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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 4 November 2024
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Displaying 1233 contributions

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Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 29 October 2024

Michelle Thomson

That line of sight is vital.

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 29 October 2024

Michelle Thomson

Good morning. Thank you for joining us, cabinet secretary. I will pick up on some similar points. We already know that there are concerns that the number of so-called orphan buildings will increase, should disreputable or unethical builders choose to liquidate themselves and re-establish elsewhere. That is a regrettable risk. What is your assessment of whether the introduction of the Scottish building levy could increase the number of orphan buildings? I am not suggesting that the introduction of the levy in and of itself would be the primary trigger, but it might overlay additional financial considerations. Have you considered that?

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 29 October 2024

Michelle Thomson

As we have all said, we will need to wait and see, because the matter is highly complex. There will be uncertainties about risks until the building assessments have been made, and I presume that there will be the same uncertainties about risk elsewhere in the UK, because the assessments have to be carried out.

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 29 October 2024

Michelle Thomson

I am inclined to agree that the £30 million of revenue that it is proposed to raise will probably be too low. Given that we agree that the risks, the uncertainties and, potentially, the costs might be broadly similar, with some regional variations, are you concerned that the issue having had to become a devolved matter has meant that the risk of there being a much bigger bill, with £30 million not being enough, has been passed to the Scottish Government?

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 29 October 2024

Michelle Thomson

This is a slightly technical point—and I might not be remotely right. The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s recent change of heart on the fiscal rules will mean that debt will be recast as assets, particularly in relation to investment. Have you given any consideration to what that might mean in relation to whether what might have been seen as debts on a balance sheet, for the UK Government or the Scottish Government, could be metamorphosed into assets?

Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]

Programme for Government (Priorities)

Meeting date: 9 October 2024

Michelle Thomson

Thank you for putting that on the record.

Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]

Programme for Government (Priorities)

Meeting date: 9 October 2024

Michelle Thomson

I realise that it is a bit technical—sorry.

Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]

Programme for Government (Priorities)

Meeting date: 9 October 2024

Michelle Thomson

That is very clear.

I will pick up a point that some of my colleagues have made. I appreciate, cabinet secretary, that you are responsible for the economy, but the ability to promote growth has to be linked to what happens with finances. The Scottish Fiscal Commission recently produced a report on getting to net zero. To what extent are the key elements of the just transition and getting to net zero understood from an economic perspective? I am thinking primarily about the point that the UK cannot get to net zero without Scotland and, secondly, that under the fiscal framework as it is structured at the moment, Scotland cannot, by law, invest at the sort of scale that is required to trigger a just transition or get to net zero.

Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]

Programme for Government (Priorities)

Meeting date: 9 October 2024

Michelle Thomson

I will be very quick, cabinet secretary. I would not be doing my job properly if I did not ask a little question about the refinery in Grangemouth, which is in my constituency. There has been a lot of talk thus far about opportunities and the work around project willow and so on. However, the cabinet secretary’s interest is in the economy, given her role. A report by Scottish Enterprise noted that the refinery contributed an estimated £403.6 million to the Scottish economy. PWC estimates that, rather than 400 related jobs that could go, there are nearly 3,000. The First Minister has stated that the closure will create a “significant economic shock”. Are we still focusing enough on the economic loss and shock, or is the balance skewed too far at this stage towards what the future might bring?

Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]

Programme for Government (Priorities)

Meeting date: 9 October 2024

Michelle Thomson

Following on from that, capital has been extraordinarily important for our enterprise agencies and the Scottish National Investment Bank. Will the cabinet secretary reflect on what she hopes to see for capital going forward? How critical will the 20 per cent cuts on capital over the next five years that the Scottish Fiscal Commission predicts be? What are the implications for the Scottish National Investment Bank and Scottish Enterprise? There have been recent articles in the Financial Times about Rachel Reeves asking for a 10 per cent relative cut in departments.

Before you answer that, I note that my understanding is that financial transactions, which have also been cut, have been used as a loan mechanism because of the absence of capital. That is a potential double drop that limits economic growth and productivity.