Alex Cole-Hamilton
Scottish Liberal Democrats · Scotland
“I am sure that all members will join me in expressing solidarity with Scotland’s Muslim community after the brutal and unprovoked attacks on the streets of Edinburgh last weekend. That community’s response to those attacks has not been one of violence or revenge; it has been to make a plea for tolerance and understanding.”
“All told, more than 1,400 inmates have been let out of prison since the early release scheme began, and that is because our prisons are bursting at the seams. However, that is not a strategy and it will not protect the public.”
“Let that sink in, because the language of displacement and othering is the antithesis of the cohesion that Lord Offord speaks about so regularly. Liberals believe in reform—of course we do. The Whig Government in 1832— Amanda Bland: Will the member take an intervention? Alex Cole-Hamilton: I will give way to Amanda Bland.”
“This was an opportunity for Reform to prove everybody wrong and to pepper the chamber this afternoon with speeches that were measured in tone and full of bright ideas to fix the things that are wrong in Scotland. We have heard none of that today.”
“I welcome the minister’s remarks about the Edinburgh attacks. Does he recognise, as do members on these benches, that as well as expressing solidarity with the Muslim community of Scotland, we owe them a debt of gratitude that there was no call for activism and action on the streets of Scotland by the Muslim community?”
“That is why the Government is prioritising an economy with a strength that is felt by people, businesses and communities across Scotland. Scotland is a great place and, collectively, we are making it even greater.”
The complete record
Every one of 814 lines we hold for Alex Cole-Hamilton, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 15 of 17.
“Martin Whitfield: On the intermittency of renewable energy supply, the best pumped hydro storage can provide only 50 hours of storage. Given that we are talking about an increase in electricity demand, how does the member see the gap being filled? Alex Cole-Hamilton: I will come on to storage in a minute. We have a job to do not only on pumped hydro, but on battery storage. Fergus Ewing: Mr Cole-Hamilton rightly argues that the process needs to be speeded up. However, to do that, the Scottish and UK Governments should have a standing committee that issues clear mandates to the plethora of public bodies, all of which are involved one way or another in the process. Without that, there is not really any chance that targets set by either Government can conceivably be met. Does the member agree?”
“The Climate Change Committee has been clear that the United Kingdom must accelerate the deployment of renewable and grid infrastructure in order to provide a decarbonised power system by 2035. At present, we are just not moving fast enough. We will see increasingly higher demand for electricity use as we change the way that we move around, switching to electrically powered transport, and, indeed, the way that we power our homes. Martin Whitfield: Will the member give way on that point? Fergus Ewing: Will the member take an intervention? Alex Cole-Hamilton: Do I have a decent amount of time left, Presiding Officer? The Deputy Presiding Officer: I can give time back, Mr Cole-Hamilton. Alex Cole-Hamilton: I will take Martin Whitfield first, then Fergus Ewing.”
“Douglas Lumsden: Are the Liberal Democrats content that our countryside is being covered with pylons, substations and batteries? Alex Cole-Hamilton: I will come on to the grid in more depth. However, Douglas Lumsden is right to raise the impact of energy transmission on our communities. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks could certainly do more to bring the hearts and minds of communities with it, rather than adopt the path of least resistance, as it seems to be doing at the moment. He will be aware of my party’s support for several community-led campaigns, particularly in the far north. Scotland’s renewable energy generation has made great progress, but we need to go much further if we are to meet our net zero targets.”
“It can be installed at scale and, crucially, it provides the energy independence that reduces our reliance on imported fuels and insulates us from volatile global markets and threats to our energy security. As we all know, Scotland has the potential to be a renewables powerhouse. It has been said in the chamber many times that we have the wind, the waves, the technology and the ambition to achieve that. The challenge ahead is not just about how we generate renewable energy but also how we ensure that that energy is abundant, clean and affordable for all. The UK’s renewable energy generation has increased significantly since 2010, and 70 per cent of the electricity that is generated in Scotland is from renewable technology. That is progress, and we should be glad of it.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak for the Liberal Democrats in this debate. As we have heard several times today, Scotland has the potential to lead the world when it comes to the production of clean energy. The need to take advantage of that opportunity is underscored by what we discussed earlier, which is our energy security and the volatile global situation, as well as the volatile markets of recent years. Regardless of our views on nuclear energy, I am sure that we can all agree that the importance of renewable energy to Scotland’s decarbonisation journey should not be understated. Renewable energy is now the cheapest form of energy generation.”
