Chamber and committees

To be transparent, I should probably say that, in a former life, I was the manager of a petrol station. Once I had the bairn, I went to work for Tesco in a petrol station. I still have some shares with Tesco.

I congratulate my colleague Stuart McMillan on securing this timely debate, and I agree that his constituents in Greenock and Inverclyde must not be disproportionately impacted by forecourt prices. However, I do not quite agree that that is entirely down to the forecourt owners. Some of the blame must lie with the UK Government’s lack of action on combating skyrocketing fuel prices combined with the abysmal action that it has taken to combat the cost crisis. That is scandalous. While the Scottish Government continues to take all the action that it can within its powers and the financial constraints in which it operates, we need more action from the UK Government.

The steps that would help include a cut in the rate of VAT and a reduction in fuel duty. I will join Stuart McMillan if he writes to the chancellor with those urgent requests, if he wants me to.

Some folk do not realise that the current fuel duty is 57.95p per litre. Although a 5p cut is welcome, we are still paying fuel duty of 57.95p per litre and, on top of that, there is 20 per cent VAT. That pushes up the consumer price of fuel by offsetting tax to increase the wholesale profit. The UK Government holds the levers to change that, but it has not done so yet.

As a member of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, I of course support a move away from fossil fuels to greener alternatives. However, I acknowledge that getting a hybrid or electric car is not an option for aabodie. Folk still rely on their petrol and diesel cars to get to and from work, to see their family, to get their shopping, to carry out their caring responsibilities, and for a whole raft of other reasons. Diesel and petrol vehicles are still essential, and folk need to be supported and not penalised for using them.

How can tangible and urgent support be implemented to bring down fuel costs and, indeed, other soaring costs? We must extend the windfall tax and increase the percentage of tax, but, crucially, we must also address the loophole that undermines the levy by enabling companies to pay the bare minimum by offsetting profits to investments.

On Thursday last week, it was reported that the UK Government is currently considering an extension to the UK windfall tax, from the current rate of 25 per cent to 30 per cent, until 2028. It is understood that that could raise around £40 billion of additional UK Government revenue over a five-year period, with the possibility of the scheme being expanded to cover electricity generation firms. That is not just a good suggestion; it is crucial and a no-brainer.

Fundamentally, as the Tory-made cost of living crisis ravages households across the country, the UK Government must look at ways of supporting people financially and should not construct more barriers and take money out of their pockets. The UK Government holds the levers to address many of the issues that we are debating. It could help the most vulnerable, including my constituents of Aberdeen Donside, and it could bring real change, yet we are seeing little action—only a talking shop—from UK ministers.

In Scotland, the Scottish National Party Government is taking the steps that it can to help the affected families, but it should not have to mitigate the damaging Tory austerity, nor should its efforts in tackling poverty be dragged backwards. With the full powers of independence, the Scottish Government could get on with the job of supporting Scottish folk through tough times, without the need to continually clean up after the Tories and their dangerous attempts to turn their backs on the most vulnerable folk by refusing to deal properly with the cost of living crisis.

Would Martin Johnson like to add anything?

What do businesses and visitors want from a well-run ferry service? How do we get the balance right for businesses and visitors?

Good morning, panel, and thank you for coming along. Will you go into detail about the impact that the recent disruptions to ferry services have had on island and remote rural businesses, including tourism and distillery businesses? If you do not mind, I will go along the line, so the question will go first to Peter Clark, then to Rob Dickson and then to Martin Johnson.

So you think that the long-term situation will be as big an issue as the short-term impact.

I put the same question to Rob Dickson, and then I will come to Peter Clark.

It is a privilege to speak in the debate and to pay respect to and commemorate all those who have given so much to preserve the freedoms that we all enjoy today.

On Sunday, people will gather to remember. Some will remember family members who died in two world wars; others will remember those who have died in numerous conflicts since; and some will wish to reflect on their own service and those who served with them.

