Chamber and committees

I thank the Social Justice and Social Security Committee and its clerks for producing its important report. The Parliament is rightly spending a great deal of time on discussing the cost of living crisis and its impact on our most vulnerable communities, and I welcome today’s focus on those with low incomes who are in danger of falling into debt.

We have many great organisations in Scotland that are working on the matter. In particular, I mention the work of Christians Against Poverty and its service to help people who are struggling with debt. Emma Jackson, its chief executive officer, provided concerning figures when she gave evidence to the committee. She told us:

“A third of our clients at CAP say that they regularly miss meals because they do not have enough income, while a quarter are reporting that they are skipping putting the heating on.”

She went on to say:

“about 65 per cent of our clients say that they have had to borrow from family or friends to afford food or fuel”.—[Official Report, Social Justice and Social Security Committee, 12 May 2022; c 4.]

The situation is forecast to get worse over the winter.

In last week’s debate, I highlighted the work that the UK Government is doing to assist the most vulnerable in our communities with their heating costs and I talked about the measures to get more money into such people’s pockets. I ran out of time in that debate, Presiding Officer, so I will not go over all those measures again; you will be glad to hear that I intend to finish on time.

The committee made many observations about promises of action that the Scottish Government has not yet fulfilled. We welcome the Government’s commitment to a full and independent review of the Scottish welfare fund and ask for the review to be concluded and a report published as soon as possible. I understand that the review is under way and I ask the minister, when he sums up the debate, to clarify to the Parliament the review’s timetable. When can we expect to see its report and recommendations? Will the recommendations be acted on in time to help people during the crisis over the winter? The committee has called for the review to be completed before the end of the year. Can the minister confirm that the report will be published this year?

The committee also called for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Government to work together to develop national standards for council tax collection. In her evidence to the committee, Emma Jackson made the same, important point. However, in its response to the committee, the Scottish Government again passed the buck, suggesting that it is not minded to legislate on a local government issue. The whole purpose of a national standard is that it is developed and agreed nationally, so that someone in Dumfries and Galloway who has council tax arrears has the same experience as someone in Aberdeenshire. It is not rocket science, and a national approach is long overdue.

The committee also recommended that the Government move ahead with free school meal expansion as soon as possible. The Government said in its response that it is committed to doing so within this parliamentary session but, again, there is no timetable; there are just empty promises from the SNP-Green devolved Government.

Let me turn to early intervention and prevention. Councils are on the front line of social care provision and are best placed to make early interventions, but the real-terms cut of £700 million since 2014 has affected councils’ ability to provide services. Advisers and helpline staff who assist people in dealing with debt are cut to the bone, with phone lines often jammed and people unable to get through to someone who can help.

Audit Scotland has urged the Scottish Government to develop a long-term planning approach to address child poverty and has warned that policies are focused on lifting children out of poverty rather than on preventing it in the first place, which should surely be the single most important focus for any Government.

The member mentioned fuel costs. Does she agree that the biggest factor in the rise in fuel costs is the war in Ukraine?

The SNP has no plan on the Scottish economy except independence. It has no credibility in this area and no idea how economic stability would be achieved.

In closing, Presiding Officer, I again point to the assistance that has been given by our UK Government to Scots during this crisis, with more promised over the winter. Some £1,650 will be provided to the most vulnerable in our society. That will be delivered because we are part of the United Kingdom, with the resources and economic ability—

If Mr Greer looks into the matter further, he will see that the inflation rates and interest rates in Germany are just as high as those in the UK. Surely that cannot be blamed on a Conservative Government.

The problems that we are facing are not unique. They are being faced by countries across the globe, and our UK Government will address them in the best interests of us all. That is the difference between our two Governments. We have one Government that is helping people and another that tries to use every opportunity to repeat its nationalist call for separation. It wants to act in its own self-interest, rather than in the people’s interest, by constantly talking about independence as the answer to all and any woes. The last thing that our nation needs is further instability, and a hard border with our closest and largest trading partner would give us just that. It is a disgrace that this devolved Government continually bangs that drum rather than focusing on the day job of bringing economic growth to this country.

It is the UK Government that is pushing ahead with free ports that will bring economic growth to our communities; with levelling up, which even SNP councils have welcomed; and with investment zones that will bring benefits for businesses that want to grow, develop and provide employment in our cities. The SNP Government is so full of grievance politics that it is failing to propose any policies that will actually deliver economic growth in this country.

The UK Government is providing a £650 cost of living payment for every household on means-tested benefits, a £300 extra cost of living payment to pensioners who are in receipt of the winter fuel payment, a £300 extra disability cost of living payment, a £400 cash grant to every household for energy via energy suppliers, a national insurance cut that will save 2.3 million Scots an average of £285 a year, and the list goes on. The UK Government is putting money back into people’s pockets when they need it most.

The SNP Government will tell us that it has no money even though it has the biggest core settlement ever. However, setting a budget is, of course, about priorities. The SNP has plenty of money for the things that it really cares about: a couple of hundred thousand pounds for a court case to push a divisive referendum and £20 million in the coffers for the pretendy referendum itself.

The people of Scotland need both Governments to work together to tackle the crisis. We need a laser focus on how we help vulnerable families and communities and grow our economy.

—will work together to tackle the crisis, because—

—to provide that kind of support. We hope that both Governments—

This is an important debate as many of our constituents are facing a winter of worry and concern. Bills are going up, food prices are increasing and interest rates are on the rise. I am contacted every day by people who are looking for help and assistance. The UK Government has been quick to offer support, including by helping with energy bills for the most vulnerable, placing a cap on energy prices until April next year and cutting national insurance contributions, and I am sure that more support will be offered as the crisis develops.

The war in Ukraine has pushed up energy prices and also the prices of many everyday commodities, which has pushed inflation to higher levels than we have seen in many years. It was reported just yesterday by the Office for National Statistics that, as Willie Rennie mentioned, many of our everyday food prices are increasing at an eye-watering rate.

What we do not need is the SNP-Green coalition of chaos’s constant focus on division—

—or a break-up of the United Kingdom that would cause untold economic harm and SNP austerity like we have never witnessed before.

Will that figure come back to the committee?