Knife Crime (Young People)
Last Saturday, 16-year-old Kayden Moy was stabbed to death on Irvine beach. Less than 24 hours earlier, on Portobello beach, a 17-year-old was, allegedly, stabbed. Police Scotland says that the number of serious assaults committed by teenagers has risen by 600 per cent in the past five years. Two teenagers died and 11 were injured during a spate of knife incidents involving youths in the past two months.
Young people do not feel safe. The system does not protect them. What does John Swinney have to say to parents who tell me that they are terrified every time their son or daughter leaves the house? (S6F-04090)
Before I call the First Minister, I remind members that, in relation to this question and to question 6, there are a number of active cases in Scotland relating to knife crime and those are sub judice. For that reason, and because of the age of many of those involved, I would be grateful if members would not refer to details of any criminal proceedings in relation to those incidents.
First, I express my sympathy to the family of Kayden Moy. It is a tragedy that they are having to come to terms with, and one incident is one incident too many. The disorder and the violence at Irvine beach and in Portobello were totally unacceptable. As you have indicated, Presiding Officer, Police Scotland is pursuing the relevant incidents.
There are three approaches that the Government is taking in relation to knife crime. First, we have education programmes on the danger and the unacceptability of carrying a knife and taking part in violence. Secondly, there is effective punishment when offences are committed. Thirdly, there is sustained school and community engagement with young people to make sure that we create responsible citizens in Scotland. Most of Scotland’s young people are responsible citizens.
We have seen a sustained fall in the levels of knife crime in the past 15 years, but I repeat that one incident is one incident too many, and we will act to eradicate such incidents.
Young people do not feel safe because of the sickening rise in youth violence, but it is not happening in a vacuum. It can be linked directly to the policies and actions of the Government. The Scottish National Party has systematically weakened the justice system, especially in youth justice. It seeks to make excuses for those who commit harm, and those who commit crimes are told that there are no consequences for their actions, which means that there is no longer any meaningful deterrent. That inevitably fuels youth violence.
That misguided thinking is at the heart of SNP policy making. Surely John Swinney can see that it is not working and it is time to take a tougher approach.
As I indicated in my earlier answer, there are three elements to the approach that the Government is taking. Great importance is attached to education programmes on the danger and the unacceptability of carrying a knife and being involved in violence.
The mentors in violence prevention programme, which is directed through Education Scotland, is delivered in all 32 local authority areas, and young people are involved in that work. We support the work of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit in proactively engaging with young people to avoid incidents of violence. That is in addition to the work that we do to support Medics Against Violence to engage young people in the work that YouthLink Scotland does to deliver the no knives, better lives training to hundreds of practitioners and young people around the country.
Proactive work is being done to ensure that the issues that Russell Findlay has raised are addressed, but there is also firmness in the justice system when incidents take place. It remains open to prosecutors to prosecute a young person if they have committed a serious offence. Our sustained focus on prevention and early intervention is a core part of our strategy, but steps can also be taken in the criminal justice system to bring people to justice. I expect the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the judicial system to consider all those issues in addressing any cases that emerge.
It seems that John Swinney will not accept that his Government bears any responsibility for rising youth violence, but let us look at the SNP’s policies. It will not exclude disruptive and dangerous pupils from schools. Official guidelines prevent teachers from being able to instil basic classroom discipline.
John Swinney talks of firmness in the justice system, but the SNP passed a law banning under-18s from being sent to prison, even if they commit murder, and it decided that more young criminals should not be prosecuted in court. Instead, they are sent to children’s panels, where their interests are the priority and victims are ignored. There are also the perverse under-25 sentencing guideline, which prevents criminals—adults, by any definition—from being jailed.
That approach is weak, it is reckless and it is costing lives. Is it not time for John Swinney to rethink those harmful policies?
I must correct Mr Findlay on what he has said to the Parliament today. The sentencing guideline for young people, which has been developed by the Scottish Sentencing Council, makes it clear that all sentencing options, including imprisonment, remain open to the court. It is absolutely vital that that is understood by the public.
Our approach must be about education, early intervention and prevention. That is why we invest so much in measures such as the work of the Violence Reduction Unit and the mentors in violence prevention programme. We undertake that work, and, over a 15-year period, we have seen a sustained fall in knife crime in our society.