Importantly, however—and I agree with Poppyscotland on this—remembrance Sunday is also an opportunity to educate younger generations on the atrocities of the past to ensure that history is not repeated. Last year, as a Gordon’s bairn, I spent my time in the debate reflecting on my ain family’s connections to the Gordon Highlanders. This year, I want to pay tribute to our armed forces and to highlight organisations and folk across my constituency who are working to support our veterans community.

As a former councillor on Aberdeen City Council, I was proud to play my part in ensuring that the council signed up to the armed forces covenant, for which the council now has a gold award.

The armed forces covenant is based on the premise that those who serve or have served, and their families, deserve respect, support and fair treatment. It stipulates that the local authority will, among other commitments: offer up to 1 per cent of its 2,000 new council houses to those who leave the armed forces and adapt up to a further 0.5 per cent for those who are injured in service; support the employment of veterans and work with the Career Transition Partnership to establish a tailored employment pathway; and ensure that armed forces personnel are not disadvantaged when it comes to school places for their bairns.

The covenant has proven to be hugely important for Scotland’s veterans and the armed forces community. I pay tribute to all at Aberdeen City Council for supporting it, and I encourage all other local authorities to take part if they have not already done so. The mental health and wellbeing of our veterans community is paramount and I welcome that the Scottish Government has allocated over £2 million in funding to support veterans charities.

I pay tribute to Kate Dean of Aberdeen citizens advice bureau, who has led the armed services advice project in Aberdeen. The project provides targeted support on access to welfare, employment opportunities, debt and finances and housing. Between November 2021 and today, in Aberdeen alone, ASAP has helped 119 veterans, with yearly financial gains totalling £13,000 each year. That can really help. The case studies, which are available on the CAB’s website—I encourage members to take a look—speak for themselves. The project has been made possible partly through funding from the Scottish Government. I welcome the commitment that the cabinet secretary made earlier, and I hope that such support will continue into the future.

Throughout wars and crises, we have relied on the selflessness of our armed forces to protect our freedoms and keep us safe from harm. To do their duty, our servicemen and women have been deployed around the world, wherever and whenever they have been needed. In recent years, our troops have been deployed to Afghanistan and to support humanitarian efforts in countries around the globe. The global contribution of our servicemen and women must be acknowledged.

I look forward to laying a wreath in Aberdeen this Sunday on behalf of the good folk of Aberdeen Donside, and I encourage aabodie to get their poppies out, wear them wi pride and support our service personnel, past and present.

We know that air pollution in Scotland is often worse in deprived inner-city areas, which worsens existing inequalities, local environmental quality and human health. What impact is it anticipated that the low-emission zones will have on improving air quality in those highly affected areas?

The rising cost of living is having a substantial impact on families across Scotland and, so far, the UK Government has failed to provide any certainty to families on low incomes. Does the Deputy First Minister agree that the UK Government should give a clear commitment in its upcoming fiscal statement that social security benefits should be increased in line with inflation?

The Tory motion appears to support the findings of the Feeley review, but it would deprive Parliament of the tools to deliver the change that is needed. The Tories’ so-called local care service would fail to address the fundamental issues of consistency, quality and access. It would add to the postcode lottery of care that the current system provides. For example, it would allow differences between delivery of care in Aberdeen Donside and delivery in Glasgow city. Perhaps in their summing up, the Tories could clarify how their plan would deal with the current postcode lottery, which they constantly complain about.

Any spending decisions that are made on the national care service will be backed by rigorous evidence-based decisions. The costs in the financial memorandum largely represent investments in service improvements and terms and conditions for our vital front-line care staff. Any suggestion that the figures relate exclusively to admin costs are totally false and misleading. The bill will also remove unwarranted duplication of functions, thereby providing best value for public funds, which is to be welcomed.

The creation of a national care service reinforces the Government’s wider commitment to taking long-term action to change our society and make it a fairer and more equal place in which to live, work and play.

We need to grasp this opportunity to deliver public service improvement together. I encourage the Opposition to work constructively with the Scottish Government on the bill. Let’s get this right for a’bodie.