Official Report 190KB pdf
Party Leaders
14:00
The next item of business is First Minister’s question time for party leaders. Before we begin, I invite members to join me in welcoming to the gallery a delegation of the United States Council of State Governments, led by the Hon Laura Kelly, Governor of Kansas. [Applause.]
Social Housing Applications
It has just emerged that, last year, the Labour-run City of Edinburgh Council froze all social housing applications from homeless Scots. Their applications were shelved while the council’s housing stock was provided instead, as a priority, to asylum applicants. That was implemented under a policy that was made possible by the Scottish National Party’s cynical abandonment of the local connection rule, whereby the City of Edinburgh Council’s attempts to tackle the city’s growing homelessness problem were undermined by a broken system that allows asylum applicants to jump the queue.
It is not fair on local people to impose on them a broken housing system that creates perverse incentives and gives priority to strangers over locals. Will the First Minister finally concede that the time has come to reinstate the local connection rule, to reinstate fairness and—as a bonus in this year of Government cost savings—to alleviate the huge cost of immigration on local council budgets?
As I understand it, the City of Edinburgh Council has said that what Mr Offord has put to Parliament is not the case. The council is prioritising the homelessness applications of all homeless individuals and fulfilling its statutory duty in that respect.
Mr Offord suggested that the local connection rules should be changed. Reversing the suspension of local connection referrals will not impact on homelessness presentations made to Scottish local authorities by refugees. The legislative changes that were made in 2022 did not change connection rules for refugee households—rather, the 2022 local connection rule changes only prevent a Scottish local authority from referring a homeless household to another Scottish local authority where they have a local connection.
It is really important, at a time when our country is being affected by disinformation of the type that has just been put forward, that we have clear and authoritative information put to Parliament. I am seeking to bring this country together and Lord Offord is trying to drive this country apart.
If the First Minister does not want to engage on Edinburgh, let us move through to Glasgow. The outgoing SNP leader of Glasgow City Council, Susan Aitken, has implored the Scottish Government to acknowledge the rising cost of the Glasgow migrant crisis. She told the Daily Record:
“This is an issue that is not of Glasgow's making and which is significantly beyond our control, but which poses an immediate and untenable threat to financial sustainability, public services and community cohesion in our city."
Not to be outdone, the incoming SNP council leader, Ricky Bell, said this morning on BBC Scotland that the problem needs urgent attention from the Scottish Government.
Meanwhile, the Daily Record proclaims today that Glasgow is bust, alluding to its “£110m black hole”. Why is that relevant? Because tackling the homelessness epidemic will cost Glasgow £75 million next year. That is more than two thirds of the deficit.
Councillor Aitken’s words replicate the legitimate concerns that Reform has been raising when trying to draw attention to this crisis. Now we have the proof, from two of our biggest city councils, that the virtue signalling of the SNP is costing our nation dearly. In 2022, just 35 homeless applications were made in Glasgow from outside of Scotland. One year later, that number rose to 1,300. Last year, it was more than 2,000. This is an epidemic for all to see.
If the words of the SNP council leader Susan Aitken are to be taken at face value by the First Minister, will he now acknowledge that he cannot call out Reform as being divisive and inciteful when we are both describing the same real and pressing problem?
In speaking to the programme for government on Tuesday, I made it clear that I thought that there were real threats to the stability of our society and the cohesion of our community because of malevolent actors in our politics. Malcolm Offord has just put more of that in the Official Report of the Parliament today.
Susan Aitken, the leader of Glasgow City Council, noted that
“Home Office decisions have created a nationwide homelessness crisis among refugees newly given leave to remain”
in the United Kingdom, which has put
“added pressure … on already scarce housing”.
That is a recognition of the fact that the United Kingdom Government and its Home Office have not managed the issues of immigration and asylum properly and effectively. I recognise that point and I agree with it.
Malcolm Offord was a member of a Government that created this mess, when he was in the Conservative Party. One of the individuals who was party to creating this crisis now comes in here and asks me to find a solution—to the crisis that is of the making of Malcolm Offord and his cronies.
On another issue that is affecting Glasgow City Council, under the SNP, the city council is tackling the equal pay disgrace that was presided over by the Labour Party for generations there. It is always the case that the SNP has to clean up the mess of the Labour Party and the Conservatives.
These are urgent questions on a housing emergency and a homelessness epidemic caused by 20 years of SNP neglect, incompetence and underfunding. Those crises have been exacerbated by a warped ideology, thanks to years of virtue signalling from a succession of SNP First Ministers blinded by Scottish exceptionalism.