However, I come back to what I said in my first answer. One incident—one tragedy—is one too many, but it is vital that it is understood, particularly by those who might perpetrate such offences, that it remains a possibility that imprisonment can be imposed. Parliament should properly understand the requirements of the law.
If John Swinney will not listen to me, perhaps he will listen to the parents of victims. A mum whose teenage daughter was subjected to a horrific assault, which was filmed, said:
“My girl cannot return to school or leave home. She lives in fear while her attacker faces no punishment. The system is broken.”
The mum of a teenage boy who was subjected to a homophobic attack, which was filmed—his attackers faced no consequences—said:
“We cannot come to terms with what is happening in Scotland. Serious crime is being downgraded. The clear message to us and our son is that people can do what they want to him because he just doesn’t matter enough.”
A mum who was too fearful to include details of her child’s ordeal said:
“Many of the bad kids are in gangs and know that there are zero consequences for their actions. Good kids are paying a heavy price. Who is going to stand up and do something that will actually make an impact?”
Parents want a return to discipline in schools and deterrence in the justice system, so why will John Swinney not listen to them?
I fear that Russell Findlay has not been listening to my answers, in which I have set out that a combination of proactive and preventative work is undertaken by a number of very successful organisations, which, since 2008-09, has resulted in a 69 per cent decrease in emergency hospital admissions because of assault with a sharp object.
That is the result of us tackling knife crime in our society. That prevention work is having an effect. Scotland is a safer country today than it has been in the past, but I return to my point that one incident is one incident too many.
The work on prevention is absolutely vital, but the public cannot look at this exchange and believe that there are no consequences for carrying a knife or for carrying out an incident. I repeat: the Scottish Sentencing Council guideline for young people indicates that all sentencing options, including imprisonment, remain open to the court. That is what the law says and that is what the guideline says. People need to understand the consequences of carrying a knife and committing an offence. There is a risk of imprisonment. I encourage people to follow the advice issued on Wednesday by Police Scotland, which was that under no circumstances should young people carry knives in our society. It is dangerous, it is damaging and young people should not do it.
Knife Crime (Young People)
Like millions across Scotland, I was devastated to hear of the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Kayden Moy over the weekend. Kayden was a beloved son from East Kilbride whose young life, which was full of promise, was stolen in an instant. Tragically, his is not the first such death, and many parents fear that, due to a culture of violence that is going unchallenged, it will not be the last. Just one day before Kayden’s death, another young man was stabbed, this time at Portobello.
The statistics are damning. The number of young people being caught with knives is rising, with a 15 per cent increase among 11 to 15-year-olds in only five years. Many parents are rightly worried. They fear that their children are not safe and are asking how this Government has allowed the situation to get so out of control.
As I indicated in my answers to Mr Findlay, the Government takes a combination of measures in relation to these issues.
First, we are proactively taking forward education programmes on the danger and unacceptability of carrying a knife or taking part in violence. That advice was reinforced by Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs in his public statement on Wednesday. Secondly, effective punishment is in place when offences are committed. Thirdly, there is sustained school and community engagement with young people to ensure that we create responsible citizens in our society.
As I indicated, I share the devastation about the loss of young lives as a consequence of any violence in our society. Mr Sarwar and I share that devastation. I assure him that the Government will take forward a combination of early intervention and education measures, but we will also resort to punishment, if required, when offences have been committed. That is the approach that the Government will take and which it will work with Police Scotland to deliver in our communities.
John Swinney ignores the wider systemic challenges. The crisis did not emerge overnight; it has been years in the making. Since the Scottish National Party created Police Scotland, we have lost 800 officers. Since 2017, the SNP has cut 730 officers from local divisions and shut countless local police stations.
We are now hearing horrifying reports of children—primary school children—being caught carrying knives. That is not a coincidence. The SNP has cut the number of police officers and shut police stations. It has decimated youth work services and has so badly mismanaged our justice system that 500 police officers are stuck in courtrooms every day, with 90 per cent of them not even giving evidence. The SNP has broken our national health service to the point where police officers are stuck in accident and emergency departments escorting patients when they should be on the streets, fighting crime. Is what we are seeing now not a direct consequence of SNP decisions and failures?
