2.7 million taxpayers would save an average of £222 a year. However, it is not just in the income tax arena that Scots are being bled dry. Many Scots are struggling to get on the housing ladder or simply cannot afford the costs of moving home. That is why we proposed a tax cut for house buyers. Raising the land and buildings transaction tax threshold would benefit up to 60,000 home buyers each year, saving an average of £800 on the purchase of a home.”
“Of course, the finance secretary will say that many Scots will pay less, but that is a gimmick—a trick—because, in raising the thresholds, the minister is handing back only £24 million from a £60 billion budget. That is £1.21 per month for many Scottish workers. Although the changes to the lower tax bands are not significant enough to involve any positive or meaningful behavioural changes, the changes to the middle and upper bands are doing real damage to the way that people are earning and working. The Institute for Fiscal Studies says that Scotland’s income tax system is completely “unwarranted” in its “complexity” and that Scots who now earn more than £27,000 are “facing higher marginal tax rates than in the rest of the UK”. In our discussions with Shona Robison, we argued for tax cuts and a simplification of the tax regime.”
“Will Craig Hoy take an intervention? Craig Hoy: I will not take an intervention at this point. The financial services sector is clear that higher income tax rates in Scotland have failed to deliver more money for public services. They have deterred investment and have undermined economic growth. This budget freezes upper rate thresholds, and I concede that the SNP Government is not alone in doing so. However, income tax rates in Scotland are higher than those in the rest of the UK, which further erodes and undermines our competitiveness. Freezing the top three income tax bands will cost taxpayers £76 million in the forthcoming year and £244 million a year by 2029-30.”