The situation was made pretty clear by the harrowing BBC “Disclosure” programme, “Welcome to Glasgow”. Such was the confected anger directed at Myles Bonnar for drawing similar conclusions to Reform about Glasgow that he has chosen to take time off.
It is not good enough for the Parliament to dismiss the protests, the protesters and the unrest in our towns and cities. It is time to address their core concerns. It is just a fact that removal of the local connection rule has been exploited by the influx of substantial numbers of migrants, to the detriment of our city’s finances and cohesion. It cannot be disputed that local people are being put at a disadvantage. That is not fair. Will the First Minister please now agree with Reform—at the third time of asking—that the removal of the local connection rule has done significant damage to Scotland and that reinstating that rule would relieve our cities of significant financial burden, allowing them instead to focus on housing our own local Scots in need?
As I have indicated already, changing the local connection rule would not in any way, shape or form address the issue that Malcolm Offord has put to me.
The second point that I will make is on the construction of housing, as Mr Offord challenged the record of the SNP Government on that. The SNP Government has built more affordable houses per 100,000 population than has been done in any other part of the United Kingdom since 2007, when the present Scottish Government came to office.
On the “Disclosure” programme and the presentation of the city of Glasgow, I was in Glasgow a lot over the summer for the Commonwealth games, and I saw a city that was welcoming, inclusive, vibrant, creative and colourful. It was the epitome of a modern city in a modern Scotland, and I pay tribute to the people of Glasgow for the success of the Commonwealth games in the summer.
Violence Against Women and Girls
Violence against women and girls is a global problem and a blight on our society, so it falls to all of us in the chamber to do everything that we can to tackle it. I am proud to support the “It’s Time” campaign by the Sunday Post, to challenge and eradicate violence against women and girls, and I welcome the fact that John Swinney has pledged his support, too.
However, the uncomfortable truth is that words are no substitute for action, and this is not day zero. Since 2022, sexual crime rates have risen by 11 per cent; rates of rape have soared by a third; and domestic abuse is up by a shocking 81 per cent. To make matters worse, the length of time that victims have to wait for justice has also increased. Rape victims now face an average of nearly three years between reporting an incident to the police and a verdict being given. What is the Government doing right now to ensure that Scotland’s justice system is keeping women and girls safe?
First of all, let me echo Jackie Baillie’s comments about the Sunday Post’s “It’s Time” campaign. I admire and applaud the Sunday Post for the leadership that it is showing as one of our country’s major media outlets. As Jackie Baillie said, I have given my support to that campaign.
Parliament will have heard what I said on the issue on Tuesday, and I reiterate the personal leadership that I will provide on it. The experience in Scotland over the summer has been appalling, and it must be remedied.
Some of the rise in the reporting of crime in recent years is due to our criminal justice system being more responsive and providing more confidence to those who have had the appalling experience of being victims of sexual crime. Although I deeply regret the fact that there is an increased level of such crime, I welcome the fact that more women are confident enough in our system to come forward and report that.
I assure Jackie Baillie that the Lord Advocate, as the head of the prosecution service, makes clear the importance that she attaches to pursuing these crimes. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service is working at pace to ensure that cases can be processed and heard as swiftly and expeditiously as possible, but there must be careful preparation to ensure that cases are robust so that they can result in successful prosecutions. I give Jackie Baillie the commitment that, among the police and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, there is an absolute determination to ensure that that is the case.
I thank the First Minister for his response, but the facts speak for themselves. The promised sexual offences court is still not in place, and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service claims that it has had no extra money to deliver that. It is not enough just to get cases heard in court; women are being failed even after abusers are known to the justice system.
We all remember the tragic killing of Claire Inglis in 2021. She was murdered after her dangerous boyfriend was bailed to her address. This summer, we were all horrified by the murder of Stacy Hunter. She was killed by her former partner, who had been bailed and told to stay away from her. Stacy’s family has demanded that the Scottish National Party Government catches up with other countries and rolls out GPS tracking of violent offenders on bail, but the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has been unable to say when that will be in place. Can the First Minister provide a clear timetable for when these life-saving changes will be enacted?
On the first point in relation to bail and remand, these decisions are taken by courts independently. I appreciate and understand how difficult it is for courts to come to these judgments, but the particular cases of Claire Inglis and Stacy Hunter give us all cause for concern about the fact that the individuals who were able to perpetrate those heinous crimes were on bail.