In what I say to Mr Sarwar I will, inevitably, rely on material that I have already used in my answers to Russell Findlay. Since 2008-09—which precedes the creation of Police Scotland—there has been a 69 per cent decrease in emergency hospital admissions due to assault with a sharp object. Over a long period—during which we undertook the reform of the police service and the creation of Police Scotland—Scottish society has become safer.
We have recorded crime data that shows that there has been a 55 per cent fall in attempted murder and serious assault, with homicides remaining at a near-record low in our society today. In addition to that recorded crime data, we also have the latest Scottish crime and justice survey, which captures incidents that are not reported to the police as well as those that are. That reveals that crime has fallen by 53 per cent since 2008-09.
I totally understand the points that Mr Sarwar puts to me. However—and I go back to my point that even one incident is absolutely unacceptable and devastating, so I do not diminish that at all—the evidence indicates that, overall, Scottish society is safer today than it was before we created Police Scotland. That is the outcome that has been achieved as a consequence of the reform that the Government put in place to create a single police service that serves every community in our country.
I think that John Swinney should get out and speak to some of the parents directly and hear what they feel about SNP justice.
There are no more powerful words on this serious issue than those of mum Vicky Donald, and I think that it is important that we end on her words. Her daughter was just 13 when she was viciously assaulted on the way to school. Today, in the Daily Record, Vicky has written an open letter to John Swinney, saying:
“this is not just a tragedy. It is a failure. A failure of the systems, structures and leadership meant to protect our children ... This isn’t about reputation or reports. It’s about reality. It‘s about life and death.”
She asks:
“When will the Scottish Government stand up and say enough is enough?”
She asks:
“When will you stop hiding behind procedures and start putting real consequences in place for violent behaviour among youth?”
She asks:
“When will early intervention become the priority, and not just a buzzword?”
She demands:
“Stop waiting for more funerals. Do something now.”
Mr Sarwar invites me to speak to the parents. That is, of course, what I have done, because in January I convened a gathering, at the instigation of Vicky Donald, who came to it, with leaders of all political parties. Pauline McNeill attended on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party. Colleagues from all parties were there, and I welcome that engagement around the table. I have sat with parents and listened very directly to their feedback.
I have seen the letter from Vicky Donald and I have replied to her this morning. One of the points that I made in the letter is that, although this is of no comfort to victims of violence and their families, knife crime has fallen and the number of homicide victims aged 13 to 19 years has decreased by 79 per cent. That is some of the progress that I think has come about because of the prevention work that the Government has been taking forward.
When it comes to that prevention work, we have a number of different elements. Education Scotland delivers the mentors in violence prevention programme, which is delivered in all local authority areas in the country. I welcome the engagement of schools and local authorities. I have seen that programme in action in my constituency, and it is powerful and emphatic. The young people themselves become the advocates for violence prevention.
We also have the work of Medics Against Violence, which engages with young people in youth clubs on the consequences of violence, and YouthLink Scotland takes the no knives, better lives training to hundreds of practitioners.
We are also supporting the outstanding work, which is internationally renowned, of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit to expand its reach across Scotland, from Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh to now Ayrshire.
I say that in the hope of reassuring Mr Sarwar, members of the public and Vicky Donald that the Government is very focused on the issue.
I reiterate the point that I made to Mr Findlay a moment ago. There are punishments available that the courts can decide to apply, and they can involve imprisonment, so nobody should be under any illusion that there are no consequences to being involved in the unacceptable actions of knife crime or violence.
That will be the sustained approach that the Government takes forward, and I will be very happy to engage, as I engaged with all political parties in January, on what we can collectively consider to address the issue. There will be a follow-up discussion on these questions in June, which the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs will convene. In the light of these issues, I will attend that discussion as well, and I invite other colleagues and members of the youth work sector to be involved in that, too, to make sure that we leave no stone unturned in addressing the issues, because one case is one case too many.
Scotland’s Carbon Emissions (Climate Change Committee Report)
The Climate Change Committee report that was published this week shows that Scotland’s carbon emissions are on a disastrous trajectory. The report tells us that
“immediate action at pace and scale”
is needed to cut emissions so that Scotland can meet its new carbon budgets and build a path to net zero that creates good jobs and saves people money. That means that we need a proper plan for warmer homes that are cheaper to heat, and real investment to make public transport available and affordable to get people out of their cars. The First Minister often tells us how proud he is of balancing Scotland’s financial budget every year, but what immediate actions will he take to balance Scotland’s first carbon budget?
