Chamber and committees

Although the advanced funding that the UK Government has announced is welcome, it falls well short of the financial support that is required to reinforce public health messaging. It is not sustainable that the Scottish Government is responsible for protecting public health but that its actions are constrained by UK Government funding decisions. Does the First Minister agree that that is yet another example of how the current funding arrangements for Scotland are entirely inadequate to responding to the impacts of the pandemic?

I rise to speak on this topic as a newly appointed member of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee. I have only three meetings under my belt and I am a new parliamentarian who had no real working experience of this place before the advent of Covid-19 and the pandemic. Of council chambers, I could write “War and Peace”, but of this Parliament, I know only social distancing, Teams, masks and BlueJeans.

All of us who were participating virtually yesterday experienced what happens when a worldwide internet system crashes; it was frustrating and meant that some who were due to speak remotely were unable to deliver their speeches and those who were in the chamber endured delays and frustrations.

However, I do not characterise that as the norm for the virtual or hybrid space that we currently inhabit. Like many, I have experienced those sudden and intense itchy-oxter moments when, on joining a BlueJeans session that is already in progress, I am that weird little swirly thing up in the left hand corner of everyone’s screens. We cringe as the youngest child enters the room and loudly demands a snack, the dog turns into the hound of the Baskervilles as a parcel is delivered, or the family chicken decides that it wants five minutes of fame and hogs the airwaves. All of that rapidly detracts from the salient points that we were trying hard to communicate.

Those frustrating and sometimes amusing moments have been borne with levity and a sense of pragmatism. We all recognise that, in order for us to represent our constituents, create impactful legislation and perform our scrutiny function, quickly ensuring that remote working was possible has stood us in good stead.

There is an old saying often used in Ayrshire: huv tae is a guid maister. To get the folk of Scotland through the pandemic, this place and all its component parts had to respond swiftly by suspending standing orders, amending procedures and passing emergency legislation, all with an army of amazing tech support in the background working night and day to create a virtual world, the idea of which was previously unthinkable and often dismissed. Sometimes it takes an extreme event to provoke change. It is now up to us to ponder what we want to keep and what we cannot wait to dispense with.

Before coming to Parliament, I was the wellbeing spokesperson for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities for several years, but I was not just a spokesperson; I was a co-spokesperson. I shared the role with Councillor Kelly Parry, who required support to be able to undertake maternity leave, just like any other woman right across Scotland. It was, and still is, amazing to me that such role sharing had never happened previously at COSLA, nor indeed in any council setting. The concept caused a bit of a stramash when it was first introduced—but huv tae is a guid maister, and with the support of officers and council group leaders, the benefit to all of that role being shared between two councillors meant that she did not lose out on her role or her earnings by having a baby. Her rights as a parent and as a woman were protected. By breaking out of that custom and practice, Kelly Parry and I helped to pave the way forward, and I see some parallels with what we must do now in this place.

As a family-friendly legislature, we need to recognise that this country might be small, but the nature of its constituencies and regions mean that some members travel nearly a whole day to get home. It takes me three hours to get to Ayrshire by train—an hour and a half by car, but three hours by train. The crèche is closed due to the pandemic, but were it open, votes being held later and later in the day would still cause issues for parents relying on that facility.

Some form of continued hybrid system that can allow for parents or those of us who care for older or disabled relatives to be at home must be on the cards. I am sure that many members have experienced the abject terror that is associated with remote voting when there is the usual after 5 pm moment when everybody is arriving home and demanding dinner and you are shushing them and kicking them all—including the dog—out of the room that you are in as you try in vain to hear what the Presiding Officer is talking about and which vote we are on, especially if it is a stage 3. If it means that a member can be at home to breastfeed a new baby or get dinner ready for their elderly mother, I think that those stressful moments are worth it.

Widening access to this place for more women, young parents, those with disabilities and those with caring responsibilities is a must, and this is one way in which we can do it. As Sarah Boyack has already said, we just have to look at the talent that we lost when several MSPs did not stand again in 2021 because they could not balance their work/life and constituency/parliamentary duties in such a way as to ensure that they could remain MSPs. Think for a moment about all the talent that left.

I absolutely agree, and that is why we need to have hybrid proceedings going forward, in my opinion. We need to look at everybody’s needs and address them effectively. If that means that we need to create some kind of justification for why a member needs to meet in a given way, as another member has mentioned, that is fine. I think that hybrid working, and not one or the other, is the way forward for sure.

The same can be said for those who give evidence to committees. We are hearing from new voices—from those for whom the trip to Edinburgh was too arduous and too expensive and took too much time out of their days. Their evidence is invaluable and totally reflective of the wider population we serve. Indeed, the international voices that we now hear are hugely important, too.

As we have already heard, such a system saves us money by reducing costs and expenses, and it reduces our carbon output.

I am not so sure that I agree with that. I have taken evidence from ministers in the committees that I have been on so far, and we have been able to scrutinise them quite fairly in that situation. If a minister is self-isolating or dealing with another illness, their opportunity to give evidence should not be taken away, but I get the point that sometimes it is easier when they are in the room and members can see the whites of their eyes.

Stephen Kerr talked about being in the building at any time and being able to be recalled and said that we should all be up for that. I have a disability that means that I cannot do that and I would not be able to do that. We have to remember that this is a family-friendly and an MSP-friendly situation that we are in and we have to be mindful of everybody’s situation.