In relation to the sexual offences court, the cabinet secretary met the law officers and the Crown Agent last month to discuss the progress in implementing the court. The legislation was passed by Parliament in the immediate run-up to the election, and preparatory work is under way to ensure that the sexual offences court that the Parliament legislated for—I welcome Parliament’s support for that—can be put in place.
In relation to some of the work on GPS tracking, pilot work is under way, but I accept unreservedly the importance of having additional protections in place, which can be provided through the use of this technology. I assure Jackie Baillie and Parliament that the Government is giving this matter urgent attention to ensure that progress is made as quickly as possible.
I thank the First Minister for that, but actions speak louder than words, so I want to press him on the timetable for GPS tracking, because women’s lives are being lost while it is not in place. The epidemic of violence against women and girls in Scotland demands immediate action. We cannot afford any more delay.
A year after the Women’s Rights Network published data on sexual assaults in hospitals, it reported that there has been no progress. This Parliament legislated to create domestic abuse protection orders, giving the police extra powers to protect victims. Five years on, they are still not in place. We are still waiting for the SNP’s promised misogyny bill. In 2023, its changes to bail laws removed vital protections for domestic abuse victims, and GPS tracking is still not here. The SNP is failing to exempt rapists and sex offenders from its latest plans to release prisoners early.
I do not for a moment doubt the good intentions of John Swinney and his Government. I believe that he is genuine and sincere, but those choices and delays have been fatal.
Will the First Minister do the right thing, acknowledge that his Government has failed to keep women safe, and guarantee that his warm words will finally be backed up with action?
I appreciate the manner in which Jackie Baillie is raising these issues, as well as their substance, but she will understand that I cannot agree with much of the characterisation that she has set out before Parliament today.
The Government, which I have been proud to be part of, has taken significant legislative steps to tackle domestic violence in our country. We look to implement the legislation and ensure that it can be effective as swiftly as possible, but it has to be workable legislation.
I have given a commitment that the misogyny bill will be introduced in the first year of this parliamentary session, and that is exactly what will happen. No decisions have been taken on the penal reform consultation, which closed on 20 August. The Government will consider the issues that have been raised, and the points that Jackie Baillie raises are serious considerations to be addressed as part of that.
I could not have been more open about my sense of shock about what we have experienced in Scotland over the summer in relation to violence against women and girls. For all my involvement in areas of policy in the past, I am determined to make sure that this has the strongest possible and emphatic leadership from the First Minister.
I am a male First Minister. At the heart of all this is the behaviour of men and boys. There has to be a cultural effort, and the Sunday Post campaign is really helpful as one dimension of that; the Government’s communication is important, and these exchanges are important as well, because they give me an opportunity to say to Parliament and to the country that male violence against women is absolutely and completely unacceptable, and every aspect of this state will be deployed to root it out.
Data Centres
For months, the Scottish Greens and communities across the country have called on the Scottish Government to hit pause on the dozens of applications to build hyperscale data centres in Scotland. As I told the First Minister in June, the first 24 of those applications alone would require one and a half times as much energy as our entire country uses right now. That is clearly absurd.
It looked as though the Government was beginning to accept that urgent action was required, but, earlier this week, John Swinney published a programme for government that not only fails to hit pause on those applications but aims to attract more data centres to Scotland. That announcement has been devastating for communities across the country.
The Government’s previous position was that it was in favour of so-called green data centres, but, back in June, the First Minister could not give a definition of what makes a data centre green. This week, a new term has been introduced: responsible green data centres.
Can the First Minister tell Parliament and the hundreds of campaigners rallying outside right now exactly what makes a data centre responsible and green?
The Government has taken a number of steps on the issue of data centres, which were announced by the Minister for Public Finance over the summer. That involved issuing a new direction, which requires planning authorities to notify the Scottish ministers of any planning application for a data centre that exceeds 50MW in power capacity. That will allow the strategic monitoring of the national pipeline of proposals for major data centres and their implications for communities and wider infrastructure.
The minister has also recalled a planning appeal relating to a proposed green data centre in Edinburgh so that the decision can be taken by ministers. The minister has issued directions requiring environmental impact assessments for the proposed data centre developments at Wester Hermiston in Edinburgh and Auchtertool in Fife. In addition, the Cabinet will give further consideration to the issue in its programme of policy work over the autumn.