“The Cabinet discussed that this morning, and it is the subject of discussion among European partners. Given the basis on which Russia has invaded Ukraine, I think that it should be contemplated whether those frozen assets should be used to support Ukraine in its time of need. European leaders must consider those issues, and I am aware that those questions are being debated. However, it is reasonable to consider Mr Cole- Hamilton’s point at a time when Russia has disregarded the rule of law. That merits a response that enables us to protect the rule of law and democracy, and those issues should therefore be considered.”
“I welcome the First Minister’s apparent movement on that in his statement today, as uncomfortable as that might be for many of us. With the withdrawal of US aid overnight, does the First Minister agree with Liberal Democrat calls to seize the tens of billions of pounds-worth of frozen Russian assets here in the UK and use them to support Ukraine’s fight for survival? The First Minister: First, what I said about the state visit in my statement is what I have been saying all weekend. There is nothing different about what I said to Parliament today compared with that. The member asked about the withdrawal of US aid and the implications in relation to financial support for Ukraine from frozen Russian assets. There is a very real difference between using the interest on frozen assets and using those frozen assets themselves.”
“I, too, welcome the appearance of our friend the Ukrainian consul general. Slava Ukraini. Heroyam slava. President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine are heroes. They deserve sovereignty, a fair and lasting peace, and the steadfast support of the entire world. What we witnessed in the Oval office on Friday was appalling. In a premeditated act of thuggery, Vice President Vance and President Trump tried to humiliate one of the bravest leaders of our time on the international stage. It feels as if America could be on the verge of a betrayal of Ukraine, but asking the King to withdraw the offer of a state visit would throw away the most significant leverage that we might have to influence Trump’s thinking on Ukraine and America’s place in the western alliance.”
“Glory to Ukraine. Glory to the heroes. Slava Ukraini. Heroyam slava. [Applause.] First Minister’s Question Time 12:07 Public Bodies (Number) 1.”
“At this moment, and for every moment of the past three years, only the courage of the armed forces of Ukraine has held back the menace of Russian expansionist tyranny. In recent weeks, much reference has been made to the similarities that exist between our time and the prelude to the second world war, appeasement and the rising tide of fascism. I have found myself thinking of the words of Winston Churchill, who, from the floor of the House of Commons in 1940, pledged “to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone.”— [Official Report, House of Commons, 4 June 1940; Vol 361, c 795.] The fighting men and women of Ukraine have ridden the storm of war for years, but they are not alone. This Parliament stands with them, and so, too, does the nation that it serves.”
“It was discovered that CR3 had been blacklisted by the Norwegian state pension fund for gross corruption, and was found by Amnesty International to have connections to human rights abuses.”
“We support the introduction of a presumption of denial for all Governments that are listed in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office—FCDO—human rights and democracy reports as human rights priorities. As such, we accordingly believe that arms exports to Israel should be halted. In respect of Scottish Enterprise funding, we need to ensure that the current human rights due diligence checks are as robust as possible. It is worth remembering the origins of the checks that this chamber now insists on. A cross-Government human rights due diligence test was introduced only after my party helped to uncover what went on behind a deal that Nicola Sturgeon personally signed with China Railway No 3 Engineering Group during a meeting at Bute house. No due diligence whatsoever was done.”