I welcome the advice that we have received from the Climate Change Committee, which the Government will carefully consider before setting out our proposed carbon budgets in secondary legislation, in due course.
I assure Lorna Slater that the Government is absolutely committed to meeting its target of net zero emissions by 2045. We recently put a number of vital climate measures in the budget, which I was pleased that the Green Party was able to support. We have added to that another measure to make public transport more affordable, which is the abolishment of peak rail fares from 1 September. I hope that that is taken as an example of good faith regarding what the Government is trying to do to prioritise action on climate.
The First Minister’s Government has spent the past year ripping up policies that are designed to tackle the climate emergency. The First Minister knows that delaying action on climate actually costs more in the long run. Analysis from Global Witness shows that climate damage is already costing Scottish households £3,000 every year on average, while multinational fossil fuel giants are still raking in billions of pounds of profit. Unless polluters pay, communities will be worse off and the super-rich will keep getting richer. So that we can invest now—not only to save money later but to create green jobs and opportunities that will benefit Scotland—will the First Minister support policies to tax polluters?
As I said in my earlier answer, the Government will announce its plans to respond to the Climate Change Committee in due course. I very much welcome its contribution.
We are implementing a range of measures. For example, we made a commitment to create 6,000 public charge points for electric vehicles, which helps with the shift to electric vehicles, and we exceeded that target two years early.
Yesterday, along with the Secretary of State for Scotland, I had the pleasure to be at the announcement of a regional selective assistance grant—which goes alongside investment from the Scottish National Investment Bank and the National Wealth Fund of the United Kingdom Government—for the green aircraft engine developer ZeroAvia, at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District in Renfrewshire. That is a splendid example of investment in new technology that reduces emissions, and it can help to create 350 jobs in Renfrewshire, which is a step in the right direction.
Average Earnings (Future Economy Scotland)
To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made, regarding any implications for its work to grow Scotland’s economy, of analysis from Future Economy Scotland indicating that average earnings in Scotland are £15,000 less per year than they would have been if wages had not flatlined since the financial crisis. (S6F-04115)
Scotland’s economy has been robust despite significant economic challenges. Since 2007, Scotland’s gross domestic product per person has, overall, increased by more than the United Kingdom’s has. Our labour market remains resilient. Our programme for government includes measures to support economic security and growth, but it is right to recognise the effect on Scottish living standards of UK Government austerity and damaging decisions on issues such as migration and Brexit, which have created the circumstances that are accounted for by the Future Economy Scotland report.
Future Economy Scotland’s report lays bare the sheer cost of the union and Westminster economic mismanagement. That is a vast sum for Scots, who could have put that money towards saving for their first homes, keeping those homes warm, feeding their families or saving for retirement. Does the First Minister agree that that is a clear indication that the union, and Westminster austerity, which is now embraced by Labour, are not working for Scotland? Will he outline what his Government is doing to combat that?
It is beyond question that austerity and Brexit have reduced the living standards of people in Scotland. That is an inescapable reality. Of course, all of that was presided over, ushered in, nurtured and coaxed into reality by the Conservative Government. Colossal damage has been done to individuals and their livelihoods.
The Scottish Government is taking forward a number of measures to tackle the cost of living challenges that people face in Scotland. Council tax is about 30 per cent lower on average than it is in England, and water bills are 20 per cent lower. We have free prescriptions in Scotland. Families who send their children to Scottish universities do not pay tuition fees, and we have just added to that the abolition of peak rail fares for good.
The Scottish Government is acting within our powers and responsibilities to tackle the very issues that Mr Coffey puts to me, but I am absolutely certain that Scotland’s position would be enhanced if we had the full powers of independence, which would enable us to deliver a better economic future, just as many of our neighbours are able to do.
“Lessons from Singapore for Scotland’s Economy”
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the Hunter Foundation report, “Lessons from Singapore for Scotland’s Economy”. (S6F-04113)
I welcome the report from the Hunter Foundation and share the aim to boost economic growth and secure a prosperous future for the next generation of Scots. I particularly agree with Sir Tom Hunter’s comments that we in Scotland need a separate immigration policy that suits our circumstances and can help to boost our workforce. I hope that the United Kingdom Government will take those calls into consideration.