On the question about the definition, green data centres must be powered from renewable energy sources, make use of energy-efficient technologies, seek to minimise water consumption and support the reuse of excess heat. The assessment and consideration of all those questions will be relevant in every assessment of such planning matters.
The First Minister says that action has been taken over the summer, but requiring councils simply to issue a notice to the Scottish Government that an application has been lodged does not change any of the fundamentals. Councils have not been provided with the guidance that they require to make consideration of those applications. The Government promises that the strategy that was announced in the programme for government—which it is yet to set out—will include clear definitions for those data centres. Even if that is true, it will come far too late for the communities who are fighting totally inappropriate applications right now. Even the Scottish National Party’s own national council agrees that a pause is required until the strategy is in place and until adequate guidance has been given to councils, which are struggling to deal with such applications.
The First Minister says that the Cabinet will consider that in the autumn, but the Cabinet was asked to consider that over the summer, because those applications are live now. For the First Minister’s strategy to be of any use whatsoever, it needs to be published in full well ahead of the point at which councillors will actually make decisions on the applications. Can the First Minister tell the Parliament when the strategy will be published?
So that we are crystal clear about it, the Cabinet has considered the issue over the summer. That is the first thing that I want to put on the record. That resulted in the changes that have already been made by the Minister for Public Finance.
The point that Mr Greer makes—that there is no difference as a consequence of what the Cabinet has determined—misconstrues the decisions that have been taken. The notification requirement put in place by the Government will put a greater onus on national scrutiny of those applications and, as a consequence, further advice will be given to local authorities.
I will put on the record some relevant issues. As I indicated in my first answer, the Cabinet will consider the matter again to ensure that we have a proper and effective regime in place so that communities can be protected and the proper assessment of such applications can be made. In every respect, the Government must take responsible planning decisions in relation to such applications, and ensure that our decisions are compatible with planning law. That is an essential requirement on the Government at all times.
The First Minister says that the changes that were made over the summer will result in more national scrutiny of the applications. On what basis will that be? No planning guidance has been produced to deal with this new wave of applications—the proposed centres are utterly unlike previous data centres that have been constructed, which are necessary for our economy. The Government says that it is in favour of so-called green data centres, but the developer of the development at Larbert admits that its application would have a “major adverse” impact on the environment and the local community. That proposal was for a 300MW data centre with 200 diesel generators right beside a care home, some of the residents of which are on ventilators.
Hundreds of people from communities across the country, from Larbert to Bishopbriggs and from Auchtertool to the Lammermuirs, are outside the Parliament right now, demanding a moratorium on new hyperscale data centres.
That pause should have started in June, but the next best time for it is now. The Scottish Greens are ready and willing to work with the Government on a credible data centre strategy, but if the live applications are not paused, that strategy will come in far too late—it will be meaningless at that point. Will the First Minister hit pause now and halt consideration of all new hyperscale data centres until full planning guidance and a national strategy are in place?
I understand the concerns that have been raised, but they do not take into account much of the existing planning regulation that is in place.
National planning framework 4 provides a robust framework for the consideration of development proposals, including climate and emission impacts. That is central to the national planning framework, which the Parliament approved. In addition, regulatory constraints were added by the Government during the summer.
There is a robust framework in place to guide the assessment of such developments, and the Government will continue to monitor the effect of that as a consequence of the decisions that we have made during the summer to maximise the scrutiny of such issues.
Violence Against Women and Girls (Bail Laws)
John Swinney says that he is determined to tackle the pandemic of violence against women and girls in Scotland. Three years ago, Police Scotland, Victim Support Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid all warned him that weakening bail laws would increase violence against women, but he ignored them. He scrapped a legal safeguard that kept men who had been charged with domestic violence in custody. During recent months, at least two women, Stacy Hunter and Samantha Lee, have been murdered by their male partners who were bailed after attacking them—dangerous scumbags, freed to kill. Will John Swinney bring back that important safeguard?
I hope that members do not doubt or question my determination to address violence against women and girls in our society. Part of the way in which Russell Findlay put his point across does not help us to have a considered debate about such issues or to ensure that we take effective action.
The bail test that was legislated for by the Parliament, on the suggestion of the Government, ensured that, for the first time, the needs and perspectives of victims were to be taken into account in the assessment of bail. I do not make decisions about who gets bail and who gets put on remand; that is for the independent judiciary. At the instigation of the Government, the bail test ensures that the needs of victims are taken into account.