“It goes without saying that those plans are not only ludicrous but would cause chaos in an already unstable region, and would amount to a flagrant violation of international law. Instead, we need to redouble our efforts to build a lasting peace, regardless of how remote that possibility feels right now. That begins with the recognition of a Palestinian state that is based on 1967 boundaries and a two-state solution, which is the only way to deliver the dignity and security that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve. I turn to arms exports. As early as April last year, Liberal Democrats called for the UK Government to suspend supply of arms exports to Israel. For many years now, Liberal Democrats have called for tougher controls on the export of armaments to ensure that they are not used for potential human rights breaches and atrocities.”
“Homes have been destroyed, communities have been shattered and loved ones have been lost. When, last month, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas finally emerged and was announced, it represented a huge moment of hope after many months of darkness and despair for the entire region. It meant that the work of flooding Gaza with the aid that it had desperately needed and been deprived of for months could begin in earnest. I reiterate my party’s support for that ceasefire, which is so vital to the wellbeing of the Palestinian people. We want the ceasefire to continue and all hostages to be released. As we have heard today, it has been troubling in recent weeks to hear Donald Trump’s unhinged calls for the Palestinian people to be relocated entirely out of Gaza and for that land to become the so-called riviera of the middle east.”
“I am grateful to Lorna Slater for making time for this important debate. It brings me up against an aspect of my life that I do not often talk about in the chamber—my Quakerism. I have spent a great deal of my adult life campaigning against aspects and aims of the arms trade. That said, the full- scale invasion of Ukraine added to my thinking on the matter layers of complexity with which I am still grappling, because I believe that, in order for peace to be sustained throughout the world— including that region, in particular—we need to arm Ukraine. It is a nuanced issue for me, and I will unpack some of it later. However, I absolutely agree with the spirit of the Green Party’s motion on what is happening in Gaza. What the people of Gaza have endured over the past 16 months is unimaginable.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate, with back-bench speeches of up to six minutes. I repeat that there is no time in hand, and any interventions must be absorbed within the member’s agreed time allocation. 16:11”
“Lib Dem priorities will now be backed by hundreds of millions of pounds of Government investment. There is a long list of policies and projects that we have won for our constituents and for Scotland as a whole, so we will be voting for the budget today. Let there be no doubt: we are not afraid to tell the truth to the Government. After 18 years, on many metrics, it has long since passed its sell-by date. We have seen the Government fall short time and time again, and we have called it out on delivery. When it comes to the interests of our constituents, however, I got into politics to get things done, to do right by our constituents and to make good on the promises that I made to them when they sent me here. In large part, Liberal Democrats have succeeded in doing that today.”
“Ahead of the infrastructure investment plan, we have persuaded the Scottish Government to look in much greater detail at replacing the Kilmaron special school in Cupar, Newburgh railway station in Fife and the Gilbert Bain hospital in Lerwick. Beatrice Wishart will not let anyone in the chamber forget the urgent need that exists there. Scottish Labour’s decision to abstain confirmed once and for all that there will be no early election—which was always unlikely. That is why, all along, we sought to shape the budget proactively. This is not a referendum on the performance of the SNP; it is a means of getting things done and of unpicking some of the damage in our communities. Sometimes you just have to sit down and talk things through when you want to get things done.”
“There is also an extra £29 million for additional support needs to help pupils and their teachers. That is all on top of progress on business rates, in the hospitality sector in particular. Funding to provide more affordable homes is 26 per cent up thanks to extra investment of £172 million. There is also progress on ring-fenced agriculture funding and a new commitment to focus ScotWind revenues on growing our economy, creating jobs, tackling climate change and driving reform. There is more money for local council services, including enhanced support for local authorities that operate ferry services, which will make a big difference to Shetland and Orkney.”
“We have secured £3.5 million so that colleges can deliver the skills that our economy and our public services need, with new programmes that are focused on skills in care and offshore wind to create the pipeline of skilled workers for the careers of the future. We have also secured money to provide a brighter future for the young people with complex needs who attend Corseford College in Renfrewshire. My colleague Willie Rennie visited the college a fortnight ago to see how the money that we have secured will make a difference to the students and staff. It should just be the beginning. We need a permanent commitment from the Scottish Government to ensure that no young person there is left without access to the further education that they need, want and deserve.”
