Chamber and committees

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I was a local councillor until May last year.

I know that that is a difficult one.

On their completion, the vessels will have a vital role to play in reducing the pressures that existing services are under. Will the cabinet secretary provide any further details as to how the vessels can best be deployed to reduce those pressures?

Good morning, and welcome. I have questions on hydro power. What are the appropriate market mechanisms for hydro? How could those mechanisms support small-scale run of river schemes and large-scale pumped storage schemes?

A couple of months ago, I spoke to someone about a small-scale scheme, and they said that they were finding it difficult to get on the grid. Because they do not produce the capacity that is required, they are being overlooked. That is why I asked whether there is any way to get those guys on board. I am sorry, but the name escapes me just now, although I can pass it on to you later, if that is helpful.

I will have a look back in my diary to see whether the name pops up and maybe come back in later.

What discussions have you had with the UK Government regarding hydro? You talked about grid capacity. I have spoken to folk who are involved in small-scale projects who say that it is difficult for them to get on to the grid, because they do not produce enough. However, there are lots of little schemes that we could be benefiting from.

Does Carol Mochan share my view—I apologise for not bringing this up in my speech—that unions have done a huge amount of work to ensure that sun creams are used as part of the personal protective equipment in a lot of workplaces? Will she join me in thanking them for all the hard work that they have done in that regard?

I feel so honoured to be leading the debate this evening and I am proud to add my name to the calls for the United Kingdom Government to scrap VAT on sunscreen of factor 30 and above because those products are essential health items.

I thank colleagues from my party and the Labour Party who supported my motion. Their support has allowed the debate to go ahead.

I also welcome Amy Callaghan MP to the public gallery. Welcome to our—your—Parliament, quine, and mak yersel at hame.

Members have had the opportunity this afternoon to drop in to chat with Amy about the campaign and I thank colleagues from across the chamber who have taken the time to do so. I also whole-heartedly thank Amy for her campaigning on the issue, as she is herself a survivor of skin cancer. She has been a relentless advocate and her work is hugely welcome. If her bill passes, it will, without a doubt, save lives.

I also thank Melanoma Focus, Melanoma UK, Young Lives vs Cancer, the Teenage Cancer Trust and Skcin, who have backed Amy’s calls and continue to work for this vital change to VAT to be enacted as a matter of urgency.

Cases of melanoma have more than doubled since the early 1990s. Each year, 16,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed across the UK, resulting in 2,300 deaths. As many as 90 per cent of melanoma cases could be prevented by people staying safe in the sun, including using sunscreens of sun protection factor 30 and above with a four-star ultraviolet A protection rating. Wearing sunscreen is one of the simplest things that we can do to protect our skin against the risk of cancer, but one in eight of us do not wear it purely because of costs. Some people just cannot afford it.

Amy Callaghan’s campaign will stop families being priced out of buying sunscreen by making it more affordable for everyone. Amy’s bill is a simple and inexpensive one that could save countless lives.

Australia, the US and Canada have already removed VAT-style taxes from sunscreen and there is nothing preventing the UK from doing the same. Cases of melanoma skin cancer are increasing but most cases could be prevented if people were sun-smart, including wearing factor 30 and above sunscreen.

Public polling indicates that many folk find the cost of sunscreen just too high. With the current cost of living crisis deepening and summer fast approaching, the cost is likely to deter increasing numbers of folk from buying sunscreen. The major retailers Tesco and Asda have recognised cost as a prohibitive barrier to folk buying sunscreen. To its credit, Tesco reduced the price of its own-brand sunscreens by 20 per cent in 2021 to offset VAT. That move from Tesco followed a consumer poll in which 57 per cent of respondents said that the product was too expensive and 29 per cent claimed that they would wear sunscreen daily if it was a little bit cheaper. Asda called for VAT to be removed from sunscreen as part of a sun safety campaign in 2013. I join Amy Callaghan in calling on all supermarkets to take steps to make sunscreen as affordable as possible, in the absence of action from the UK Government.

Removing VAT from factor 30 and above sunscreens will make them more affordable for folk and it will send a powerful message to the UK Government about the importance of skin protection. With the impact of climate change meaning increasing temperatures in the UK, the measure is becoming increasingly urgent.

In the US, sunscreen products have been federally exempt from VAT-style taxes since 2012. In Australia, they are exempt provided that they are principally marketed for use as sunscreen and have an SPF rating of 15 or more. Melanoma Focus believes that the reduced VAT revenue from the policy would be offset by reduced melanoma skin cancer cases and reduced costs to the national health service.

The NHS England Getting It Right First Time review of dermatology highlights high and increasing skin cancer demand, with 200,000 surgical operations being carried out for suspected skin cancer every year and skin cancer rates doubling every 14 to 15 years. It highlights the need for additional workforce to meet current and future pressures and it recommends raising sun and skin awareness, which is needed to reduce pressure on dermatology services.

The message is simple: remove VAT from sunscreen, save lives and remove pressure from the NHS, which, as we know, is already under increased strain. It is, frankly, shocking that the UK Government cannot see that benefit and that it has not taken action to exempt sunscreen from VAT.

We know that VAT is a policy area that is reserved to the UK Government, but there is action that the Scottish Government can take. I ask the minister whether she could write to her counterpart in the UK Government to request that VAT be removed on sunscreen of factor 30-plus or that this Parliament be given the powers to do so in Scotland. I also ask her to consider working with retailers in Scotland to explore actions that could be taken to increase access to sunscreen. Those are simple steps, but they will save lives.

I again thank Amy Callaghan MP for all her work on the issue. I add my support to the campaign and call on the UK Government to take the action that is needed. I look forward to hearing the contributions from members.

Given that Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under-secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, told the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee last week that he

“would be overwhelmingly delighted should Acorn be successful through the track 2 process”

and that it was

“vital to Scotland’s 2045 net zero ambition ... that we get more carbon capture and storage on stream across the whole of the United Kingdom”,—[Official Report, Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, 27 April 2023; c 10.]

does the cabinet secretary agree that it is vital that the UK Government finally delivers long overdue carbon capture funding for the Scottish Acorn project?