Chamber and committees

The finance secretary has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on this important issue, because we need clarity for our own budgeting purposes about what compensatory effects will be allocated to public funds to deal with the increased costs that will arise from the increase in the employers’ national insurance contribution. That will apply to clearly identifiable public service organisations, but there is also a question about whether it will apply to organisations that are not classified as being in the public sector but provide public services, such as care providers, third sector organisations or, further afield, universities and colleges into the bargain.

There is significant uncertainty about whether that will be adequately and properly covered in the budget, and that will be the subject of detailed discussions between the Scottish Government and the UK Government as we proceed with our budget steps.

I am delighted to welcome the pupils of Banff academy to the Parliament. I look forward to seeing their bill, as tackling misinformation is an issue that is challenging societies across the world. I am pleased that those young people recognise that important principle and that they are taking action that shows that they are keen to engage in our democratic processes.

It is essential that we understand the impact that online harm, such as that caused by misinformation, has on our young people. We provide funding for and work with a range of organisations, including Barnardo’s and NSPCC’s Childline, which support children and help us to develop policies and design services that safeguard young people and provide the right support when they need it. In addition, we will continue to engage with the United Kingdom Government and Ofcom on the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023 to help to keep children and young people safe online.

I welcome the report on the committee’s inquiry. The Cabinet Secretary for Transport has already made it clear that we will carefully consider and respond to its recommendations.

The Government remains fully committed to progressing A9 dualling in line with the delivery plan that was announced in December 2023. We have made good early progress through the procurement of the Tay crossing to Ballinluig project, which began in May 2024, and the construction contract for the Tomatin to Moy project, which was awarded in July 2024.

Mr Griffin raises a number of very significant and serious issues. I would be the first to accept that the position on homelessness and temporary accommodation is not where I would want it to be at this moment. Mr Griffin and I can probably agree that that is a product of the financial constraints that we have had over the past 14 years from Conservative-led austerity. I welcome, as I did last week, the investment that has been announced by the United Kingdom Government, which will provide us with more scope to address the issues that Mr Griffin puts to me.

My answer to Mr Griffin’s direct question about whether the improvement of the housing situation remains a priority for the Government is yes, it does. I am happy to confirm that. I will be working with the finance secretary during the budget preparation to address that very issue. It was a matter of great regret to the Government that we had to reduce funding for housing because of a very abrupt reduction in spending on financial transactions by the previous Conservative Government. We now have more options available and I give Mr Griffin the assurance that that will be uppermost in our thinking.

However, I come back to the point that I made to Mr Sarwar. If that money is to be spent, there will have to be more people voting for the budget than just my colleagues, so I invite Mr Griffin to encourage some constructive discussion in the Labour Party about how we might make progress on the budget so that we can address the legitimate points that he puts to me.

I understand the importance that Lorna Slater and her colleagues attach to those areas of funding. It was a matter of deep regret to the Government that we had to remove funding from those priorities to enable us to create a path to balance. One of the points that I made in my earlier comments was that the increase in funding for this financial year largely accords with the expectations in our internal planning of what will be necessary to meet the costs of increased pay settlements and the effect of inflation that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government has previously explained to Parliament.

My expectation is not that any new capacity will open up in this financial year. I expect that the resources that have been allocated so far will be required to enable us to balance the budget during this year, because of the pay and inflationary costs that we are facing.

I called on the United Kingdom Government to prioritise increased investment in public services, infrastructure and tackling poverty. Although the measures announced by the chancellor yesterday are a step in the right direction, we still face significant future cost pressures, which is hardly surprising after 14 years of underinvestment by the previous United Kingdom Government.

We are assessing what the UK budget means for Scotland’s public finances and, in particular, whether the increased cost of up to £500 million for higher national insurance contributions in the public sector will be fully funded and when we might receive reimbursement. There is a danger that we will not have that certainty in time for the 2025-26 Scottish budget process. It is clear that we will need to see continued investment in the coming years to provide the funding that our public services need.

I understand that there is currently engagement with NHS Lothian on that very question. Such services are vital. It is important that our veterans community is well supported at all times, but particularly in the period around remembrance day. I know that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, along with the Minister for Veterans, Graeme Dey, will take a close interest in the issues that my colleague has raised.

Let me state strongly, as I have done previously, that violence against women is totally abhorrent.

Although I want to see a reduction in the number of sexual crimes, we all know that sexual crime is underreported. One of the multiple factors behind the rise includes a greater willingness among victims to come forward, alongside increased support for survivors, including the use of pre-recorded evidence and a greater consistency in approach and the use of specialist police officers.

However, it is the ending of such violence that should be our goal. Those who perpetuate sexual violence and abuse, the majority of whom are men, must be held to account. It is only through fundamental societal change in the behaviours and attitudes of men that women can be protected.

It is part of my duty as First Minister to ensure that Parliament is properly informed about its history. That has been part of my duty since I have been here—since the very beginning.

On the question of trams, I did not want to spend a single farthing on the trams. I wanted to spend that £500 million on dualling the A9, but the Tories forced me to spend it on trams. [Interruption.]

The investigation of any crime is an independent matter for Police Scotland, and the Scottish Government has no involvement in such matters. Scottish Government officials met Police Scotland in June this year to discuss the establishment of the public inquiry and other developing work, and they had further engagement with Police Scotland in September.