“There is extra backing for hospices and funding for new specialist support across the country for long Covid, ME and chronic fatigue. I have battled for more than four years to get help for those who are unable to work or go to school and are unable to get on in life, because they are still living under the shadow of what Covid can become. Support in Scotland has lagged behind that in the rest of the UK, so the challenge for the Scottish Government is to get on and improve the lives and care pathways of long Covid sufferers using the new investment that the Scottish Liberal Democrats have secured. That is not all.”
“Today, we have learned just how timely that is, as millions of customers’ bills will go up from this April, and last month, we learned that record numbers of households in Scotland are still in fuel poverty. That reinstatement is progress, albeit just the start of what is needed for the combination of Scotland’s Governments to answer that challenge. Then there is the £200 million improvement package for Scotland’s social care, which, in turn, will help to reduce NHS waiting lists and tackle issues such as delayed discharge, which interrupts flow throughout our NHS. There is more money for local healthcare, to make it easier for our constituents to see a general practitioner at the first time of asking, or to get NHS dentistry near them, which is vital to reduce the strain on our hospitals.”
“That means that the budget will now deliver on Scottish Liberal Democrat priorities, by which I mean a new Belford hospital for Fort William, a new eye pavilion for our nation’s capital and help for babies who are born addicted to drugs, with further investment totalling £2.6 million. This is personal for me. I remind members of my interest in that I worked for the organisation that will be the beneficiary of some of those funds. In that time, I saw how important such interventions are. Supporting them is why I got into politics in the first place. We have also secured the right for family carers to earn more without having their Government support withdrawn. My colleague Sir Ed Davey led the way on that at Westminster, and we followed suit here. There is the reinstatement of the winter fuel payment for Scotland’s pensioners.”
“I find myself reflecting on Ross Greer’s opening remarks about reaching for consensus in the Parliament rather than conflict. Ross Greer and I entered the chamber on the same day, eight and a half years ago, and much of those eight and a half years have been characterised by rancour and conflict. In our heart of hearts, we should recognise that it is incumbent on us all to reflect the better natures of the communities that we are here to serve. We do not see tribalism or rancour reflected in those communities. In that spirit, and moving on from the divisions of the past, Liberal Democrats sought to engage with the Government to make the best budget deal possible.”
“Maree Todd: The Mental Welfare Commission gives us assurance on application of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. Its understanding of the situation in in-patient units is limited by a visit’s being a snapshot—a single visit. As Alex Cole-Hamilton said, the commission has powers to visit unannounced. I am clear that we are asking the Mental Welfare Commission and HIS to make joint inspections of all our adolescent in-patient units to provide exactly the scrutiny, assurance and confirmation of the quality of care that we would all expect and are seeking at this moment in time. That is why we have instructed that we will meet them before they plan those visits, and why we are keen to give input on how the visits are supported.”
“The barbaric conditions and behaviours at Skye house that were described do not take place in our care homes because of the rigour and reach of the Care Inspectorate, and they do not take place in our prisons because of the rigour and reach of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland. The “Disclosure” documentary revealed deficiency in the rigour and reach of the Mental Welfare Commission. It is true that the commission visited Skye house on seven occasions, but six of those visits were announced. What more is the minister’s Government doing to examine the powers and reach of the Mental Welfare Commission to make sure that it has the teeth that are necessary to stop such behaviours happening again?”
“Last year, we had a review of inspection and scrutiny, which gave us an indication of some of the improvements that are required in the mental health system as a whole. I will be focused on ensuring that the improvements in child and adolescent mental health services, which are clearly needed, happen as a result of our interventions. Prescription of Medicinal Cannabis 2.”
“I welcome what the minister said about oversight, but one of the most troubling revelations in the “Disclosure” documentary was that the Mental Welfare Commission had already visited Skye house on no fewer than six occasions, five of which were announced visits. One of the aspects of concern to Parliament is the fact that the Mental Welfare Commission was not aware of its reach and clearly was not catching the behaviours that were revealed. What more can the Government do to further empower the Mental Welfare Commission so that such things cannot happen again? Maree Todd: The cabinet secretary and I are meeting both organisations. We are keen to work with them to improve the quality of inspection and scrutiny.”