The First Minister will no doubt have been delighted that Sir Tom Hunter has hinted that he, the First Minister, is paid too little, but Sir Tom cannot get everything right. He wants radical action to reverse what he calls Scotland’s “managed decline”. He references falling standards in education for the past two decades, some of the worst health outcomes in Europe and a demographic ticking time bomb.
The report also highlights how Scotland continues to punish the entrepreneurial community with high tax rates. We have a top tax rate of 48 per cent, compared with just 24 per cent in booming Singapore. Does the First Minister not recognise that lower, simpler taxes can boost Government revenues, inspire innovation and lead to extra investment?
An area of policy that I have been closely associated with throughout my parliamentary career is that of entrepreneurial activity. By anyone’s estimation, Scotland now has a supportive innovation and entrepreneurship system. The Techscaler programme that the Deputy First Minister leads is generating significant economic benefits and wealth in Scotland.
The key challenge is how we generate sufficient economic activity to support our investment in people and public services. Part of the correct approach in Scotland is to ensure that we raise the revenue to invest in our public services. The position that Mr Simpson’s party’s front-bench members advocate is to reduce public expenditure by £1 billion. The Conservatives often shout at me about it, but what they do not shout at me is how they will reduce public expenditure without harming the people of Scotland. They do not tell us the hard realities. If the Conservative Party is prepared to share that detail with the public, I will be very pleased to listen to it. However, what is clear to me is that the Scottish Government is taking the right steps to raise revenue, invest in our public services and improve outcomes for the people of Scotland.
The majority of people already pay less tax in Scotland than they would elsewhere in the UK. By asking those with the broadest shoulders to contribute a bit more, we can fund vital services that benefit us all. Can the First Minister say more on how our progressive taxation system helps to provide Scots with the most comprehensive social contract anywhere in the UK?
It is a matter of fact that more than half of Scottish taxpayers continue to pay less income tax in this financial year—[Interruption.]
Let us hear the First Minister.
—than they would if they lived elsewhere in the United Kingdom. [Interruption.]
First Minister, please sit down. I ask members who are shouting from their seats to desist.
First Minister, please continue.
In order that members can hear properly what I say, I repeat that it is a fact that more than half of Scottish taxpayers continue to pay less income tax in 2025-26 than they would if they lived elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
According to the Scottish Fiscal Commission, the policy choices that we have made will raise up to an additional £1.7 billion in this financial year. That will help to pay for the best cost of living package of support in the United Kingdom, which includes free prescriptions, an expansive early learning and childcare offer, free eye care tests, free bus travel for 2.3 million people and, of course, free higher education.
If the Conservatives want to get rid of the overwhelming majority of what I have just set out, that is up to them, but I am not going to follow their advice.
Knife Crime
To ask the First Minister, in light of recent reported incidents, how the Scottish Government is working to prevent knife crime. (S6F-04110)
As I indicated in my earlier answers, my heartfelt sympathies go out to all those affected by the appalling knife crime incidents in Irvine and Portobello over the past weekend. Since 2023, we have invested more than £6 million in our violence prevention framework, which supports a range of targeted prevention and early intervention activity in schools and hospitals, and across communities, as well as work with partners to tackle violence and its harms.
Following the tragic death of a 16-year-old boy from East Kilbride last week, three young people have now been killed in stabbing incidents in the past year. Since March, there have been 11 stabbings involving young people, including multiple instances in Portobello. Such incidents are destroying lives and traumatising communities, and the problem seems to be getting worse. Last year, the police seized 248 weapons in schools. Will the First Minister intervene? Will he request that the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit incentivise its efforts? Will he say that enough is enough? Will his Government deliver youth work and policing that reach out to young people to help to prevent further incidents?
Those are the actions that we are taking. As I indicated in my earlier answer to Mr Sarwar, the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit is internationally acknowledged to have deployed very significant and effective interventions aimed at reducing the level of knife crime in our society. I would not for a moment want members to consider that I do not accept, in any way, the seriousness and significance of these issues. One incident is one incident too many. We have tried and tested methods of addressing the issue of knife crime, and we must make sure that those methods remain effective in all that we do, to ensure that young people and communities are protected.
