Chamber and committees

I acknowledge that the figures will fluctuate from week to week, but I see that the Scottish Government has ushered in a permanent reduction in police establishment numbers of about 600 officers. If that were not concerning enough, Chief Constable Iain Livingstone is on record as saying that cuts to the police budget mean that we are already

“seeing the impact in our service of having fewer officers across a range of operational areas including a responsiveness to calls from the public”.

I understand that we could lose up to 1,000 additional officers from our service. It is important to bear in mind that 80 per cent of calls to Police Scotland are not crime related. That marks out the distinctly Scottish nature of a police service that is responsible for wellbeing, which, I hope, the First Minister will defend.

Is the First Minister concerned about the chief constable’s comments and the effect of brutal cuts in police numbers? What action will she take to ensure the resilience of the police service and to ensure that our police officers can do their jobs? I plead with her to recognise that, unlike other forces in the United Kingdom, the police service in Scotland has a distinct nature, and we should never accept the possibility of losing that.

Although Brexit is not the only reason why we have skills shortages and employment gaps, it remains a sad period in Scotland’s history, given that the particular model of Brexit that was presided over by the Johnson Government meant that, unfortunately, we lost huge numbers of EU citizens, and they were treated badly in the process. We should not pretend that that did not happen, and I agree with other members that it accentuated a pre-existing problem.

There are many ways to address Scotland’s particular economic and social needs, but it is a critical part of the overall solution that UK immigration policy should be flexible enough to cater for the specific needs of nations and regions. I say to the cabinet secretary that I welcome the proposed rural visa pilot but, as I have said on many occasions, as someone who supports being part of the union, we should not fear a justified differentiated policy within the UK if it helps its nations and regions.

There are many sectors where there are skills shortages, such as, although by no means exclusively, in hospitality, as we all know. Improving career prospects, pay and conditions, and security of employment in some of those sectors is essential for fair work, but it might also address the huge issue of filling vacancies in those areas. I hope that the Government supports the Hospitality Rising campaign when it comes to address that issue.

Many people in their 30s who are considering starting a family are worried about the UK economy, interest rates, mortgage rates and rising energy prices. It may be anecdotal, but it is fair to conclude that the economy is a significant factor for any person considering whether to add to the population by having children. Unfortunately, the word “migration” is regularly used with negative connotations, quite often preceded by the word “illegal”. Like many other members, I have always supported a progressive policy when it comes to immigration and asylum, because I believe that we should play our part in the world.

In truth, though, Scotland desperately needs an immigration and migration policy to avert a demographic catastrophe. As many other members have said, that is at the heart of the debate, because Scotland is set to lose nearly 1 million people—16 per cent of the population—over the coming decades. The Scottish Fiscal Commission has said that the low birthrate is a key driver of that. In fact, figures released at the end of June detailing Scotland’s live birthrate show the second lowest annual total since records began in the 1800s, which tells us how serious the problem is.

I fear that we may become increasingly economically unproductive. There are fewer working-age people available to pay the taxes that are needed to support the growing elderly population, our national health service and our pensions. Unless we do something about it, that fall in population will depress economic growth over the next 50 years; in fact, according to the Scottish Fiscal Commission, growth will be less than 1 per cent.

Interestingly, even the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, now belatedly concedes that immigration is important for economic growth and plans to loosen immigration rules to boost the UK economy. I am sure that it will be an interesting rehash of the internal immigration debate within the Tory party. It is perhaps time for the Tories to make their minds up on it, but I believe that migrants contribute through tax and, despite popular myths, they tend to use health services less than others do. Immigration is a positive thing. I do not understand why the Tories are not committing to what their view is on the motion. I do not know what their fear of embracing some differentiated policy on immigration is. They have not explained that so far.

Brexit has undoubtedly made the problem worse. UK staff shortages have intensified due to the dramatic fall in EU migration since?the vote in 2016. Data from the ONS shows that, since the EU referendum, European migration to the UK has fallen by a massive 72 per cent. The new post-Brexit system has introduced visa requirements for EU citizens who had previously been able to work in any job in the UK, and who are now ineligible for work visas. Predictably, therefore, we see that the EU migrant workforce has declined sharply. The hospitality sector has seen a decline of 25 per cent in the number of EU workers, and the agricultural sector has seen a decline of 28 per cent.

In a meeting that I hosted with the hospitality industry a couple of weeks ago, which many MSP colleagues joined, the businesses that attended said that they were struggling to recruit staff. That is backed up by press reports that suggest that staff shortages in the hospitality industry are reaching critical levels, causing nearly half of operators to cut trading hours or capacity in order to cope. Our problems are real, and they have been estimated to cost the industry £21 billion in lost revenue, causing an estimated £5 billion loss in tax for the Exchequer, which is clearly bad for growth.

I will address a point that Siobhian Brown mentioned earlier. Although I might disagree with her conclusion, I agree that there is a moral case for migration, particularly when it is about those fleeing from war, with Ukraine being the prime example. There must be room in an asylum and immigration policy to welcome and resettle displaced persons and to use their skills while they are here. However, in the long term, we must of course hope that Syrians, Somalians, Ukrainians and the people of Afghanistan will see peace in their own countries, allowing them the choice to return to their own homes and rebuild their own countries.