“I advise members that there is no time in hand and any interventions should therefore be absorbed within the member’s agreed speaking allocation. 16:29”
“It could have also increased the digital services tax, as the Liberal Democrats committed to do in our manifesto, or introduced a fair reform to capital gains tax so that the 0.1 per cent of ultra-wealthy individuals pay their fair share, as it is high time they did. Instead, the Government is pressing ahead with a regressive tax that will wreak havoc on Scotland’s economy and have a negative effect on people’s living standards, as it will be passed on to employees through salary cuts or reduced employment opportunities. That is why Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to listen to the alarms that are being raised, do the right thing and scrap the tax before it is too late. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate.”
“The Government claims that the rise will raise £25 billion each year, but the Office for Budget Responsibility is absolutely clear that, after employers change their behaviour in response to the tax, as we know that they do—for example, by reducing pay or employment opportunities—and once public sector employers are compensated, the Treasury will be left with revenue that is closer to £10 billion. Those are not my words—that is the calculation by the OBR. The Government could have offset the need to bring in this rise by reversing the tax cuts that the Conservatives handed down to the big banks.”
“That could, in turn, have serious consequences for already sparse patient access. We have talked many times in the chamber about dental deserts, and the NI increase will exacerbate that problem. We know that the UK Government made no assessment of its tax hike on NHS dentists before making that change. Now that that industry is raising the alarm, the chancellor does not seem to be listening. The UK Government seems intent on pushing ahead with these damaging plans, even though the revenue that it is set to raise will likely be much lower than has been forecast.”
“The extra national insurance contributions to be paid by employers and GPs mean that many GP practices will now be unable to follow through with their recruitment plans, which would have helped to ease the pressure and helped them to deliver a better service for their patients. GPs are being punished by a flaw at the heart of the rules: they are being treated as private contractors, but because their work is entirely within the public sector, they are not entitled to the employment allowance that would have reduced their national insurance liability by up to £5,000 per year. It is not just GPs who are stuck between a rock and hard place; other care providers will be forced to make cutbacks, too. Many dental practices are struggling and might, as a result, be forced to reduce what already limited NHS provision they currently offer.”
“We know that such a scheme would be beneficial for exactly those sectors, such as hospitality, that typically employ a younger workforce and have struggled to find those staff since Brexit. The rise in employer national insurance contributions will hurt not only businesses. GPs in my constituency have told me time and again just how up against it they are, and their patients feel it too. Not long ago, people used to be able to call their GP in the morning and get an appointment at the first time of asking. Nowadays, they will ring again and again, several dozen times, before their call is eventually answered, only to be offered an appointment weeks hence.”
“Those local businesses—restaurants, pubs and hotels—are the beating heart of all our communities, and they are raising the alarm about the damage that this decision will likely do to their industry. The industry has already had to overcome so much in the aftermath of the pandemic, and after years of Conservative economic vandalism and poor growth under the SNP. To get our economy growing, we should be helping our hospitality sector, not hurting it. That is why Scottish Liberal Democrats were absolutely wedded to securing substantial business rates relief for the hospitality sector in this year’s Scottish budget—it was a red line for us. We also want the UK Government to negotiate a youth mobility visa scheme with the European Union so that businesses can recruit the workers who they need to fill those vacancies.”
“The decision to increase employer national insurance contributions is the wrong one. I wonder whether the UK Government is aware of the damage that this could cause. It could result in increased prices and lead to job losses and capital flight, with fewer opportunities right across Scotland’s economy. It could even lead to many businesses and charities being forced to close their doors entirely. Take, for instance, our hospitality sector. Liberal Democrat research has revealed that the Scottish hospitality industry is facing a £369 million tax bombshell over the next five years due to the Government’s increase in employer national insurance contributions. Our data also shows that, in 2025- 26, the additional tax burden for hospitality businesses is estimated to be around £71.8 million. That is an astonishing rise.”