As the First Minister is aware, Kayden Moy from East Kilbride tragically lost his life at the weekend, and the community there is reeling. Investigations are on-going, and the police must be given the space to carry out their work. I ask people who have information that might be relevant to the investigation, including anyone who was at Irvine beach on Saturday, to contact the police.
Will the First Minister confirm how the programme for government will focus resources on the justice system and on diverting young people from antisocial behaviour and offending, so that we can prevent future tragedies? Does he agree that the work of the no knives, better lives programme and the Medics Against Violence organisation is crucial in preventing violence in the first place?
I agree with Collette Stevenson about the methods that are being used to address the issue. We need to make sure that they remain effective. We must be open to challenging the content of those programmes, to ensure that they are effective. As I have referred to, very clear words were issued by Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs on 20 May, when he said:
“The key message to children and young people is they shouldn’t be carrying knives—it is absolutely the wrong thing to do.”
He also said:
“the tragic consequences at the weekend demonstrate how horrific, in a second, the fact that you’re carrying a knife with you can be, and how it can end lives immediately. The clear message is do not carry weapons—do not carry knives.”
That is at the heart of the work of the violence prevention framework for Scotland, the cashback for communities programme and the other measures that emphasise that no one should carry a knife.
I have listened to what the First Minister has said in a number of his answers today, but he needs to acknowledge the real and concerning trend that we are seeing in Scotland. The number of violent crimes among young people in Edinburgh has doubled in one year alone. Last year, 529 alleged offences were reported to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration, with children as young as eight having been reported for alleged violent incidents here, in the capital. According to Police Scotland, a disturbing trend of gang culture is also developing. What impact does the First Minister believe significant cuts to youth services and centres have on the issue, and why is that trend not being acknowledged today?
As I have indicated in a number of my answers, the Government is investing in a sustained number of programmes through YouthLink Scotland, the violence reduction unit and the mentors in the violence reduction programme, to address those issues. They are serious and significant issues, but, in the longer term, there has been a significant fall in knife crime. We have to ensure that the programmes that we have in place remain effective and impactful in addressing the circumstances that Mr Briggs puts to me.
We move to general and constituency supplementary questions.
European Union-United Kingdom Deal (Fisheries)
Once again, Scotland’s fishers have been utterly betrayed by a Westminster Government in London—this time by Labour and its EU-UK deal. How will the Scottish Government continue to support fishers, particularly in my constituency of Banffshire and Buchan Coast, and will the First Minister give an assurance that his Government will always put Scotland’s fisheries first?
Not for the first time, the fishing communities of Scotland have been judged to be expendable—this time by a Labour Government and the previous time by a Conservative Government. The people of Scotland know that, whether it is a Labour Government or a Tory Government, the UK Government will sell out the Scottish fishing industry. My Government will support the industry, and we will do what we can to assist the communities to overcome the obstacles that are put in their way by the deals made by Labour and Conservative Governments. Of course, the only way in which the fishing industry in Scotland will be properly protected is with the powers of independence.
North East Scotland College Funding
North East Scotland College calculates that it has been underfunded by around £30 million over the past decade. That has resulted in fewer places for domestic students and threatens the north-east’s economic future. The college says that the funding system is
“significantly disadvantaging the people and employers of the north-east”.
The Scottish Funding Council’s recent funding allocation includes a substantial rural premium for nine colleges but not for NESCol. Will the First Minister urgently contact the SFC about restoring the rurality premium before it is too late?
As Mr Kerr will know, the Scottish Funding Council operates at arm’s length from Government. That is what the law requires. The Government makes an allocation to the funding council, which has seen a 2 per cent uplift in the resource allocation for colleges in this year’s budget. It is then for the funding council to take such decisions independently of Government, which is what the law requires.
Here we are again, with a Conservative member coming to the chamber and pressing me about the public finances. Graham Simpson, Liam Kerr’s colleague, who is sitting two seats along from him, just asked me to cut taxes by £1 billion, and now Liam Kerr wants me to increase public expenditure. That demonstrates the incoherence of the Conservative Party—the incoherence between two members sitting just two seats along from each other on the Conservative benches. They are utterly and completely incoherent.