We must also live up to our responsibilities in the world and embrace those who wish to make Scotland their home. I hope that the UK and Scottish Governments will continue to work together to try and solve what is an enormous problem for Scotland’s population growth. It must be a central focus in the years to come.

I welcome these important regulations. Some members of the committee previously questioned the Scottish Legal Aid Board on behalf of practitioners about the fact that there was a disincentive to settle cases early. The regulations are helpful on every level and I support them.

Given what you said to Katy Clark about the pilots being a matter for the SCTS, what is the Government’s role? There must be one if we are being asked to consider it. Who has determined the things that we would expect to see in a pilot, such as how its success is measured? Is that the Government or the SCTS? I am seeking clarification on whether it is all a matter for the SCTS.

Businesses feel that they are lurching from one overwhelming crisis to another, despite the UK Government’s intervention today. I agree with the minister that it has come a bit too late, although I am sure that it is welcome.

Hospitality businesses were here last week, and I put on record my thanks to Ivan McKee for coming along to listen to them. The businesses described the current financial situation in Scotland as being worse than it was during the coronavirus period. Many fear that they will not be able to continue trading through this winter, but they have indicated that business rates relief would make a sizeable difference to many companies. What are the detailed plans to support businesses this winter? I know that the minister is only too aware that businesses have said that they are really scared that if they do not survive this winter, they will not survive at all.

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of energy price and inflation increases on businesses and jobs. (S6O-01356)

Today, we mark the life of that extraordinary woman, Queen Elizabeth II, who, born to privilege and status, was true to her word that she would serve the British public for the rest of her life. In doing so, she touched the lives of so many people. The knowledge that she gained from her audiences with world leaders and prime ministers gave her an astounding understanding of what was important in political and public life. The Queen visited Grenfell tower before any politician did. After 9/11, when the Muslim community felt under attack, she visited Muslim leaders in Bradford.

She had a strong relationship with this Parliament, which continued until her death. During the first Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, for which I chaired the lead committee, I recall that a very animated Dennis Canavan had been extremely anxious about continuing access to Balmoral. The Queen wrote to the committee at the time and was clear that access to walkers and ramblers would remain on the Balmoral estate. There was no one more delighted than Dennis Canavan when he received the Queen’s approval for his amendment at stage 2.

During the period of national mourning I learned more about Queen Elizabeth—as I think we all did—and I was impressed by stories of her feisty and forward-thinking behaviour. As Princess Elizabeth, she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945, becoming the first female member of the royal family to join the armed services as a full-time active member. In fact, she remains the only female member of the royal family to have joined the military. During her time there, the princess learned to drive and to maintain military vehicles. Her first military appointment was as colonel-in-chief to the Balaklava company, fifth battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The then Princess Elizabeth of York was appointed on her 21st birthday.

Perhaps due to her training in maintaining vehicles, the Queen was a car enthusiast. Here is the story that I liked most about that. In 2003, when Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia—later King Abdullah—visited Balmoral, the Queen offered him a tour of the castle. Apparently, when the Queen’s Land Rover was brought round, the Crown Prince got into the front passenger seat and, to his surprise, the Queen climbed into the driver’s seat and drove off. Of course, as we all know from other debates, women were not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia at that time, and that is still a thorny issue today. Crown Prince Abdullah was not used to being driven by a woman—that is for sure. His nervousness only increased as the Queen accelerated the Land Rover along the narrow Scottish estate roads—talking all the time, as she did. Through an interpreter, the Crown Prince begged the Queen to slow down and concentrate on the road. She was indeed feisty.

Long may the Queen be remembered for her incredible kindness to children, the sick and people who were in need. May we all apply her approach to our own lives.

It has been a privilege to make these remarks.

I welcome the fact that the Scottish Government has made justice such an important part of the programme for government. I know that the First Minister agrees that underlying those horrendous figures is the huge societal and global problem of male violence against women, which we need to tackle with urgency in Scotland. However, the length of time that a case can take to come to court does not help victims to come forward. We should also bear in mind, as the First Minister said, that such crimes disproportionately affect women and children.

However, the Government recently extended time limits for court cases in the justice system. For example, in the preparation of a Crown case for the High Court, the limit used to be 80 days, but it is now 260 days. Therefore, some victims of sexual assault and rape have been dropping cases because they cannot bear to wait the years that it sometimes takes to go to trial.

What can the First Minister do to ensure that, month on month, those delays are coming down as we go towards 2025? What reassurance can the First Minister provide to victims of sexual crime that they will not have to wait years for justice?

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government plans to take in light of reported figures showing that sexual and violent crime in Scotland has risen significantly over the last five years. (S6F-01325)

To ask the Scottish Government what range of heating systems it anticipates will replace gas boilers in the near future. (S6O-01292)

Some already available low-carbon systems, including electric boilers and heat pumps, have limitations. Heat pumps are disruptive to install and are simply not practical or even possible for many households. Where they are viable, they are often prohibitively expensive. Electric boilers are costly to run.

Lord Willie Haughey, who is the biggest provider of heat pumps in the country, does not believe that they are a suitable replacement for domestic boilers. Will the minister tell me which low-carbon heat source, that would be comparable to the cost of a gas boiler, the Government currently recommends for houses and flats where people cannot afford, or are unable to install, heat pumps?