“I am happy to speak for the Liberal Democrats in this important debate. When the ballots were counted in July last year, it was unsurprising that the members on these benches were delighted with the result. We were delighted that it was the best result for Liberals in more than 100 years, trebling our number of seats in Scotland in the process. We were also very pleased to see the back of a Conservative Government that wreaked such havoc during its chaotic time in office. I had hoped that the new UK Labour Government might embark on a course that would move us, however slowly, in a more positive direction. I am disappointed that that has not been the case. The chancellor promised to deliver growth but has chosen to raise the tax that all but guarantees that growth will remain stifled.”
“The Government has proven time and time again that it is sometimes incapable of that delivery, but we will hold it to account on our NHS, on social care and on lifeline ferries for island communities. My party is not afraid to collaborate when it is in the best interests of our country, and we will negotiate in good faith, as we have done on this occasion, but we are also not afraid to tell the truth about a Government that, after 18 years, is long past its sell-by date. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate, with speeches of around six minutes. 15:20”
“Liberal Democrat priorities will now be backed by hundreds upon hundreds of millions of pounds of Government investment. As I have outlined, there is a long list of policies and projects that we have won not only for our constituents but for Scotland as a whole, so we will be voting for the budget today. Let there be no doubt, however, that we will continue to hold the Government to account. We remain ardent critics of it and of the decisions that it has taken. The funds and the promises that we have secured now need to be backed by delivery. We have handed ministers the resources—it is now for them to prosecute the case that we have laid out.”
“From early on in the budget process, it was clear that an early election was always very unlikely. Although Liberal Democrats have said many times that we think that Scotland fundamentally needs a change of Government, we will not have the opportunity for some months to come. Indeed, Labour’s announcement a month ago that its members would abstain on the budget confirmed that once and for all. That is why my party has sought to shape the budget and get the best out of it for our constituents. The budget is not a referendum on the performance of the SNP, which, by any metric, is failing the people of Scotland. We have been determined to use the budget to begin to unpick some of that damage. Nevertheless, the people who voted for us and sent us here expect us to act like grown-ups, to put their interests first and to get things done.”
“We have ring fenced agricultural funding and more money for local council services, including enhanced support for local authorities that operate key ferry services, which are lifeline links. There is now a line of sight, through the infrastructure investment plan, to replace the Gilbert Bain hospital in Lerwick and Kilmaron special school in Cupar, and for a new railway station in Newburgh in Fife. My party and its members will keep fighting to propel those projects to the top of the to-do list, and none more so than Beatrice Wishart, in her pursuit of the new hospital that Shetland so desperately needs. That hospital serves not only the isles but many of the industries that operate in the North Sea, as their first point of call in emergencies.”
“That is not all that Liberal Democrats are delivering. We have secured £3.5 million so that colleges can deliver baskets of skills that our economy and our public services need, with new programmes that are focused on areas such as social care and offshore wind to create a pipeline of the skilled workforce that we need for the jobs of the future. There is also funding to provide a brighter future for young people with complex needs who attend Corseford College in Renfrewshire, and an extra £29 million for additional support needs to help pupils and their teachers. That is all on top of progress on business rates relief for the hospitality sector, and funding to build more affordable homes, which is up by 26 per cent thanks to an extra £172 million.”
“There is also the reinstatement of the winter fuel payment for pensioners, and the £200 million improvement package for social care, which will reduce NHS waiting lists and tackle issues such as delayed discharge. There is more money for local healthcare to make it easier for people to see a GP or an NHS dentist near them. Those services are under pressure like never before; we all see it in our casework mailbags day in, day out. People should not have to live in pain or wait for weeks for treatment and vital appointments. There is an extra £5 million of backing for hospices, and funding for brand-new specialist support across the country for long Covid, myalgic encephalitis and chronic fatigue care pathways, which Liberal Democrats have been demanding and calling for since the Parliament first convened.”