Stagecoach Drivers (Pay)
Is the First Minister aware that Stagecoach west Scotland’s drivers are the lowest paid of any Stagecoach bus drivers across the United Kingdom? The drivers have simply tried to stand up for themselves, but the company has tried to reduce their leave and cancelled all existing leave over a planned strike period, which has caused much distress to everyone. That is just one of the many tactics that Stagecoach is using to prevent ordinary workers from having any say in their conditions. Does the First Minister agree that those drivers deserve a fair pay deal?
The services that the bus drivers provide are critical for the mobility of the constituents that Carol Mochan represents. I want to avoid any possible disruption to the delivery of transport services, including bus services, in the area. I encourage all parties to work together to find an agreement that will avoid the inconvenience for members of the public that Carol Mochan has raised and enable services to operate as planned.
Immigration (Scottish Care Report)
A new report from Scottish Care shows the immense contribution of immigration to Scotland’s care sector. Will the First Minister respond to concerns raised in the report that Westminster’s approach to migration could end up collapsing the care sector in Scotland? Will he commit his Government to rejecting the disgraceful anti-immigration rhetoric of Nigel Farage and those who seem determined to imitate him?
On Tuesday, I convened a discussion involving representatives of a broad range of sectors in Scotland across social care, the national health service, food and drink, engineering and construction and education to discuss the United Kingdom Government’s white paper on immigration. It was absolutely chilling to hear the anxiety that was expressed by those in different sectors in Scotland about the issues arising from the fact that we have a shrinking working-age population, which we need migration to boost.
Scottish Care gave me a briefing paper and it cites a survey of its members indicating that 26 per cent, or 11,294, of the total social care workforce are international workers. How the United Kingdom Government believes that we will be able to operate social care services with the type of hostile approach that is contained in its white paper is beyond me.
There needs to be serious engagement about the implications of the white paper, because it will be devastating for countless sectors of the Scottish economy. The Scottish Government will not, in any way, shape or form, engage in the type of rhetoric that the Prime Minister engaged in a week past Monday. His rhetoric was absolutely appalling, and it represented the wrong policy position. We need migration in order to boost our working-age population. That will be the sustained position of the Scottish Government.
Cancer Diagnosis (Young People)
I want to raise the tragic case of Isla Sneddon, who died at the age of 17 after a six-month battle with cancer. She first went to her general practitioner in 2022 with lumps in her breast. In June 2024, the GP made an urgent referral to the breast clinic for a biopsy, but it was downgraded to routine status. By the time that she was diagnosed, she had a sarcoma in the lining of her heart and the cancer had spread from her breast to her lungs and lymph nodes. If she had been an adult, the biopsy would have been urgent, but it was downgraded because she was under 18. Will the First Minister ensure that there is explicit guidance that suspicion of cancer in children and young people must be treated with the same urgency as cases in adults?
I am very sorry to hear the details that Jackie Baillie has shared with me about Isla Sneddon, and I express my sympathies to her family. Jackie Baillie makes a compelling case. I will take the issue away and raise it with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. We will pursue the issue of clinical guidance, because I understand the significance of the point that Jackie Baillie has raised.
Football Disturbances
Does the First Minister agree that, over the weekend, we saw deplorable scenes to do with football, not least in the Glasgow Cross area, which Kaukab Stewart and I share? Does he have any suggestions about how we can prevent that in the future, for example by ensuring that the clubs take more responsibility?
There were unacceptable incidents at the weekend. I completely understand the desire of football fans to celebrate the achievements and the performance of their teams. However, incidents such as the one that took place at Tannadice, where a chair was thrown at an Aberdeen Football Club player—it seems that that emerged from the Aberdeen supporters’ stands—or the disorder that took place at Glasgow Cross, on the boundary of Mr Mason’s constituency, are totally unacceptable.
Celebrations are fine, but they should not inconvenience other people, and they should not harm other people in any way, shape or form. We will work closely with Police Scotland and the football authorities, and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs will shortly hold a discussion with key partners to discuss those issues and ensure that we challenge everybody, including the clubs, to do everything possible to ensure that football is safe for supporters, and that we minimise disruption for local communities.
That concludes First Minister’s question time. There will be a short suspension to allow those leaving the chamber and the gallery to do so.
12:46 Meeting suspended.Previous
General Question Time