I look forward to hearing from colleagues; there will be conflicting views—we have already seen that. It has been quite eye opening so far. However, let us get the evidence and get the inquiry off to a roaring start.

Does Daniel Johnson agree that there are some circumstances when we need to have a speech in front of us? I am going through menopause—there will be other women in the chamber who are doing so—and I lose my train of thought if a hot flush overtakes me. That has happened several times in here and, if I did not have my words in front of me, I might have ended up greetin and sittin back down.

Thank you. That last comment was particularly helpful, Andrew.

Before I ask my questions, I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I am still a serving councillor at East Ayrshire Council.

My first question is directed at Chief Inspector Nicola Robison and Andrew Mitchell. The committee has heard that powers already exist to deal with the illegal or antisocial behaviour that is associated with a small number of short-term lets. Have those powers proved to be effective in practice? I am thinking particularly of the evidence in Police Scotland’s letter. I am concerned about the possibility of women being trafficked across the country into prostitution; I am also worried about county lines drugs activities as well as the potential for puppy farming.

I think that the committee would appreciate it if you sent us the evidence that you provided to the Government.

The committee has heard concerns that local authorities might not have sufficient staffing or resourcing to effectively administer the licensing scheme or to take prompt enforcement action. Do you share those concerns? If so, how could they be best overcome? I direct that to Tony Cain and then to Andrew Mitchell.

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests, as I am a serving councillor on East Ayrshire Council.

Local government has been at the forefront of our response to the pandemic. It is therefore welcome that, despite a challenging budget situation that is devoid of any Covid consequentials, the Scottish Government is committing to a total funding package of more than £12 billion for local government, in support of its work as we press forward with recovery. As we are all aware, local circumstances and spending priorities can vary significantly. Will the cabinet secretary say more about the steps that the Scottish Government is taking to maximise the freedom and flexibility that local authorities will have over their spending?

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I am a serving councillor on East Ayrshire Council, which is one of two council areas in my Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency.

At the crest of the pandemic’s first wave, councillors and officers in East Ayrshire recognised the real spirit that was being shown by our communities and local businesses. Working hand in glove with the local authority, everyone was collectively striving to keep folks safe and to ensure that we all had access to necessities.

Neighbours met for the first time, and new community resilience groups came together with the support of the council’s vibrant communities team. Those newly forged and strengthened relationships are now vital in ensuring that we emerge from the pandemic in a way that promotes inclusive growth, local procurement and community wealth building, with a focus on community-led regeneration and sustainable 20-minute communities.

Back in May 2020, while I was still deputy leader of East Ayrshire Council, I was proud to support the council in its trailblazing endeavour to support the Kilmarnock and Cumnock business associations and the business communities across East Ayrshire by introducing the East Ayrshire gift card. The card has benefited retail by increasing footfall and boosting the local economy, helping businesses to adapt and respond to the pandemic. It works as a closed-loop credit card, and it is now accepted and sold in over 180 businesses throughout East Ayrshire. The card’s flexibility, which allows it to be bought and spent in person or online, helped to keep local businesses trading throughout lockdown and enabled many traders to venture into online trading for the first time at no cost to themselves, bringing them to the attention of new customers throughout the area.

Although many of the businesses that registered were in the larger towns, the council worked to ensure that businesses in more rural areas of the authority were signed up to reduce the need for people to travel to spend the card. That embodies the concept of the 20-minute neighbourhood. The card can also be redeemed online, and the team worked to introduce the ShopAppy platform and help retailers to make the move to digital retailing.

Following on from East Ayrshire’s UK-leading approach to locally sourced school food, in December 2020 elected members identified an opportunity to help families who required support while also helping the business community, which had been impacted by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. East Ayrshire gift cards to the value of £20 were included in the locally procured food boxes that were distributed at Christmas to primary school children who received free school meals. That was on top of the much-needed £100 hardship payments from the Scottish Government. A total of 4,030 cards were distributed.

The gift cards gave families flexibility on how they managed their finances to best suit their own needs, and data revealed that they were used in a variety of ways, including to pay for Christmas dinners, butcher meat, baked goods, arts and craft activities, clothes and making vehicles road safe.

That was repeated at Easter 2021; the criteria were extended to include nursery children and the value on the card was increased to £50, which was funded by council budgets. A total of 4,520 gift cards were distributed. As the Christmas campaign data also showed, the majority of people used the cards responsibly and to the benefit of their family.

Using the gift card in that way takes away the stigma that is attached to families in food poverty, because nobody, including shopkeepers, knows whether they have received a gift card as a gift or as part of a care package. It also supports the shop local principle and feeds into the community wealth building agenda. The gift cards must be redeemed within East Ayrshire, which helps to retain the wealth locally. Sales of the gift card in its first year came to just more than £330,000. In addition to people purchasing the cards as gifts, businesses purchased them to gift them to their staff at Christmas or as incentives.

As was the minister, I was delighted to see East Ayrshire recognised with the judges’ special award for its trailblazing work on the East Ayrshire gift card at the inaugural Scotland Loves Local awards last week—what an achievement. I send a special thanks to town centre regeneration officer Tracy Murray, a former boutique owner who spearheaded the creation of the card. Thanks to her drive and innovation, the Scottish Government and Scotland’s Towns Partnership have taken her acorn of an idea and launched the Scotland Loves Local gift card nationwide. Colleagues, please keep your local gift card in mind this holiday season and support businesses at the heart of your communities.