Of course I bitterly regret the loss of any woman’s life as a consequence of the violence perpetrated by men against them. I want to make it clear to Parliament that I will do everything that I can, including giving personal leadership to address the issue, to ensure that violence is rooted out in our society.
John Swinney keeps saying that the courts make bail decisions, and he is right about that, but his Government sets the law that the courts must follow.
Now, John Swinney is considering plans to automatically release all long-term prisoners after they have served only two thirds of their sentence. His consultation document even admits that that could
“have an impact for … victims of violence against women and girls.”
That cannot be allowed to happen.
I wrote to the First Minister this morning and set out a range of constructive proposals to protect women and girls. Will he stop violent thugs who attack women being given bail and being freed early? Will he agree to meet me, victims and their families to discuss our proposals in further detail?
I am very happy to meet Mr Findlay to discuss these issues. I am also meeting a lot of victims. I spent a lot of my time during the summer meeting victims, so, with the greatest respect to Mr Findlay, I do not need his encouragement to meet victims of such heinous crimes.
I will apply the leadership that I have set out to Parliament to ensure that we have in place a combination of different measures. There are criminal justice aspects to the whole issue that must be properly set out, but there is also a need for principled leadership to communicate to men and boys in our society, through every aspect of the work of the state, the unacceptability of violence against women and girls. I will lead that effort within the Government. If there are constructive contributions to be made in Parliament, I will, of course, welcome them, but I assure Parliament of the determined leadership that I will give to address this issue.
Violence Against Women and Girls
In our final exchange before the summer recess, I asked the First Minister about protecting women and girls from male violence. In the following month, three Scottish women died at the hands of men and I went to the funeral of one of them. Vikki Soloman was 44. She was a mum and a passionate advocate for the beauty industry and she was known to several of us who are here in the chamber. She called the police asking for help, following an assault by the man who, hours later, would go on to kill her. The police did not attend. Stacy Hunter was murdered by an ex-partner who was out on bail and should have been nowhere near her. Can the First Minister see a pattern of women being horrifically let down by the system, and with fatal consequences?
In all circumstances, the complaints made by women about the conduct that they are experiencing should be addressed seriously and responded to by Police Scotland.
I have engaged with a number of victims over the course of the summer, and indeed over a number of years. I sat on the Criminal Justice Committee during the year when I was not in office, as we considered the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill and we heard from victims who gave accounts of better interaction with the police force and the courts than had been the case in the past. However, in every single case, women must be given the ability to raise their concerns and make their complaints and to have those taken seriously by the police and by the Crown.
Ensuring that that culture exists and that there is a focus on all those issues is fundamental to ensuring that we guarantee women’s safety within society. That is the commitment that I give to Parliament today.
I certainly welcome that commitment but, just this week, we have heard campaigners say that legislation is not making a difference for women. I want the Government to succeed on this, but it should not take barbaric acts of violence for all of us to wake up to what is really happening out there. In the first half of this year, reported domestic abuse was up by almost 20 per cent. Too many women are living in fear.
There is more that we can do. Homes where there is a history of domestic violence should be properly flagged for priority police call-outs. Abusers who are out on bail should be subject to GPS monitoring and should face severe punishment for breaching their conditions. Police and the courts should be given the power to remove violent men from family homes.
For Vikki, for Stacy and for all those who are currently facing abuse, will the Government act with urgency before more women die at the hands of men?
Yes, we will. I welcome the points that have been made by Mr Cole-Hamilton, because those are legitimate issues to pursue. The Cabinet Secretary for Justice and I, and my ministerial colleagues, are looking at a range of measures, many of which were set out in the programme for government on Tuesday, and I look forward to working with colleagues from across the political spectrum to enact those proposals.
There is another serious threat to our society and particularly to women and girls, and it is the malevolence of so much of the online content that is flooding into the data feeds of men and boys. I will do everything that I can, and I will also co-operate willingly with the United Kingdom Government, to control the epidemic of inappropriate material that is flooding our information systems. The social media organisations that have unleashed that are fuelling much of what is going on in our society.
That is not me making an excuse for anyone; it is me explaining why I think we have such a difficult situation on our hands. If there is one thing that we in this Parliament could do in unity, it is that we could all sign up to making clear to the social media firms in this country and across the globe that they have a responsibility to clean up their act, because they are jeopardising the lives of women and girls in our society.
That concludes First Minister’s question time for party leaders.
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