“That last issue is personal for me, and I raised it with the First Minister just a couple of weeks ago. When I was a youth worker, I worked with Aberlour, which will benefit from the development of those new services, in its work in helping babies to withdraw from drugs. There have been 1,500 such babies born since 2017. That is one of the reasons that I got into politics in the first place, and we have done some real good there. Liberal Democrats have also secured the right for family carers to earn more without having their support withdrawn. My colleague in Westminster, Sir Ed Davey, has led the way on that in the UK Parliament, and we have followed suit in the Scottish Parliament.”
“This afternoon, I speak from a position for my party that, although not wholly unprecedented, is largely uncommon in the tenure of this minority Administration. We support this budget not just in its general principles but at all stages as it transits through Parliament because, in a Parliament of minorities, Scottish Liberal Democrats will always act responsibly and try to find common ground where it exists. It was in that spirit that we managed to reach agreement with the Government on the budget. Thanks to the Liberal Democrats, that budget will now include a long-overdue replacement for the Belford hospital in Fort William; a replacement for the Edinburgh eye pavilion; and help for babies who are born addicted to drugs, with further investment totalling £2.6 million.”
“Craig Hoy: We are delivering something that is not coming from the Liberal Democrats or from the Labour Party, which is strong opposition to this useless SNP Government.”
“We expected that from the Liberal Democrats, but we did not expect Scottish Labour’s position. Anas Sarwar will spinelessly let the budget pass without securing a single concession from the SNP. It took just one mildly hysterical speech from John Swinney for Scottish Labour to blink first, and Labour’s decision to cave in handed the SNP the cheapest budget deal in the history of devolution. I will explain why the Scottish Conservatives oppose the budget. Kate Forbes: I would like to know what Craig Hoy is delivering for his constituents today, apart from doom, gloom and financial illiteracy. Craig Hoy: If the Deputy First Minister had read our submission, she would have seen that we would cut tax for ordinary, hard-working Scots. Kate Forbes: What are you delivering for people?”
“Will the member accept an intervention? Craig Hoy: I will give way if Mr Cole-Hamilton can answer this question: is he being disingenuous, or was he duped? Alex Cole-Hamilton: I had been under the impression that pantomime season was over, but—how wrong I was—oh no, it isn’t. Clearly, Mr Hoy did not read the letters pages of many august Scottish publications last weekend and did not see the wilder outriders of the nationalist cause bemoaning the fact that Liberal Democrats have secured the deletion of any spending on independence from this year’s budget. He will find that we have kept our word. Craig Hoy: I think that the member will find that there are many civil servants in the deepest, darkest recesses of the Scottish Government buildings who are beavering away to take Scotland out of the United Kingdom.”
“Angus Robertson: First, I commend Alex Cole- Hamilton for supporting the budget, which is able to deliver progress for the cultural sector. It is good to be working collectively on that. Alex Cole-Hamilton highlights one of the great advantages of multiyear funding. Of course we have to ensure that funds are properly applied for—there are processes and there is no way round that. However, doing applications on a multiyear basis means that one does not have to do them every year, because one receives funding two to three years down the road, which reduces the burden. Should the review look at that? Yes, absolutely, and there is no doubt that it will, but multiyear funding will change things significantly and its introduction is a game changer for Scotland. I know that the culture sector elsewhere in the UK is keen to follow suit with that.”
“With Scottish Liberal Democrat backing, the budget will deliver tens of millions more for dance, music, theatre, literature, screen and more. After the past few years of uncertainty, with people being messed around by the Government, that extra funding will go a long way. I congratulate those who have been successfully awarded grants. It is a huge amount of work to apply for any such funds, which involves a burden of tens and tens of pages of application forms that often falls on tiny companies. It must take ages for the people who are sifting and analysing applications to go through them. Will the on-going review of Creative Scotland examine how that can be streamlined? The more time Creative Scotland spends on admin, the less time it has to spend doing good in our communities.”